Everton Week in Review, Monday 2nd November: Cup Joy Against Newcastle Overshadowed by Grealish Discipline Row and League Slump
It's been a rollercoaster week for Everton, with cup cheer mixed in among Premier League worries and a major off-field storyline involving Jack Grealish. The headline news was a comfortable 3-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round win over Newcastle at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, goals from Garner, Hackney and Barry sending the Blues through to a quarter-final trip to League Two's Fleetwood Town (EvertonFC.com) (Sky Sports) (Royal Blue Mersey) (Royal Blue Mersey) (Royal Blue Mersey) (Royal Blue Mersey). James Garner, who opened the scoring, said afterwards that he believes Everton have a "real chance" to end their trophy drought this season (Read Everton) (EvertonFC.com). David Moyes was full of praise for the impact of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Hayden Hackney, and spoke of how much the fans will be enjoying the run (Liverpool Echo). National media reaction was largely positive about the manner of the win, even with Grealish absent (Liverpool Echo).
That win was somewhat overshadowed by the news that Jack Grealish was dropped from the squad entirely due to what the club described as a "breach of club discipline" (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport) (Liverpool Echo) (BBC Sport). Moyes was asked directly about the decision and the message it sends about Everton's values, while the incident was described as quickly forgotten as attention turned to the cup run (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool Echo). The situation has prompted wider debate about Grealish's Everton future, with pundits and commentators questioning whether this is now or never for the playmaker and whether he could have been the club's poster boy for a new era (BBC Sport) (The Guardian). Away from the football, there was also a difficult note on the night as an Everton player's house was burgled while the team were on the pitch beating Newcastle, with the player's partner releasing a family statement (Liverpool Echo).
On the league front, things have been tougher. Everton suffered back-to-back 2-0 defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal, a run that has seen them slip from fifth down to 11th in the table (Liverpool Echo) (Read Everton). Moyes has called on his side to rediscover their cutting edge after those blanks (Read Everton), while pundits have pointed to key players being out of form as a growing concern (ToffeeWeb). There's also been talk of what Everton must do to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle after the Arsenal reverse (Liverpool Echo). Supporters and media have been debating selection dilemmas for the busy run of games, with Branthwaite and Mykolenko among those whose fitness has been discussed ahead of the Newcastle matches (Liverpool Echo), though there was said to be an encouraging update on Branthwaite's situation this week (Read Everton). Merlin Röhl has also been speaking about his move from midfield into a right-back role and the adjustments it requires (Liverpool Echo) (EvertonFC.com).
In the women's game, Everton's unbeaten home record in the WSL came to an end as they lost 2-3 to Aston Villa at Goodison Park after a slow start (Royal Blue Mersey). There was better news in the Subway Players Cup, with a 2-1 win away at Sheffield United - goals from Rosa van Gool and Noemie Mouchon - maintaining their strong start in that competition, with boss Scott Phelan calling it "a positive night overall" (Royal Blue Mersey) (EvertonFC.com). The Blues then returned to league action and earned a hard-fought point in a goalless draw against Manchester United at Goodison Park to close out October (Royal Blue Mersey) (Sky Sports) (EvertonFC.com).
On the business side of the club, finance analysts continue to raise questions about Everton's financial position, with one claiming the club is losing around £1million a week despite a £65million summer sale, and another warning that a reported £1billion valuation could put off potential buyers as The Friedkin Group weighs up its options (Read Everton) (Read Everton). Michael Dell has moved to dismiss fresh reports linking his family with a takeover (Read Everton). Former captain Seamus Coleman was also critical of the summer transfer business, questioning the logic of selling striker Beto without bringing in a replacement (Liverpool Echo) (Read Everton). Looking ahead to January, reports suggest Everton are keeping tabs on potential striker additions including Iceland's Orri Óskarsson and Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta, while there has also been talk linking the club with a loan move for Manchester United's Marcus Rashford (TeamTalk) (Read Everton) (Read Everton) (TeamTalk) (talkSPORT). Elsewhere, Chelsea have reportedly joined the clubs considering a move for Jarrad Branthwaite in 2027 (Read Everton).
Finally, fans have been gearing up for Monday's Premier League return against Newcastle, with Moyes facing fresh team news calls and predicted line-ups doing the rounds (Liverpool Echo) (Read Everton) (ToffeeWeb) (ToffeeWeb) (Sports Mole). The 1878s fan group were set to stage a flag display at the Hill Dickinson to help generate atmosphere (Read Everton), while supporters have also been snapping up discounted home shirts and derby tickets this week (Liverpool Echo) (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.
