David Moyes Prioritizes Right-Back Signing for Everton
David Moyes is adamant. Everton need a right-back before the transfer window closes.
The manager has spent the week outlining the makeshift solutions already in his squad, but after the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace he stripped away any doubt about his stance. Cover is not the same as a specialist, and he knows it.
“We definitely would like a right-back. We would,” Moyes said, cutting straight to the point.
Everton’s long-running problem on that side of defence resurfaced again on opening weekend. Against Palace, Merlin Rohl started at right-back and impressed, building on a sharp pre-season and helping the Blues to a clean sheet and three points. Yet even as Moyes praised him, he underlined the cost of that decision.
“For example today, while we're playing Merlin right back, I couldn't play him in midfield as well,” he explained. “So, today keeps me short of numbers in midfield, and I'm having to balance a little bit of what we want.”
That is the crux of it. Everton can shuffle the deck, but every move leaves another area exposed.
Moyes listed his alternatives earlier in the week: Nathan Patterson, Rohl, James Garner and Jake O’Brien have all been flagged as potential options on the right. None of them, though, is a natural, long-term answer in that role.
Jake O’Brien, in particular, has shown he can cope out wide when required.
“Look, we can still play Jake O’Brien at right-back,” Moyes said. “He's proved, certainly against a lot of the quick boys, that he's really good and he'll give us something if we need it in that position. But he prefers to be a centre back.”
That preference matters in a season where Everton cannot afford to weaken their core just to patch up the flanks.
Rohl, meanwhile, has given Moyes something to think about. Energetic, versatile and eager, he has forced his way into the conversation with his attitude and athleticism.
“He is keen to do well and show us that he could be a right-back, Merlin. And because of that, we're happy,” Moyes said. “He can play other roles for us, which means that we can play him further forward, we can play them in different ways. He's got a different sort of level of athleticism to some of the other boys in some ways. And he's a good footballer, generally, and he can score if we get him closer to the goal. But he's also doing okay.”
That versatility is a blessing for a manager who values tactical flexibility. It is also exactly why Moyes does not want to lock Rohl into a defensive role out of necessity.
Everton’s recruitment team, then, know the brief. Any new signing must be good enough to justify pushing players like Rohl and O’Brien back into their preferred positions.
“Everybody's talking about a right-back, so I'm saying, well, I hope it's better than Jake O’Brien, I hope it's better than Merlin Rohl and what they're offering,” Moyes said. “And obviously, we're always trying to get better than what we've got - in every position to be truthful. You're always, as a manager, you're trying and it's not that easy to just go and get yourself better than those two.”
That last line is telling. Everton are not simply hunting for a body to plug a gap; they are searching for an upgrade in a market where genuine improvements are expensive and rare.
For now, Rohl has earned his place. “Merlin in pre-season played really well. He certainly deserves the chance to play,” Moyes added.
The message, though, is unmistakable. Everton will keep leaning on their stop-gaps if they must, but the clock is ticking on a window where the manager wants a specialist right-back to arrive – or risk another season of compromises.
