Everton manager David Moyes believes the Club’s progress over the past year has been significant and, in many ways, underappreciated, as the Blues prepare to welcome Arsenal to Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday (8pm GMT).
Moyes has repeatedly framed Everton’s improvement as the product of steady rebuilding rather than quick fixes, pointing to a squad still evolving and a club-wide reset that cannot be solved in a single window.
“We’re actually getting in a better position,” Moyes said. “But we’re not going to be able to fix it that quickly… you can’t put a number on it.”
Progress delivered without the noise.
Everton head into the weekend ninth in the Premier League, with Moyes’ side having built a more competitive base through structure, resilience and clearer identity, even while juggling injuries and the winter schedule.
Internally, Moyes believes the signs of forward momentum are clear.
“I think they’ve probably seen progress around the Club, around the team,” he said.
January: a major opportunity to accelerate the rebuild.
Moyes acknowledged that the January transfer window can be a turning point, and said Everton will continue searching for additions that can raise the level, while remaining realistic about what the market can provide.
“It would be great if we could,” he said, when asked about the type of transformational January signing that can shift a season. “We’ll still keep looking if we can find players of those levels.”
Moyes also made clear he will not be driven by speculation, dismissing much of the transfer chatter as “rubbish”, while underlining that recruitment will be targeted and purposeful.
With Everton’s upward curve established, January represents a significant moment for The Friedkin Group to reinforce that progress and back the next phase of Moyes’ rebuild.
AFCON: “big opportunity” for the squad.
Moyes also looked ahead to the impact of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Everton set to lose key players for a spell during a packed run of fixtures.
“The players have been well aware these boys are going to be leaving,” he said. “They should have an idea and think: this might give me an opportunity… Those players will be required. They’ll need to be used. Hopefully they’ll get a chance to show what they can do.”
Moyes confirmed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will not be available for the Arsenal fixture, while indicating Jack Grealish is available. On Harrison Armstrong, Moyes noted the midfielder is currently on loan at Preston North End and said a decision will be made next week regarding next steps.
Everton now turn their focus to the immediate challenge of facing an Arsenal side pushing for the title, with Moyes’ message consistent: the Club has made meaningful strides, the rebuild is moving in the right direction, and the next step is sustaining standards through AFCON while using January intelligently.
