Shameless Pun, where's your Dignity man?
Merlin Röhl
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Irishbornevertonian
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Re: Merlin Röhl
Seems that ship has sailedMatt1878 wrote: Shameless Pun, where's your Dignity man?
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Re: Merlin Röhl
Copied the article from Apple news…
“Everton spied potential in Merlin Rohl. Their patience may now be paying off
Jan. 21, 2026 7:00 am EST
Merlin Rohl has one final thing to say after wrapping up media duties on Sunday at Villa Park.
“Sound interview,” he adds with a smile as he walks off to rejoin his team-mates following Everton’s surprise 1-0 win.
In Liverpool, the word “sound” means “good”. Rohl had explained during a post-game chat with members of the Merseyside media pack, including The Athletic, how he was still attempting to get to grips with life on and off the pitch in England following last summer’s loan-with-obligation move from Freiburg in his native Germany.
It has been a slow burn, punctuated by a series of early injury setbacks, but the 23-year-old midfielder is finally showing signs of acclimatising to his new environment.
Sunday’s display was his best yet for Everton in 11 appearances. While far from flawless, he carried the ball well, covered vast swathes of ground and saw a shot just 11 seconds into the match rebound off the post.
It was a promising outing for a player who had, up to that point, shown only fleeting glimpses of the quality, both technical and physical, that convinced Everton to sign him.
Seen internally at Everton as a future full Germany international — having played for his country 13 times at under-21 level — Rohl has played just 353 minutes of football since arriving on Merseyside, with Sunday’s win being just his second Premier League start.
The best way to adapt to a new country and style of football is to play a lot, but Rohl succumbed to a hip problem soon after his September debut and then had hernia surgery in December.
Signed to provide versatility and stature in midfield, Rohl had been expected to help compensate while Everton stalwart Idrissa Gueye spent the past month at the Africa Cup of Nations with its eventual winners Senegal. That he was not able to do so was an obvious source of frustration for both player and club.
There had been early excitement from manager David Moyes and his coaching staff about Rohl’s performances in training. His “physicals are something else”, the Scot declared in October. Statistical benchmarking from Everton, meanwhile, suggested he had the potential to be one of the fastest players in the league if he could replicate his training output in matches.
But all of that matters little if Rohl cannot stay injury-free and perform.
Fitness issues so far have stilted his momentum, and there have been times even in recent matches where he has struggled to get up to the pace of English football. Only a week before that meeting with Villa, his poor clearance resulted in Enzo Le Fee’s opener for Sunderland as Everton eventually exited the FA Cup on penalties at the third-round stage.
The hope, though, is that Sunday’s improved display can be a catalyst.
Rohl covered just over 11.5 kilometres (7.16 miles) against title-chasing Villa, a figure bettered only by fellow Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong, and his running power and positioning were a crucial part of Moyes’ game plan, which centred on cutting off passing lanes in midfield.
These recent appearances, now up to six in a row in the league, appear to have paid dividends, bringing him more up to speed with the pace of games.
“It’s getting better,” Rohl says. “I’m trying to adapt to the new surroundings. After the injury, I was not really happy with my performances. I’m trying to get better every game, trying to focus on the small details. Even today, in some areas, I want to keep the ball more. I want to be more aggressive and create more chances and have more shooting situations.
“I think I can build up from the game. I look at it and say, ‘Yes, some good actions, some hard work for the team’, and I want to do that again.”
While Rohl is unlikely to be a long-term Gueye replacement, with a bit of luck, he can bring a new dimension to Everton’s evolving squad
Rohl is not just dealing with a new style of play. This is his first stint away from Germany and one that, unlike team-mate and fellow summer signing Thierno Barry, who has a large entourage, he is largely negotiating by himself.
“Yeah, (English football) is physical,” he says. “But for me, it’s a change in surroundings. I’m on my own here, so it’s maybe a little bit of a change that you’re in a different country, trying to learn the language, trying to fit in, trying to understand the scousers.
“But I’m doing everything to adapt, trying to get in some words that the scousers are using.”
Rohl is not seen as an archetypal footballer. He has a reputation for being highly intelligent, speaks fluent English, and ended up representing himself during transfer talks as his agents were not licensed to operate in the UK. Off the field, he has an interest in photography and has been seen walking into games carrying a camera, alongside Moyes’ famously cerebral first-team coach Leighton Baines.
Everton have leant on his positional versatility already, deploying him as a No 8, a No 10, from the side of midfield and as a right-back. Asked which role he prefers, Rohl gives a stock answer — “I don’t have any” — but those who have followed his progress closely tend to view him as a box-to-box player capable of breaking from midfield.
