Published Sep 17, 2026, 5:20 PM GMT+1

The late collapse of pivotal summer transfer plans threatened to throw David Moyes' tenure in a spin at the start of his second full season back in the dugout on Merseyside, but there is a defiant feel to this Everton side, who are ninth in the Premier League after four matches, level on points with Liverpool and dented by just one defeat.

Recent draws against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have illustrated the combative and cohesive nature of this group of Blues, but they may well be lacking some punch and panache in attack, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's recent performances for Leeds United illustrating the need for more firepower.

Why Everton are still missing Calvert-Lewin

Calvert-Lewin spent many years on Merseyside, leaving Everton as a free agent in 2025. Daniel Farke embraced him and welcomed him to Leeds United, where he has been in prolific form since the start of last season, scoring 19 goals across 45 matches in all competitions.

They had the chance to avoid such rueful longing, but The Friedkin Group made a hash of Everton's summer recruitment strategy, bungling a deadline-day deal for AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun. A failed lunge at Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee means Everton now have only Thierno Barry up top - and the French forward blows hot and cold.

Calvert-Lewin's resurgence at Leeds has left some fans questioning whether allowing him to leave for nothing was the right decision. The 29-year-old peeled away across his final few years at Goodison Park, but he is now re-emerging as one of the country's top goalscorers at a time when the Toffees lack depth and quality in the final third.

In fairness, Everton had a 'DCL'-esque striker in Beto, who had outscored all his teammates over the past two years, but he has left the club, joining Fiorentina at the end of the transfer window.

Failure to replace the No. 9 - not just adequately, but at all - means Everton now walk a tightrope until the January transfer window, and it's all the more regrettable that last year they sold the perfect Calvert-Lewin replacement.

Everton have already sold the new Calvert-Lewin

Calvert-Lewin is no longer part of the Everton project, and that's not going to change any time soon, but that's all the more frustrating that they had a ready-made replacement in Youssef Chermiti, who was sold to Rangers for £10m last summer.

Chermiti, 22, failed to make the grade on Merseyside after joining the club from Sporting Lisbon in Portugal in 2023. He arrived a raw but high-potential prospect, though completed only 25 appearances in all competitions - with 20 of those games arriving across the first of three years at the club. He never scored for Everton.

But Chermiti is thriving in a new environment, having scored 15 goals from 30 outings in the Scottish Premiership last season. The 6 foot 4 forward is rangy and skilled as an aerial duellist, winning 6.1 duels on average each league game for the Gers last season.

He also created four big chances across only 20 starting appearances and was surprisingly mobile, speaking toward his potential as a Calvert-Lewin-like talisman in the Premier League.

You might think that Everton made that purchase with the England international's potential departure in mind. Now, too late, it looks like Chermiti has what it takes to replace the Leeds man, though it's fair to say it's unlikely he will be heading to the Hill Dickinson and wearing Evertonian blue any time soon.

A man for the big occasion, Chermiti would at the very least provide cover for Barry, who has scored three goals and assisted one more for Moyes' side this season. Alas, Everton have only the likes of Tyrique George and Brennan Johnson to challenge the £27m signing from Villarreal, and neither of those players are natural centre-forwards.

So many mistakes in the transfer market may well have scuppered Everton in their quest to climb into Europe this season. There is a defiant feeling about Moyes' side, but they have sold themselves short, and challenging for Europe as things are might be too big a mountain to climb over.