Jordan Pickford's World Cup Impact and Jack Grealish's Return
Jordan Pickford has barely had time to draw breath. England’s World Cup campaign is only one game old, yet the Everton goalkeeper already finds himself at the heart of the story.
Thomas Tuchel’s side opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a wild 4-2 win over Croatia, a scoreline that flatters neither team and underlines just how much England will lean on their senior figures. Pickford, one of the few constants of recent tournament cycles, played his part in steering them through an open, chaotic contest.
The night was not without friction. Tuchel appeared to clash with his goalkeeper during the game in a heated exchange over playing out from the back. It was the kind of touchline flashpoint that tells its own tale: a manager demanding risk, a goalkeeper weighing that against responsibility. For Everton, the picture is familiar – Pickford on the biggest stage, under pressure, still central to the national conversation.
Back on Merseyside, the noise around the World Cup runs parallel to a summer that could reshape the club.
Grealish back on the grass
The most eye-catching sight at Finch Farm is Jack Grealish in training kit again.
After five months on the sidelines, the England international has returned to work with Everton’s squad, a significant step after a long lay-off. No goals, no assists yet – just the simple, important fact that he is back on the grass. For a club that has lacked creativity and control in too many games, the prospect of Grealish regaining rhythm in pre-season is no small boost.
His return also sharpens the stakes for the weeks ahead. A full pre-season could be the difference between another stop-start campaign and a player capable of dictating Everton’s attacking play.
A summer on the road
Supporters will not be short of miles if they choose to follow the team this summer. Everton have confirmed further fixtures in their 2026 pre-season schedule, with games spread across England, Scotland and Germany.
It is a tour that blends familiar domestic surroundings with a testing European leg. For the coaching staff, it offers a chance to harden fitness levels and experiment with shape. For fans, it is a rare opportunity to see the side in varied settings before the real grind begins.
They will not have to wait long to start plotting those weekends. The Premier League has confirmed that Everton’s 2026/27 fixtures will be released on Friday 19 June at 10am BST, with the club planning a live YouTube show to reveal and react to the schedule as it drops. The calendar will show in stark detail where the pressure points lie: brutal winter runs, awkward away days, and the fixtures that could define the season.
Transfer fault lines: Hackney and Davis
Recruitment, as ever, sits in the background of everything.
Everton remain determined to bring in Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer. The club see him as a key target, but negotiations are proving stubborn. The two sides are still some distance apart on a deal, and there is no agreement close at this stage.
That stand-off underlines the tightrope Everton must walk. Push too hard and the deal collapses. Wait too long and other targets slip away. Yet the need for energy and quality in midfield is obvious, and Hackney’s name will not drift far from the rumour mill while talks continue.
Lower down the pyramid, Luca Davis is attracting attention. The young defender is a loan target for several League One and League Two clubs, a sign that his performances have not gone unnoticed. A move into the Football League would offer the kind of senior minutes that youth football cannot replicate, and Everton will know that the right loan can accelerate or stall a career.
Academy steps up – and a possible goodbye
The club’s youth structure has quietly delivered its own storyline. Everton’s Under-18s have put together a very respectable 2025-26 campaign, marked by the emergence of regular goalscorers and a more ruthless edge in the final third. It is not the sort of achievement that dominates headlines, yet it is precisely this conveyor belt that will decide how sustainable the first team’s future becomes.
One of those academy bright spots may now be preparing to move on. Young Demi Akarakiri, who has impressed across Everton’s youth sides, is being linked with a switch to Cagliari in Italy. For the player, it could be a bold step into European football. For Everton, it is another reminder that developing talent and keeping it are two very different challenges.
World Cup on the screen, decisions on the desk
While the club juggles pre-season planning, the World Cup rolls into its second round of group matches. Canada face Qatar, while Mexico host South Korea in a pair of fixtures that will keep the tournament in constant view for players and staff alike.
For Everton, the picture is clear enough. Their goalkeeper is at the heart of a World Cup campaign. Their marquee attacker is finally back training. Fixtures are about to land, transfer talks are live, and the academy continues to push players towards the edge of the first-team frame.
The next few weeks will decide how all of those strands tie together. Will this be the summer that gives Everton the platform they have been chasing, or another one that leaves too many questions unanswered when the first ball of 2026/27 is kicked?
