The Blue Frontier - American Everton Analysis

The Premier League is back and so is The Blue Frontier with a new format and a new approach to the 26/27 season to capture all the action and analysis of Everton's opening day victory over Crystal Palace at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Shan and Ryan break down what was an excellent result, but not an excellent performance, and try to determine how it bodes for the Toffees going forward.  In additional to the lineup choices, the duo explore all sorts of post match comments from the Manager along with thoughts on a new RB, what to do with Harrison Armstrong / Adam Aznou / Tyler Dibling, how the tactics benefitted Ndiaye (and exposed Tarkowski), and ultimately how Everton should handle the rest of the window.  The boys welcome the feedback on the new format - feel free to give it a listen! 
LINKS: https://linktr.ee/thebluefrontier

Everton finally break their summer media silence, but Angus Kinnear and David Moyes do not appear to be reading from quite the same script. James and Shan compare Kinnear's claim that the squad is "in a good place" with Moyes' insistence that Everton still have "an awful lot more" to do before the transfer window closes.
The discussion centers on the unresolved right-back search, the difference between investment and short-term spending, and whether Everton's recruitment strategy can support the club's stated European ambitions. They also assess the Jack Grealish decision, the risk of selling Iliman Ndiaye this late in the window, and what those choices would mean for Tyler Dibling and Tyrique George.
The episode closes with a preview of Everton vs Crystal Palace in the opening match of the 2026/27 Premier League season. With injuries leaving major questions at right-back and central midfield, the lineup may expose how complete this rebuild really is. 
 
LINKS: https://linktr.ee/thebluefrontier

Everton's summer may have finally found a pulse. James Shan break down the 3-1 preseason win over Newcastle United on August 12, a friendly that offers some encouraging evidence without falling into any kind of preseason delusion. Thierno Barry's renewed confidence, Harrison Armstrong's two assists, Tyrique George's directness and Tyler Dibling's flashes all sharpen the competition for places before the Premier League opener, while questions remain on the gaps left in the team. The discussion turns to Everton's straight swap of Dwight McNeil for Brennan Johnson: the financial logic, the trade-offs in creativity and set-piece delivery, and why Johnson's pace, movement and finishing give David Moyes a more natural right-wing profile. Tim Iroegbunam's possible £15 million move to Hull City raises a different question about selling athletic potential from a crowded midfield. The pod closes on the right-back choice between Héctor Fort's upside and Daniel Muñoz's immediate reliability, plus Christian Nørgaard's short-term value as a true #6.
 