Despite his size (6ft 3in/192cm), one of the elements that stood out most to scouts was his ability in possession. Still, that versatility should prove invaluable for what is still a threadbare squad.
“I always tell every person that asks me, ‘I just want to be on the pitch, I want to help the team’,” he says. “I’m really comfortable playing different positions. I’m comfortable playing right- or left-back, as a No 8, No 10 or even on the wing. It just depends on what we need, what the game is needing.
“When you look at my performances, they can look different from the outside because I will play different positions and we need to do different things.”
Like Barry, now also 23, Everton signed Rohl to contribute straight away. But he is also viewed as someone with untapped potential. At this stage in his career, progress will not always be linear.
“He’s got loads to improve, but if we’re going to judge them so quickly then we’re not going to give them an opportunity (to show their best),” said Moyes after Sunday’s much-needed win. “I say it because the people who have watched Everton for many years will know the likes of Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, all had to bide their time before they got regular games.
“I’m not saying it’s exactly the same, but if they (Barry and Rohl) go on to be as good as any of those players, that’s what we want.”
Rohl has the opportunity to follow in their footsteps, but realises the importance of staying fit and building gradually over time. His injury record at Freiburg made it difficult for scouts to predict with any certainty whether he would play in a given match and, therefore, to track his progress. That will need to change if he is to be successful at Everton.
But the man himself is confident he can make an impression.
“It’s, of course, a change, but I think my style fits perfectly, so I don’t worry so much about it,” he says. “I just need to step up my game and hopefully stay healthy. That’s the most important thing.””
“Everton spied potential in Merlin Rohl. Their patience may now be paying off
Jan. 21, 2026 7:00 am EST
Merlin Rohl has one final thing to say after wrapping up media duties on Sunday at Villa Park.
“Sound interview,” he adds with a smile as he walks off to rejoin his team-mates following Everton’s surprise 1-0 win.
In Liverpool, the word “sound” means “good”. Rohl had explained during a post-game chat with members of the Merseyside media pack, including The Athletic, how he was still attempting to get to grips with life on and off the pitch in England following last summer’s loan-with-obligation move from Freiburg in his native Germany.
It has been a slow burn, punctuated by a series of early injury setbacks, but the 23-year-old midfielder is finally showing signs of acclimatising to his new environment.
Sunday’s display was his best yet for Everton in 11 appearances. While far from flawless, he carried the ball well, covered vast swathes of ground and saw a shot just 11 seconds into the match rebound off the post.
It was a promising outing for a player who had, up to that point, shown only fleeting glimpses of the quality, both technical and physical, that convinced Everton to sign him.
Seen internally at Everton as a future full Germany international — having played for his country 13 times at under-21 level — Rohl has played just 353 minutes of football since arriving on Merseyside, with Sunday’s win being just his second Premier League start.
The best way to adapt to a new country and style of football is to play a lot, but Rohl succumbed to a hip problem soon after his September debut and then had hernia surgery in December.
Signed to provide versatility and stature in midfield, Rohl had been expected to help compensate while Everton stalwart Idrissa Gueye spent the past month at the Africa Cup of Nations with its eventual winners Senegal. That he was not able to do so was an obvious source of frustration for both player and club.
There had been early excitement from manager David Moyes and his coaching staff about Rohl’s performances in training. His “physicals are something else”, the Scot declared in October. Statistical benchmarking from Everton, meanwhile, suggested he had the potential to be one of the fastest players in the league if he could replicate his training output in matches.
But all of that matters little if Rohl cannot stay injury-free and perform.
Fitness issues so far have stilted his momentum, and there have been times even in recent matches where he has struggled to get up to the pace of English football. Only a week before that meeting with Villa, his poor clearance resulted in Enzo Le Fee’s opener for Sunderland as Everton eventually exited the FA Cup on penalties at the third-round stage.
The hope, though, is that Sunday’s improved display can be a catalyst.
Rohl covered just over 11.5 kilometres (7.16 miles) against title-chasing Villa, a figure bettered only by fellow Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong, and his running power and positioning were a crucial part of Moyes’ game plan, which centred on cutting off passing lanes in midfield.
These recent appearances, now up to six in a row in the league, appear to have paid dividends, bringing him more up to speed with the pace of games.
“It’s getting better,” Rohl says. “I’m trying to adapt to the new surroundings. After the injury, I was not really happy with my performances. I’m trying to get better every game, trying to focus on the small details. Even today, in some areas, I want to keep the ball more. I want to be more aggressive and create more chances and have more shooting situations.
“I think I can build up from the game. I look at it and say, ‘Yes, some good actions, some hard work for the team’, and I want to do that again.”
