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EFC Daily: Everton’s season turns to opportunity
Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Premier League will have at least five teams in the Champions League next season after securing a European Performance Spot for the second straight year.
The extra place was confirmed on Tuesday as Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Uefa awards an additional place to the two leagues with the best overall performance across the three European competitions.
The race for fifth place in the Premier League, currently held by Liverpool on 49 points, is exceptionally tight.
Just seven points separate Arne Slot's side from 13th-placed Bournemouth.
Chelsea (48) sit in sixth followed by Brentford (46), Everton (46), Fulham (44), Brighton (43), Sunderland (43), Newcastle (42) and Bournemouth (42).
If Aston Villa, who are fourth on 54 points, win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, the Premier League would have six teams in the Champions League.
The same logic applies to Liverpool, who face Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
If either win a European trophy and finish fifth, then sixth would qualify for the Champions League via the EPS place.
If both win European trophies and finish fifth and sixth, that would put seventh into the Champions League.
Nottingham Forest are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. They could emulate Tottenham by winning the competition and finishing in the bottom half of the table.
Just like last season, that would create a sixth team in the Champions League for the Premier League too.
Image source, Getty ImagesWith seven games of the Premier League season to go, Everton are among the sides vying for a European spot.
The Toffees are only behind seventh-placed Brentford on goal difference and face the Bees in London on Saturday (15:00 BST).
If they are to achieve that aim of European qualification, England duo Jordan Pickford and James Garner - the only two players to have started every top-flight game for Everton this season - will no doubt be key.
Statisticians Opta say that in terms of expected goals on target compared to goals conceded, Pickford has prevented more goals (6.1) than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League this season.
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, that number is 24.1, which is nine more than any other top-flight keeper during the same period.
Meanwhile, midfielder Garner has been one of the Toffees' most consistent performers this campaign, ranking second in the Premier League this season for both tackles made (93) and interceptions (50). He also has six assists.
Mike Richards
Fan writer
Image source, PA MediaNo more breaks. No more international distractions for the players. A huge seven games remain and we are all wondering whether we grab a fantastic opportunity to cap off a season of relative calm.
I have spoken countless times over the course of the past few months about European football and what it could mean for the club. The fear of it being too soon was certainly in my thinking a short while ago, whereas now the excitement of what it may offer has overtaken any concern.
Since David Moyes' arrival at the club 15 months ago, he has reminded the current crop of players that Everton is a club that belongs in Europe and once our relegation concerns of last season were dealt with, that was the aim.
It is refreshing to know the days of suffering are long behind us and the manager is well aware of where we expect our football club to be.
Our final seven games are tough and none more so than this weekend's trip to fellow European dreamers Brentford. Only above us on goal difference, the game may go a long way to deciding both clubs' final league position.
It feels like a 'dare not lose' game, simply from a momentum and confidence perspective.
Beyond that is the small prospect of the inaugural Merseyside derby at our new home. Given Liverpool's disastrous title defence, there is a real prospect that we will be battling with them for league supremacy come the end of the season.
It is a mouth-watering end of the season for all the right reasons at last. Where we finish and what we achieve remains to be seen. One thing is for sure - it is much more enjoyable than the anxiety of recent seasons.
Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external
Everton are growing in confidence that on-loan Manchester City and England winger Jack Grealish will be back with the club next season. (Daily Mail), external
West Ham United forward Crysencio Summerville is being monitored by Everton, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Marseille and Napoli. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Giulia Bould
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesFor so long, Everton were seen as the problematic Premier League club but in just over a year of David Moyes' management and The Friedkin Group's ownership they have become the ones to watch.
There's a sense of calm and positivity around the Toffees right now. Rather than working out complex maths around other teams' results and fearing the next set of financial results, fans are instead counting the possible points to secure Europe and enjoying financial security.
The next home game is the Merseyside derby. This is the closest the two local rivals have been in years and there's a sense of optimism given the Chelsea performance was so impressive while Liverpool have been struggling.
The result on the 19th at Hill Dickinson Stadium will be the moment many around the club will really know what they can achieve this season.
By then there will be five games left but those at the top have been putting plans in place for a European charge for some time.
The latest set of finances revealed a record turnover of £196.7m, while the annual loss reduced significantly from £53.2m to £8.6m. In short it means Everton are PSR compliant and the deals with blue chip companies have made the club stable financially.
Talks are underway to secure Jack Grealish for the coming season with his experience as a Champions League winner seen as key when it comes to the dressing room.
There have been long-term deals too for Jarrad Branthwaite and James Garner. The latter has been the jewel in the crown this season and with the midfielder's stats rivalling the likes of Declan Rice at Arsenal it is little surprise to those at Everton that he's caught the eye of Thomas Tuchel.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been in the mix for an international call up too but it is Garner that has the best chance of a trip to the US this summer.
There's a rebuild of the academy now underway with the appointment of Dean Rastrick as director plus there's hope for 18-year-old striker, Braiden Graham.
He has 17 goals across all youth competitions this season and there's much excitement. Moyes, though, believes he isn't yet ready for the physicality of the Premier League but if there's a European campaign next term it could see the teenager called into action.
Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights and find details here of live Everton match commentaries on BBC Radio Merseyside
Ciaran Varley
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, MEIS StudioConstruction on Hill Dickinson Stadium began in August 2021 and was completed in 2025. However, that shouldn't imply that the project went entirely without a hitch.
"We were on the bubble for relegation more than once. We had a change of ownership and we had a war with Russia and Ukraine that affected the club," said Dan Meis - the Los Angeles-based architect who designed Everton's new ground.
The Toffees finished four points above the relegation zone in 2021-22 and just two points clear of the drop zone the following season.
Everton also cut ties with Russian sponsors in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine and the Friedkin Group took over the club in November 2024.
Nick Tyrer was lead designer for architecture and engineering firm BDP Pattern on the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
"I work on sports stadia around the world," he told BBC Sport.
"The joy, but equally the challenge of them, is that they are such landmark projects that are driven by politics, by the industry, by what's going on in the world."
He explained the design and build contract had been signed by the time Everton were facing potential relegation.
"On social media though, there was a lot of talk about how it would be the best stadium in the Championship," added Tyrer.
"That's a professional concern - you spend six or seven years of your life working on a stadium and it may open in a lower league."
That apprehension will sound familiar to fans of relegation-battling Tottenham Hotspur, who face the prospect of their club playing in the Championship next season in a 62,000-seater stadium that only opened in 2019.
Meis also explained some of the technical challenges involved in building on disused industrial docklands.
"Once the builders got down to the floor of the dock they found unexploded ordnance from WWII," he said. "They found a dolphin at one point and had to shut everything down."
The designer now has a tattoo that reads 1878 - the year Everton was founded.
He attended the first home match against Brighton, which David Moyes' side won 2-0, with Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner on target.
"I still get emotional talking about it. I had grown men with tears in their eyes hugging me, telling me how important this was to them," added Meis.
"One of the most impactful things that happened to me on that first day was that I was walking from one of the club areas to the stadium and one of the female stewards opened the door for me. As I walked through, I heard her say to someone else, 'he really listened to us'. I thought, 'how great is that?'
"I didn't do something for my ego - it was a realisation of tens of thousands of people's hopes."
Manchester City defender John Stones is not expected to be offered a new deal at his current club, with the 31-year-old's former club Everton among those monitoring his situation. (Talksport), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWith fifth position looking set to be a Champions League spot for a second consecutive season, the form of Chelsea and Liverpool has left the door open for another team to possibly pip them to that place.
Brentford, Everton, Fulham and Brighton might not have expected to be fighting for a place in Europe's top club cup competition at the beginning of the campaign, but with all four within six points of fifth place it could yet become a reality.
At the time of writing, supporters think the eight-placed Toffees are most likely to reach that spot, with the current poll standings looking like this:
Brentford - 21%
Everton - 60%
Fulham - 7%
Brighton - 12%
Ciaran Varley
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, MEIS StudioDan Meis, the architect who designed Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium, said he was initially sceptical a club like Everton would engage a firm in the US for the project, let alone one based in Los Angeles, but dived into the history of the club and city.
He also communicated closely with fans.
"I learned pretty early through fan engagements how passionate they were about this. It was not always super friendly," said Meis.
One of the big debates was about capacity. The new ground seats more than 52,000 fans - an increase of more than 12,000 on Goodison Park, but that is 9,000 below Liverpool's Anfield.
"I can't tell you the number of tweets I got from fans saying: 'It's OK as long as we have one more seat than Anfield,'" recalled Meis.
"In the end, fans felt like they were talking to the club. Hearing from them really made me think about these things - making sure they were right on top of the pitch, making sure we weren't sacrificing that football-first energy in any way, while delivering revenue."
After options were explored for different sites, the proposal of a stadium built on Bramley-Moore Dock was mooted.
"The idea really blossomed from all that," he said.
"Bill Kenwright said he wanted something that was both historical and forward looking - that was a bit of a challenge.
"I really believed in this idea that the stadium should feel like it grew out of the dock. I did one little sketch that was based on the idea of the Mersey washing over the dock. You had this rough scribble of a brick base with a curvy wave over the top of it. If you look at the very early renderings, the final building looks a lot like that."
Image source, MEIS Studio
Image source, Getty ImagesSome 41 years on from the thrilling 1985 Cup Winners' Cup semi-final over Bayern Munich, former Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall has been reminiscing on the historic triumph.
After drawing 0-0 in the first leg at the Olympiastadion in Munich, the Toffees went 1-0 down late in the first half at Goodison Park but rallied in the second to blow the German giants away through goals from Graeme Sharp, Andy Gray and Trevor Steven.
"I don't think I played that well in Munich," Southall told Total Sport's Mike Hughes at an event at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
"But, I kept a clean sheet which gave us the opportunity to come back to Goodison Park and put things right.
"We knew if we could beat Bayern we could win it as they were fantastic and the team to beat at the time. The way they have gone on from then is outstanding. They have just kept winning and winning.
"It just makes our players look better I think because on the night it didn't matter what they did. if they wanted to fight we could fight, if they wanted to play we could play. What you saw was the combination of a incredible physical, mental and emotional battle.
