Everton have already had a busy summer transfer window, with a clear focus on the midfield.
The Toffees made Merlin Rohl’s loan from Freiburg permanent, while they won the race to sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough — acquiring arguably the best player in the Championship over the past two years.
And David Moyes doesn’t appear to be done with the engine room yet, with Everton reaching an agreement ‘in principle’ to sign Christian Norgaard from Arsenal. He and Hackney should help fill the considerable void left by departing long-term servant Idrissa Gueye.
This recruitment drive has served to augment a midfield that already contains the considerable quality of James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the exciting talent of Harrison Armstrong, and quality depth options in Tim Iroegbunam and Charly Alcaraz.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at four potential midfield combinations Moyes could field this year.
Four potential Everton midfield line-ups in 2026/27
1. The technicians
This is the most technically gifted of Everton’s potential midfield combinations. So good has James Garner been for the Toffees that he was capped for England in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, though he ultimately missed out on Thomas Tuchel’s squad. His set-piece delivery is second to none, while he has a keen eye for a pass and a colossal engine.
In this set-up, rather than being positioned next to a destroyer like Gueye, Garner is placed alongside a deep-lying playmaker in Hackney, who is progressive and excellent at receiving the ball under pressure and breaking lines with his precision passing. This partnership would make Everton far more effective at progressing the ball forward, rather than relying on direct play — Moyes’ men were fifth in the Premier League for long passes completed last season (812).
Ahead of this talented double pivot is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who was one of Everton’s chief creative hubs last season, setting up 37 chances and providing four assists. Only James Garner and Jack Grealish were ahead of him in both categories.
This set-up is all about composure and precision in possession, while Hackney and Garner have just the right level of defensive instincts to keep the back door closed.
2. The anchor and engines
This set-up is more about making sure there is a designated destroyer to provide freedom for Everton’s more talented playmakers to do what they do best.
Christian Norgaard is the ideal candidate for the No.6 position, having been second among Brentford players for tackles (79) during his final Premier League season with the Bees (2024/25). The Dane was also first for interceptions (49), fouls (44) and possessions won in the middle third (112), showing he can be both front-footed and fearsome in his defending.
Ahead of the 32-year-old, Everton’s younger and brighter stars, Garner and Dewsbury-Hall, can look to service forwards like Iliman Ndiaye, Tyrique George, Thierno Barry and Beto. Both are also great ball carriers, able to drive possession forward as dual No.8s.
3. The rotation
This combination is built for domestic cup rotation, when the heavy winter schedule kicks in, or should Everton succumb to an unfortunate number of injuries. To make up for a relative lack of technical proficiency, it leans into elite athleticism and work rate.
Tim Iroegbunam takes up Gueye’s former mantle as the destroyer, sitting first among Everton players with at least 25% of minutes played last season for tackles per 90 minutes (4.12), second for interceptions (1.33) and third for fouls committed (1.76) and possessions won in the middle third (2.67).
Next to him, Harrison Armstrong is an incredibly exciting young talent, and certainly more than capable with the ball at his feet. However, at 19 years old, he’s still incredibly short on Premier League experience, so should pick his moments to play, and allow his engine and physicality to do the rest of the work for now.
On the other side of Iroegbunam, Moyes can field Rohl, who is tall, versatile, fluid and excellent in tight spaces, or Charly Alcaraz, who is aggressive, direct and very effective at pressing.
4. The wildcard
This combination is for when Moyes either wants to experiment, flood the centre of the pitch against an elite opponent, or simply get all of his best midfielders onto the field at once.
We’ve used a 3-4-2-1 visual here, but a 4-2-2-2 formation would be just as effective and wouldn’t disrupt Everton’s defensive blend.
We’ve already highlighted each player’s individual strengths, but the combinations here are incredibly exciting: the composed and precise Hackney set free by the destructive and spatially intelligent Norgaard in a double pivot. And ahead of them, pure grace and creativity from both Garner and Dewsbury-Hall, who are also mobile, hard-working and defensively aware enough to help Everton become expert pressers.
Something for Moyes to think about.