While Rohl is unlikely to be a long-term Gueye replacement, with a bit of luck, he can bring a new dimension to Everton’s evolving squad
Rohl is not just dealing with a new style of play. This is his first stint away from Germany and one that, unlike team-mate and fellow summer signing Thierno Barry, who has a large entourage, he is largely negotiating by himself.
“Yeah, (English football) is physical,” he says. “But for me, it’s a change in surroundings. I’m on my own here, so it’s maybe a little bit of a change that you’re in a different country, trying to learn the language, trying to fit in, trying to understand the scousers.
“But I’m doing everything to adapt, trying to get in some words that the scousers are using.”
Rohl is not seen as an archetypal footballer. He has a reputation for being highly intelligent, speaks fluent English, and ended up representing himself during transfer talks as his agents were not licensed to operate in the UK. Off the field, he has an interest in photography and has been seen walking into games carrying a camera, alongside Moyes’ famously cerebral first-team coach Leighton Baines.
Everton have leant on his positional versatility already, deploying him as a No 8, a No 10, from the side of midfield and as a right-back. Asked which role he prefers, Rohl gives a stock answer — “I don’t have any” — but those who have followed his progress closely tend to view him as a box-to-box player capable of breaking from midfield.
Despite his size (6ft 3in/192cm), one of the elements that stood out most to scouts was his ability in possession. Still, that versatility should prove invaluable for what is still a threadbare squad.
“I always tell every person that asks me, ‘I just want to be on the pitch, I want to help the team’,” he says. “I’m really comfortable playing different positions. I’m comfortable playing right- or left-back, as a No 8, No 10 or even on the wing. It just depends on what we need, what the game is needing.
“When you look at my performances, they can look different from the outside because I will play different positions and we need to do different things.”
Like Barry, now also 23, Everton signed Rohl to contribute straight away. But he is also viewed as someone with untapped potential. At this stage in his career, progress will not always be linear.
“He’s got loads to improve, but if we’re going to judge them so quickly then we’re not going to give them an opportunity (to show their best),” said Moyes after Sunday’s much-needed win. “I say it because the people who have watched Everton for many years will know the likes of Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, all had to bide their time before they got regular games.
“I’m not saying it’s exactly the same, but if they (Barry and Rohl) go on to be as good as any of those players, that’s what we want.”
Rohl has the opportunity to follow in their footsteps, but realises the importance of staying fit and building gradually over time. His injury record at Freiburg made it difficult for scouts to predict with any certainty whether he would play in a given match and, therefore, to track his progress. That will need to change if he is to be successful at Everton.
But the man himself is confident he can make an impression.
“It’s, of course, a change, but I think my style fits perfectly, so I don’t worry so much about it,” he says. “I just need to step up my game and hopefully stay healthy. That’s the most important thing.””
Re: Merlin Röhl
NickNack wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:47 pm Copied the article from Apple news…
“Everton spied potential in Merlin Rohl. Their patience may now be paying off
Jan. 21, 2026 7:00 am EST
Merlin Rohl has one final thing to say after wrapping up media duties on Sunday at Villa Park.
“Sound interview,” he adds with a smile as he walks off to rejoin his team-mates following Everton’s surprise 1-0 win.
In Liverpool, the word “sound” means “good”. Rohl had explained during a post-game chat with members of the Merseyside media pack, including The Athletic, how he was still attempting to get to grips with life on and off the pitch in England following last summer’s loan-with-obligation move from Freiburg in his native Germany.
It has been a slow burn, punctuated by a series of early injury setbacks, but the 23-year-old midfielder is finally showing signs of acclimatising to his new environment.
Sunday’s display was his best yet for Everton in 11 appearances. While far from flawless, he carried the ball well, covered vast swathes of ground and saw a shot just 11 seconds into the match rebound off the post.
It was a promising outing for a player who had, up to that point, shown only fleeting glimpses of the quality, both technical and physical, that convinced Everton to sign him.
Seen internally at Everton as a future full Germany international — having played for his country 13 times at under-21 level — Rohl has played just 353 minutes of football since arriving on Merseyside, with Sunday’s win being just his second Premier League start.
The best way to adapt to a new country and style of football is to play a lot, but Rohl succumbed to a hip problem soon after his September debut and then had hernia surgery in December.
Signed to provide versatility and stature in midfield, Rohl had been expected to help compensate while Everton stalwart Idrissa Gueye spent the past month at the Africa Cup of Nations with its eventual winners Senegal. That he was not able to do so was an obvious source of frustration for both player and club.
There had been early excitement from manager David Moyes and his coaching staff about Rohl’s performances in training. His “physicals are something else”, the Scot declared in October. Statistical benchmarking from Everton, meanwhile, suggested he had the potential to be one of the fastest players in the league if he could replicate his training output in matches.
