Everton's Week: Pickford's World Cup, Grealish Returns, and Summer Plans
Jordan Pickford’s World Cup, Jack Grealish’s return and a busy summer ahead – Everton’s week has had a bit of everything.
Pickford in the spotlight as England start fast
Jordan Pickford opened his 2026 FIFA World Cup with a win, but not a quiet one. England, under Thomas Tuchel, beat Croatia 4-2 in a wild Group-stage opener, with Pickford helping steer a back line that was asked to play brave, high-risk football from the first whistle.
That approach sparked more than just nerves. Tuchel and Pickford appeared to clash during the game in a heated exchange over playing out from the back, a flashpoint that summed up the tension between a possession-obsessed coach and a goalkeeper who has never been afraid to speak his mind. England still walked away with three points and four goals, yet the image of manager and keeper locked in debate will linger as the tournament unfolds.
For Everton, the takeaway is simpler: their No.1 has started the biggest tournament in the sport as first choice for his country once again, and he is right in the thick of it.
Grealish back on the grass
Back on Merseyside, another headline name has reappeared.
Jack Grealish has returned to training at Everton after five months out. The playmaker’s lay-off has dragged through the heart of the season, but his re-emergence on the training pitch offers a timely lift as the club begins to piece together plans for 2026/27.
Match sharpness will take time. Rhythm always does after a long spell on the sidelines. Yet just having Grealish back in full sessions changes the feel of the attacking options available and gives the coaching staff a major puzzle to solve ahead of pre-season: how best to reintegrate a high-profile, high-usage player into a squad that has learned to cope without him.
Pre-season on tour: England, Scotland, Germany
Supporters will not have to wait long to see how that puzzle starts to take shape.
Everton have confirmed further fixtures in their 2026 pre-season schedule, with the Blues set to travel across England, Scotland and Germany this summer. It is a tour that offers a bit of everything: domestic tests, a northern trip that always appeals to the away following, and a stint on the continent to sharpen fitness and ideas against different styles.
For fans, it means the chance to track the evolution of the side up close – new shapes, returning faces, young prospects – long before the first Premier League ball is kicked.
Fixture reveal on the horizon
That Premier League ball, though, now has a date attached to its supporting cast.
Everton’s 2026/27 Premier League fixtures will be released on Friday 19 June at 10am BST. The club will reveal the schedule via a live YouTube show, turning the usual drip-feed of dates and opponents into an event of its own.
Opening day, Christmas run, derby timing, the brutal stretches where injuries feel inevitable – all of it lands at once. It is the moment every club’s season stops being theoretical and becomes a route map.
Transfer push: Hackney talks drag on
Behind the scenes, the recruitment work continues to grind on.
Everton remain determined to sign Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer. The interest is not new, and the intent has not cooled, but the two clubs are still some distance apart in negotiations and no agreement is close.
That gap matters. Hackney would represent a significant piece in the midfield rebuild, a player with the legs and passing range to reshape the centre of the pitch. Yet the current stand-off underlines the financial and strategic tightrope Everton must walk: push hard enough to land priority targets, without overreaching in a market that punishes missteps.
Pathways and departures: Davis and Akarakiri
Squad shaping is not just about marquee arrivals.
Defender Luca Davis has emerged as a loan target for several League One and League Two clubs this summer. A move at that level would offer the kind of regular, senior football that academy games cannot replicate, and Everton will have to weigh competitive minutes against keeping depth in-house.
On the youth side, Demi Akarakiri has impressed for Everton’s age-group teams, but the next step might come elsewhere. The youngster could be preparing to leave Merseyside for Cagliari in Italy, a potential switch that would underline both his progress and the reality that not every promising talent’s pathway runs through the first team at Goodison Park.
Under-18s set the tone
That does not mean the pipeline is faltering.
The club’s 2025-26 season review has highlighted a very respectable campaign for the Under-18s, a group defined by the emergence of regular goalscorers and a growing attacking identity. It is not the most glamorous corner of the club, yet it is often the most telling. When forwards start to score consistently at that level, senior managers take notice.
For Everton, those performances hint at future options and internal solutions at a time when every transfer must be justified.
From Pickford’s World Cup arguments to Grealish’s comeback, from transfer wrangling to youth breakthroughs, Everton sit at a familiar crossroads: big decisions, tight margins, and a fanbase ready to follow them across England, Scotland and Germany to see how this version of the club takes shape. The fixtures are about to drop, the market is starting to move – what kind of Everton will walk out on opening day?
