Everton Week in Review, Monday 26th October: Chelsea and Arsenal Defeats Pile Pressure on Moyes Amid Ownership Uncertainty
It has been a tough week on the pitch for Everton, with back-to-back Premier League defeats either side of the weekend. The Blues lost 2-0 at home to Chelsea, a result that ended their unbeaten start to the league season and raised questions about David Moyes' squad depth (Read Everton) (Read Everton). They then travelled to defending champions Arsenal at the Emirates and suffered a second successive 2-0 loss, with Ezri Konsa and Gabriel on target as the Gunners moved level on points at the top of the table (Sky Sports) (The Guardian) (Read Everton) (Liverpool Echo). Moyes admitted his side struggled after falling behind early and called for more chances to be created, while Mikel Arteta spoke afterwards about facing his old club (BBC Sport) (Liverpool Echo) (Read Everton) (Liverpool Echo).
The Chelsea reverse brought some sharp assessments from former players. Pat Nevin warned that avoiding relegation should remain the priority given concerns over squad depth (Read Everton), while Stuart Pearce struck a more optimistic note, suggesting Everton are only a striker away from being capable of chasing European football (Read Everton). Captain James Tarkowski, meanwhile, has been reflecting on his own strong individual form as he looks for a response from the team (EvertonFC.com) (Liverpool Echo).
Off the pitch, the big story continues to be ownership. Moyes' contract talks have reportedly been complicated by uncertainty over The Friedkin Group's long-term plans for the club (Read Everton), with Everton said to have been put up for sale and criticised for how the summer transfer window was handled (Liverpool Echo). Despite the uncertainty, Everton are reported to still intend strengthening Moyes' squad in January (Read Everton) (Read Everton). The club's failed takeover by 777 Partners has also resurfaced as a cautionary tale after co-founder Josh Wander pleaded guilty to fraud charges in the US (Read Everton) (Read Everton). On the finance side, there was better news, with journalist Alan Myers detailing a reported £35million revenue boost from the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium (Read Everton).
Transfer talk has been building ahead of January. Everton are reportedly among the clubs monitoring Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi following his Champions League hat-trick (Read Everton), while separate reports suggest early talks have taken place over a possible move for Manchester United's Marcus Rashford (TeamTalk) (Read Everton) (Royal Blue Mersey). Louis Saha, who played under Moyes at Everton, also gave his verdict on Thierno Barry's development, suggesting the striker is responding well to added responsibility this season (Read Everton).
On team matters, Moyes has been giving updates ahead of recent fixtures, including on Jarrad Branthwaite's fitness and Christian Norgaard, who remains further away from full match sharpness than hoped (ToffeeWeb) (Read Everton). He has also spoken about the possibility of shifting Jack Grealish into a more central role, which could open a path into the side for Tyrique George, and urged patience over the development of George, Tyler Dibling and Hayden Hackney (Read Everton) (Read Everton). Ainsley Maitland-Niles' place in the side has also been a talking point following the right-back search that led to his arrival (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool Echo).
There was a warm story away from the pitch too, as Everton icon Duncan Ferguson was confirmed as the new manager of Irish Premiership club Glentoran, and made a touching visit to an NHS worker and Everton fan before taking up the role (BBC Sport) (Liverpool Echo). Ferguson also gave a strong opinion on Dominic Calvert-Lewin's exit, saying the club should never have let him leave (Read Everton).
In the women's game, Scott Phelan's side were busy on several fronts. Everton Women suffered defeat away at London City Lionesses (EvertonFC.com), but bounced back on home soil with a 2-0 Subway Players' Cup win over Newcastle United at Goodison Park, with Ornella Vignola scoring twice (Royal Blue Mersey) (EvertonFC.com). Phelan spoke of his pride in using Goodison as a source of motivation ahead of a league test against Aston Villa Women (EvertonFC.com) (Royal Blue Mersey), though Everton's home run was eventually ended by Villa (EvertonFC.com).
Finally, Everton's academy continued their development path, drawing 1-1 with Borussia Mönchengladbach U21s thanks to a goal from young forward Cieran Loney (EvertonFC.com) (ToffeeWeb), while academy graduate Tom Davies is set to turn out for the under-21s against Wolves as he looks to secure a new professional contract elsewhere (Liverpool Echo).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.