Everton will attempt to make it three wins in a week to open the season when they travel to the south coast to face Bournemouth on Saturday.
When the fixtures were announced I had images of Evertonians enjoying the bank holiday sunshine – mirroring morale after a perfect start to the campaign. But instead the weather forecast suggests it will be a wet and windy one at the Vitality, let’s hope that is not an omen for the transfer deadline on Tuesday.
The start of the season is always overshadowed by
late transfer business, and this year is no exception. A right-back has still not arrived, neither has Jack Grealish, while Iliman Ndiaye is being heavily linked with Manchester City.
If Ndiaye does leave then the squad will need at least three players with the proceeds, but there is precious little time to complete deals. The dreaded “we will go with what we’ve got” feels inevitable.
However, transfer frustration should not overshadow a fine start to the season. I was nervous about the Preston game, but the Toffees were superb, proving it is far better to start with a strong team and bring players off, then rest them and have to bring them on if things go wrong.
Thierno Barry’s redemption is particularly satisfying to see. You could openly see the pressure weigh heavy on his shoulders at times last season, but he currently has a smile as wide as the Mersey after scoring half of last season’s total in just two games.
It was suggested that both Beto and Barry could be moved on this summer after an inconsistent 25/26, but if Barry can maintain his form a key factor that hampered Everton’s season last time out will have been removed.
The opposition
Bournemouth’s wonderful coaching structure and recruitment has been rewarded with a first season in Europe – with Friday’s draw throwing up a blockbuster home match against AC Milan.
It is once again testament to how teams like Bournemouth (and Brighton and Brentford) can thrive in the Premier League despite financial rules that are seemingly stacked in favour of a select group of clubs.
One of their strengths has been coaching appointments, so do not be susprised if Marco Rose continues the good work achieved by Andoni Iraola.
Last sesaons’ 1-0 win for the Toffees at the Vitality went very much against the grain. Bournemouth have won more Premier League games against Everton than any other opponent, with December’s defeat their only reverse in nine meetings.
They looked set for a famous win at Manchester City last weekend and set to extend their club record 18-game unbeaten run, but two late goals saw them fall to a painful defeat.
Previous meeting
Bournemouth 0-1 Everton, 2 December 2025
Jack Grealish’s deflected strike with 12 minutes remaining earned Everton all three points at Bournemouth back in December, condemning the Cherries to a fourth defeat in five.
Team news
Hayden Hackney is rated as “touch and go” by David Moyes after suffering a minor ankle injury against Crystal Palace last weekend.
James Garner is likely to be on the bench as he eases his way back to fitness after hernia surgery.
Christian Norgaard is still unavailable, with no return date yet.
What Moyes said
“It’s very early days. and we’re really pleased with the opening two games and we need to try and continue to build that momentum and get us in a position where we think we’re strong. We still need to get stronger than what we are at the moment.
“I think we’ve played well in the games and also we’ve been trying to create more chances, I think that’s certainly evident in the games against both Crystal Palace and Preston. That’s a positive for us, we took some of the chances the other night we had some bigger ones against Crystal Palace we could have taken.”
Final word
A tough game against an opponent Everton have struggled against recently. But they head south full of confidence, so why not end the month in style?
