Everton competed for the European places before falling away last season. BBC Sport examines whether David Moyes is the right man to turn them around this term.

Loan signing Jack Grealish proved to be an instant hit. Fellow new arrival Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was a reliable matchwinner. Strikers Thierno Barry and Beto had shrugged off early-season struggles to start scoring goals. A 3-0 triumph against Chelsea on 21 March put Everton eighth in the Premier League, just three points off the Champions League places with seven games left. Everton failed to win any of their remaining matches - the longest run without a victory since David Moyes returned for a second spell in charge of the Toffees in 2025. A 2-2 draw at Brentford on 11 April sparked a decline in form over the remainder of the campaign that ranked Everton in the bottom three during that period. They were one of only three teams to fail to win a match during this spell, along with relegated Burnley and Wolves. Everton's loss to Sunderland in May was their eighth home defeat in the Premier League last season Despite the drop off, Everton retained hopes of European football when they faced Sunderland in their final home match of 2025-26. In his program notes, Everton CEO Angus Kinnear declared that he was "happily dissatisfied" with the campaign - an odd turn of phrase at a confusing moment that quickly soured after a 3-1 defeat.