"We got the better of them in the end but it could have gone either way."
Everton beat Rapid Vienna 3-1 in the final.
Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds here
Briony Bragg
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesThe sun shone, the day of rest (for most of the supporters anyway) was to follow, and so when Everton finally played a game on a Saturday afternoon the crowd were more than up for it.
Songs were sung on the concourse as well as in the stands and Hill Dickinson Stadium finally sounded exactly as it should, with the away end finally drowned out.
So of course, what all the Everton fans wanted was their next planned Saturday game against Manchester City rescheduled to a Monday night. The now seventh Monday night game of the season in fact - which goes directly against the Premier League's apparent regulations (read more on that here).
The Everton Fan Advisory Board have accordingly issued a statement, external calling for more meaningful consideration to be given to the fans by the Premier League and broadcasters, and it is one sentiment every club can get behind.
Football is for the fans - indeed, the ones who stay at home. Those who are not battling the freezing temperatures alongside the docks or doing 12-hour round trips on supporters' coaches (this includes me, who is normally home from a midweek game at about 2am). And how are we meant to instil the love of the game into the next generation if they can't go because they have school in the morning?
Many now see this as the last straw in their debate to renew or not to renew their season tickets. The atmosphere that makes Saturdays feel special like the Chelsea game comes from the people, from routine and from our British traditions.
If Saturdays like this become the exception rather than the norm, the cost will not just be measured in empty seats and impacted matchday revenues at Everton - but in a slow fading of what makes football feel like home.
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Over recent weeks, it has felt like the race that nobody wants to win.
Aston Villa,Liverpool and Chelsea have all been dropping points as they battle for a Champions League spots.
A win before the international break has given Villa just a little more breathing room in fourth, while defeats for Arne Slot's Reds and Liam Rosenior's Blues have left both clubs struggling to cement their place in Europe's premier club competition next season.
Their respective difficulties have given other teams, who at the start of the season could only have dreamed of the chance to secure Champions League football for next campaign, an opportunity to do just that.
With it all but certain that the Premier League will get an extra Champions League place for the second consecutive season, fifth is set to be enough to secure that ticket.
Brentford and Everton are just three points off that coveted spot, while Fulham are five points away and Brighton six.
Reaching form at the right time could be crucial, and if we take a look at the points-per-game record of those four chasing teams from their past seven results, it could give us an idea as to who has the best chance of toppling the traditional 'big six' teams for that final place.
If Brentford's PPG continues into the final seven games, it would take them to 56 points, while Everton's PPG of 1.7 would take them to 58 and just ahead of the Bees.
Fulham, meanwhile, have a form of 1.4 PPG that would take them to 54 points and not quite enough to overtake the two above, and in-form Brighton with 1.7 could get them to 55 points but that too would not take them past Brentford and Everton.
With so much left to play for and the pressure on the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool - who still have play each other - to reach their Champions League target, it could leave an opening for someone else to go on the ultimate European adventure.
Of the four sides eyeing an unexpected Champions League opportunity, who do you think has the best chance of sneaking into that fifth spot?
Liverpool are looking to sign 26-year-old forward Iliman Ndiaye from their city rivals Everton. (Teamtalk), external
Everton's 25-year-old midfielder James Garner and Ndiaye are targets for Manchester United in a £100m double deal. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Sunderland could face a battle to keep on-loan RB Leipzig utility player Lutsharel Geertruida at the club next term, with Everton, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Crystal Palace all interested in the 25-year-old Netherlands international. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
With seven matches remaining, Everton are eighth in the Premier League table and only three points behind fifth-placed neighbours Liverpool, so Toffees supporters could be forgiven for dreaming of potentially qualifying for next season's Champions League.
"If you're three points behind a team at this point of the season, you have to believe that you can overtake that team, whoever you are," Everton fan Natalie Bargery told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"There are teams three or four points behind us who will be thinking the same thing about us, so I am fully aware that that is going on behind us as well at the moment.
"I think if we're three points behind a team whoever they may be, we are bound to be focusing on that opportunity.
"It is dream world but if there is an opportunity for Champions League football then we've got to enjoy that opportunity and try to get it."
Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has unanimously voted that Arsenal's Kai Havertz should have been awarded a penalty on-field against Everton.
But it was also ruled that the video assistant referee (VAR) was correct not to intervene.
The Germany international went down under a challenge from Michael Keane in the 24th minute of the Gunners' 2-0 win at the Emirates on 14 March.
Referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue with the VAR, Stuart Attwell, deciding that contact was "minimal".
Replays shows that the Everton defender had inadvertently stepped on Havertz's foot.
The five members of the KMI Panel all felt Madley should have pointed to the spot, but there was a split 3:2 vote that it "was not a clear and obvious error requiring VAR intervention".
Arsenal have had no VAR errors recorded against them this season.
But two missed spot-kicks for the opposition have been logged in their favour, in away games at Everton and Brighton.
Rangers could bank a record fee for Emmanuel Fernandez this summer with the 24-year-old attracting interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, West Ham United, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. (TeamTalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