But all of that matters little if Rohl cannot stay injury-free and perform.
Fitness issues so far have stilted his momentum, and there have been times even in recent matches where he has struggled to get up to the pace of English football. Only a week before that meeting with Villa, his poor clearance resulted in Enzo Le Fee’s opener for Sunderland as Everton eventually exited the FA Cup on penalties at the third-round stage.
The hope, though, is that Sunday’s improved display can be a catalyst.
Rohl covered just over 11.5 kilometres (7.16 miles) against title-chasing Villa, a figure bettered only by fellow Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong, and his running power and positioning were a crucial part of Moyes’ game plan, which centred on cutting off passing lanes in midfield.
These recent appearances, now up to six in a row in the league, appear to have paid dividends, bringing him more up to speed with the pace of games.
“It’s getting better,” Rohl says. “I’m trying to adapt to the new surroundings. After the injury, I was not really happy with my performances. I’m trying to get better every game, trying to focus on the small details. Even today, in some areas, I want to keep the ball more. I want to be more aggressive and create more chances and have more shooting situations.
“I think I can build up from the game. I look at it and say, ‘Yes, some good actions, some hard work for the team’, and I want to do that again.”
While Rohl is unlikely to be a long-term Gueye replacement, with a bit of luck, he can bring a new dimension to Everton’s evolving squad
Rohl is not just dealing with a new style of play. This is his first stint away from Germany and one that, unlike team-mate and fellow summer signing Thierno Barry, who has a large entourage, he is largely negotiating by himself.
“Yeah, (English football) is physical,” he says. “But for me, it’s a change in surroundings. I’m on my own here, so it’s maybe a little bit of a change that you’re in a different country, trying to learn the language, trying to fit in, trying to understand the scousers.
“But I’m doing everything to adapt, trying to get in some words that the scousers are using.”
Rohl is not seen as an archetypal footballer. He has a reputation for being highly intelligent, speaks fluent English, and ended up representing himself during transfer talks as his agents were not licensed to operate in the UK. Off the field, he has an interest in photography and has been seen walking into games carrying a camera, alongside Moyes’ famously cerebral first-team coach Leighton Baines.
Everton have leant on his positional versatility already, deploying him as a No 8, a No 10, from the side of midfield and as a right-back. Asked which role he prefers, Rohl gives a stock answer — “I don’t have any” — but those who have followed his progress closely tend to view him as a box-to-box player capable of breaking from midfield.
Despite his size (6ft 3in/192cm), one of the elements that stood out most to scouts was his ability in possession. Still, that versatility should prove invaluable for what is still a threadbare squad.
“I always tell every person that asks me, ‘I just want to be on the pitch, I want to help the team’,” he says. “I’m really comfortable playing different positions. I’m comfortable playing right- or left-back, as a No 8, No 10 or even on the wing. It just depends on what we need, what the game is needing.
“When you look at my performances, they can look different from the outside because I will play different positions and we need to do different things.”
Like Barry, now also 23, Everton signed Rohl to contribute straight away. But he is also viewed as someone with untapped potential. At this stage in his career, progress will not always be linear.
“He’s got loads to improve, but if we’re going to judge them so quickly then we’re not going to give them an opportunity (to show their best),” said Moyes after Sunday’s much-needed win. “I say it because the people who have watched Everton for many years will know the likes of Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, all had to bide their time before they got regular games.
“I’m not saying it’s exactly the same, but if they (Barry and Rohl) go on to be as good as any of those players, that’s what we want.”
Rohl has the opportunity to follow in their footsteps, but realises the importance of staying fit and building gradually over time. His injury record at Freiburg made it difficult for scouts to predict with any certainty whether he would play in a given match and, therefore, to track his progress. That will need to change if he is to be successful at Everton.
But the man himself is confident he can make an impression.
“It’s, of course, a change, but I think my style fits perfectly, so I don’t worry so much about it,” he says. “I just need to step up my game and hopefully stay healthy. That’s the most important thing.””
Re: Merlin Röhl
I noticed against Villa at one point when he chased back he's pretty rapid, don't know about one of the fastest in the league but he's certainly got good pace.
Re: Merlin Röhl
He’s an interesting character.
I like that we’ve taken the chance on him when others were put off by his injuries.
£25m is nothing these days and if you can get a baseline of pace and power then you could be onto a massive winner.
I like that we’ve taken the chance on him when others were put off by his injuries.
£25m is nothing these days and if you can get a baseline of pace and power then you could be onto a massive winner.
Re: Merlin Röhl
Not just the physical attributes with him though. He seems really intelligent and diligent about his performances and his strengths too, so hopefully that translates to him working hard to improve and adapt
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