Summer Transfer Window 2026

[Indiantoffee75]

Even bringing a competent right back in, we still have major weaknesses in that back line and with Tarky and Myko starting we'll be shipping in goals and giving cheap ones away.

It's still firmly a bottom half team for me as it stands.

[The Doc]

Even bringing a competent right back in, we still have major weaknesses in that back line and with Tarky and Myko starting we'll be shipping in goals and giving cheap ones away.

It's still firmly a bottom half team for me as it stands.

Tarkowski is fine alongside Branthwaite or O'Brien.

[AjaxAndy]

Tarkowski is fine alongside Branthwaite or O'Brien.

He also didn't have a pre-season last year which I believe impacted his performances a fair bit.

Year older now though so I'm 50/50 in if we'll see the old Tarks again, or if he's starting to creak due to age.

[Indiantoffee75]

Tarkowski is fine alongside Branthwaite or O'Brien.

Disagree. He should have been phased out the side and used as a sub this season. Too erratic and his awareness and positioning isn't there.

[Gash]

Disagree. He should have been phased out the side and used as a sub this season. Too erratic and his awareness and positioning isn't there.

There was only about 5 teams with a better goal difference than us and that was despite our struggles at the other end in scoring.

[dazfrancis]

There was only 10 teams with a better goal difference than us and that was despite our struggles at the other end in scoring.

Fixed that for you

[Gash]

Fixed that for you

Sorry, meant 5 teams with better goals against.

[TheRam]

15th in the league for XG conceded though.

Fail to improve that defence properly and it will come back to bite us.

We were horrible at the back last season.

[holst]

Sorry, meant 5 teams with better goals against.

I think this is a very valid point. Two thoughts here:
1) If we as a fanbase heard Everton were to spend £60m on shoring on the defence (2-4 players in) with the aim of being a top 5 club for goal conceeded in the league and then we were to achieve that, we'd be over the moon.
2) [I'm not saying our defence is right / spot on there at the moment and think we're 2 players short of the quality we seek but...] Is it a case of the individual players being a combined better than their individual parts? So, as a defence, they acheive far more than they do individually? If we were honest, we've got 1 player we'd place in a top 5 'defence' team (Branthwaite) and another one close (O'Brien)...but the others? Think I'd place them in the bottom 5 'defence' team quality. BUT >>>> together they are achieving a top 5 defence team.

If we were to replicate this defence next year AND score 10-15 more goals and, notably, in 4 to 5 key games (to secure the win or to nic a point), we'd achieve Europe.

We need our attack (midfield, wingers, strikers) to be matching their defenders.

I'm all for a new right back, but think we sometimes overlook it as a strength rather than a weakness.

[Kerryblueboy]

Hopefully tark doesn’t play much this season Jake and Jared should be the starters need to solve our problems at set pieces criminal the way we concede so many from crosses

[Escalator]

Even bringing a competent right back in, we still have major weaknesses in that back line and with Tarky and Myko starting we'll be shipping in goals and giving cheap ones away.

It's still firmly a bottom half team for me as it stands.

We certainly can’t rely on sicknote Branthwaite for more than three consecutive matches.

[kramer]

15th in the league for XG conceded though.

Fail to improve that defence properly and it will come back to bite us.

We were horrible at the back last season.

Yeah, rode our luck plenty defensively.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle and I expect to see regression if we roll Keane/Tarkowski out a significant amount.

If we keep at least one of Branthwaite or O’Brien in there consistently, I think we have potential to improve the underlying numbers and be legitimately good defensively rather than okay with a large helping of luck.

[TheRam]

Yeah, rode our luck plenty defensively.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle and I expect to see regression if we roll Keane/Tarkowski out a significant amount.

If we keep at least one of Branthwaite or O’Brien in there consistently, I think we have potential to improve the underlying numbers and be legitimately good defensively rather than okay with a large helping of luck.

I hope so but I fear we are mirroring his time at West Ham with how many goals we concede at home.

[UnsyisaRhino]

Tarks has also looked very ropey during preseason, slow even for him.

I worry it'll take an injury for him to lose his place.

[Cozzie]