The Hill Dickinson Stadium came alive on Sunday afternoon, with a battling Everton performance making it a perfect start to life in their new home, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0.
Everton are now on the board for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, rebounding after a disappointing and contentious opening-week defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road.
Last week, Sky Sports’ Gary Neville remarked that Everton need “three or four more players” before the closure of the transfer market. Since then, a £40m deal has been agreed for Southampton youngster Tyler Dibling.
The Toffees still need a right-back and will consider further positions too. However, the signing of Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City has done much for the club already, the 29-year-old starring as Everton overcame Brighton on their new patch of Merseyside.
Jack Grealish's dream start
Grealish repaid the faith on his home debut as an Everton player, notching two excellent assists as Moyes’ side claimed their first points of the season.
Defeat against the Seagulls would have left a sour taste for the Merseysiders, but they proved that the spirit of Goodison Park lives on within a new setting, this blue sea charging a tenacious and industrious performance on the field.
Grealish adds flair and flavour to Everton’s squad, and The Athletic’s Paddy Boyland remarked he was one of the “standouts” against Brighton, alongside the indomitable Jordan Pickford, already looking like producing more potent results than have been the case at City for the past few years.
25/26 – EFC
2
0
2
24/25 – MCFC
20
1
1
23/24 – MCFC
20
3
1
22/23 – MCFC
28
5
7
21/22 – MCFC
26
3
3
20/21 – AVFC
26
6
12
And, according to Spanish reports, the Three Lions star is already the centre of internal discussions on Merseyside regarding a potential permanent deal. Such is his quality, such is the excitement after that incredible full debut.
Following this trend, TFG might want to repeat their trick in raiding another Premier League rival for a talented player deemed surplus to requirements.
They might even have found such a player already.
Everton line up Premier League star
According to Football Insider, Everton are interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma, who has quickly fallen out of favour in Thomas Frank’s new system.
Tottenham want to sell with Bissouma, having added Joao Palhinha to their ranks this summer, but they also want to recoup as much of their £25m outlay as possible, which could prove a sticking point for the Blues given their financial constraints.
Alas, Moyes is keen, and having entered the final year of his contract down N17, it makes sense that the Malian star would move on before the window slams shut. If Everton can agree a reduced price, it could be a fantastic deal.
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Why Everton want Yves Bissouma
Everton have already strengthened in the centre of the park this summer, having signed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea for £28m and having added attacking midfielder Grealish (with Dibling set to sign next).
At the anchor, Idrissa Gana Gueye continues to perform with aplomb, but he’s 35, and a successor must be found. Bissouma looks the man for the job.
Once remarked for his skill as an “absolute monster” in central battles by journalist Aaron Stokes, the 28-year-old has fallen out of favour under Frank’s wing at Tottenham, but he also struggled in Ange Postecoglou’s system, starting just 16 times in the Premier League last season.
His early days in north London and indeed the time spent on the south coast with Brighton showcased his quality, and, like Grealish, he could spark a career resurgence if making the move to Merseyside and forming a part of his reshaped and rehoused Everton.
He’s hardly flawless, but Bissouma remains a crisp distributor and a tough-tackling protector of the backline.
Data from FBref reveals he ranks among the top 18% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 9% for tackles, the top 7% for clearances, and the top 5% for ball recoveries per 90.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
And working in Moyes’ system, rooted so firmly in hard graft and unwavering defensive principles, Bissouma could rekindle his quality, as has already been shown through Grealish’s full debut on Sunday.
In fact, working together as different points in Moyes’ midfield, Bissouma and Grealish could strike a first-rate partnership, with the Spurs man using his strength and athleticism to cover plenty of ground, thus enabling the England international to release his winged feet and return to some semblance of his quality at Aston Villa, which led to him being described as “world-class” by one-time Manchester United prospect Luke Chadwick.
By covering and competing with Gueye (and potentially replacing the veteran beyond the 2025/26 season), Bissouma might just return to the kind of form that had English football in awe way back when, and giving that Grealish may yet find Everton to present a permanent home for him down the line, there’s every reason for fans to start getting excited.
Silky on the ball and strong in the duel, Grealish is a slippery customer for any opponent he comes up against, but with the added security of Bissouma in all his combativeness behind, reinforcing the centre, the fleet-footed winger might just succeed in establishing consistency.
The search for a right-back rages on, and fans will anxiously await the completion of Dibling’s move, but the signs are promising indeed for those of an Everton persuasion.
Bissouma would represent a coup, all right, but having already added Grealish to Everton’s fold, Moyes has shown that he has what it takes to bring such players over to the club and chart a course for the top end of the Premier League.