LINKS: https://linktr.ee/thebluefrontier

The Blue Frontier brings the full trio back for Part Four of its 2025/26 Everton Team Assessment, turning to the front line and the club's stubborn inability to create enough chances or put the ball in the old onion bag. James Boyman, Shan Khan and Ryan Williams carry forward four recruitment priorities: open-play creation, progression, ball retention under pressure and athleticism.
They test Beto and Thierno Barry against Wyscout and SkillCorner data, debate whether Everton should extend Beto or reset at centre-forward, and weigh the romantic returns of Richarlison and Romelu Lukaku against the actual market. Attention then shifts to Iliman Ndiaye, Tyrique George and the increasingly complicated Jack Grealish question. Right wing is the real battleground, with Tyler Dibling's development, Dwight McNeil's future and a sprawling shortlist assessed through film, data, fees and David Moyes' preferences. The conclusions are not unanimous, but the squad-building logic is clear.
Players Discussed
Centre-Forward
Recent transfers and free agents:
Gonçalo Ramos, Álvaro Rodríguez, Callum Wilson, Raúl Jiménez
Reported targets:
Folarin Balogun, Franculino Djú, Christian Kofane, Dušan Vlahović, Gabriel Jesus, Liam Delap, William Osula, Troy Parrott, Santiago Castro, Alexander Sørloth, Ayase Ueda
Free agents:
Che Adams, Danny Ings, Enner Valencia, Jordan Ayew, Jamie Vardy
Relegated-club options:
Tolu Arokodare, Taty Castellanos, Zian Flemming, Lyle Foster, Ashley Barnes, Armando Broja
Potential loans:
Evan Ferguson, Tammy Abraham, Joshua Zirkzee
Data and alternative profiles:
Lucas Beltrán, Jonathan David
Wild cards:
Richarlison, Romelu Lukaku
Left Wing
Current squad and recent business:
Iliman Ndiaye, Tyrique George
Market comparisons:
Anthony Gordon, Yan Diomande, Crysencio Summerville
Reported target:
Jack Grealish
Right Wing
Recent transfers and free agents:
Harry Wilson, Abdul Fatawu, Karim Adeyemi
Reported targets and options:
Jacob Murphy, Roony Bardghji, Assane Diao, Esmir Bajraktarević, Ethan Nwaneri, Jarrod Bowen, Jamie Leweling, Dario Osorio, Matías Soulé, Dwight McNeil
Free agents:
Adama Traoré, Riyad Mahrez, Krépin Diatta
Previous targets and possible opportunities:
Dilane Bakwa, Johan Bakayoko, Edon Zhegrova, Maghnes Akliouche
Wild cards:
Tim Weah, Christian Pulisic
Data targets:
Yankuba Minteh, Mohammed Kudus, Stanley Mills, Nestory Irankunda, Diego Moreira, Tom Fellows, Takefusa Kubo, Konstantinos Karetsas

The Blue Frontier brings the full trio together for Part Three of its 2025/26 Everton Team Assessment, turning a long-running full-back problem into something slightly more useful than another list of rumors.
 
James Boyman, Shan Khan and Ryan Williams carry forward the four major squad needs identified earlier in the series: more open-play creation, better progression, stronger ball retention under pressure and improved athleticism. They apply that framework to Everton's current options, starting with Vitalii Mykolenko, before using Wyscout data, physical metrics, film study and reported fees to assess the market.
Hugo Bueno and Kellen Fisher stand out as realistic left-back options, while Rico Lewis, Djed Spence, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Raoul Bellanova, Lutsharel Geertruida, Devyne Rensch, Guéla Doué and Héctor Fort lead a wider right-back discussion. The episode ends with each host building an ideal plan and a more Moyes-shaped version, separating attainable upgrades from inflated fees, tactical mismatches and the players Everton probably should have found a year earlier.

Left-back targets
1. Jayden Oosterwolde
2. Hugo Bueno
3. Nathan Aké
4. El Hadji Malick Diouf
5. Rico Henry
6. Oleksandr Zinchenko
7. Darlin Yongwa
8. Matt Targett
9. Mika Mármol
10. Ali Maamar
11. Kellen Fisher
12. Martin Luciano
13. Joaquín Seys
14. Adrien Truffert
15. Samuel Iling-Junior
16. Vanderlan
17. Lucas Esquivel
18. Nathaniel Brown
19. Román Vega
20. Caleb Wiley
Right-back targets
21. Rico Lewis
22. Djed Spence
23. Brooke Norton-Cuffy
24. Raoul Bellanova
25. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
26. Neco Williams
27. Lutsharel Geertruida
28. Wesley
29. Zakaria El Ouahdi
30. Óscar Mingueza
31. Joel Veltman
32. Thomas Meunier
33. Ricardo Pereira
34. Sacha Boey
35. Kyle Walker-Peters
36. Jackson Tchatchoua
37. Alberto Costa
38. Alidu Seidu
39. Anton Gaaei
40. Héctor Fort
41. Iván Fresneda
42. Vanderson
43. Jordan Teze
44. Wilfried Singo
45. Joe Scally
46. Guéla Doué
47. Tiago Santos
48. Devyne Rensch
49. Marc Pubill
50. Agustín Giay
51. Givairo Read
52. Juanlu Sánchez
53. Timothy Weah
54. Alex Freeman

LINKS: https://linktr.ee/thebluefrontier