Everton
Everton push for Grealish loan as wage talks and Dibling saga complicate window
Everton advance on Jack Grealish loan from Manchester City as Moyes targets immediate attacking help
Everton have intensified their pursuit of Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, progressing loan discussions as David Moyes looks to add proven attacking quality ahead of the new Premier League season. Sources inside the negotiations say Grealish is open to a move that would offer regular minutes and a platform to rebuild form.
Grealish, who turns 30 next month, has been told by Pep Guardiola that he will not enjoy regular minutes at the Etihad this season. His fall down the pecking order has left him seeking an opportunity to restore his reputation, and Everton believe they can offer that chance.
Financial hurdles remain significant. Initial talks have revealed that City want to recover as much of Grealish’s £300,000-a-week salary as possible. That equates to an annual commitment of at least £12 million. Despite that burden, Everton have remained engaged in negotiations.
Sources also say Grealish is motivated by the chance to play consistently ahead of next summer’s World Cup, where he hopes to force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s England plans. Under Moyes, the winger would be given licence to influence games, a role he played during City’s Treble-winning campaign in 2022-23 when he was instrumental in their Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup triumphs.
“It will take time to get adapted to it completely,” Moyes said, speaking about the club’s readiness for the season ahead. “It is a brilliant football ground. It is a great stadium and, hopefully, it gets a chance to see some really good players and teams in the future.”
Everton’s activity elsewhere has been marked by frustration. The club have seen three bids for Southampton winger Tyler Dibling rejected, the latest worth around £37 million including add-ons. Southampton are said to want £45 million plus a further £5 million in bonuses and a 25 per cent sell-on clause. Dibling is thought to be open to the move, but Southampton’s demands have stalled progress and Everton are keeping alternative targets under review with the right flank a priority.
Saturday’s third and final test event at the 52,000-capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium ended in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Roma but delivered minutes for returning and new players. Jarrad Branthwaite returned from injury and Thierno Barry, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Charly Alcaraz all started as Farhad Moshiri watched on. Moyes described the stadium as a “real positive step” for the club, adding, “We need to build a team and lots of bits behind the team need to get done as well.”
Securing Grealish would be a clear statement of intent, but the wage demands and broader squad needs mean the move carries notable risk.
Analytics & Stats
One priority signing each Premier League club should target before the window closes
A club-by-club look at the main transfer priority every Premier League side still needs to address.
With less than a month left in the transfer window, Premier League clubs are still expected to be busy. Incomings and outgoings remain likely across the division, and every side still appears to have at least one clear gap to fill before the deadline.
Arsenal may be attracting attention with their pursuit of Vinícius Júnior, but their bigger need is in central midfield. Declan Rice carried too much of the load last season, while Martín Zubimendi faded after the break and Myles Lewis-Skelly is not yet fully trusted there. Another box-to-box midfielder would help enormously.
Aston Villa could soon be short at left back if Lucas Digne leaves, which would leave Ian Maatsen as the only senior option. Bournemouth need more depth in wide areas, Brentford still require a more natural left back, and Brighton & Hove Albion must replace the goals lost with Danny Welbeck’s move to Chelsea.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have done plenty of work already but still have not addressed the goalkeeper position. Robert Sánchez improved in 2025-26, yet the club still look in need of a top-class solution.
Elsewhere, Coventry City are close to signing Carl Rushworth permanently and would then turn to left back. Crystal Palace need centre-back reinforcements after losing Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix, while Everton must add a defensive midfielder after Idrissa Gana Gueye’s departure.
Fulham will look for winger depth after strengthening up front, Hull City want more options in attack, and Ipswich Town are still waiting for a central midfielder. Leeds United may also need another striker to cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury record.
Liverpool’s most pressing issue is out wide, Manchester City need a right back, Manchester United still want a more destructive midfielder, and Newcastle are alarmingly short at left back. Nottingham Forest must replace Elliot Anderson in midfield, Sunderland need more balance on the left side, and Tottenham Hotspur have already moved aggressively to rebuild after last season’s collapse.
Arsenal
Nørgaard Exit Could Open Door for Arsenal’s Midfield Push
Nørgaard is close to Everton, and Arsenal may use the move to push on with Guimarães.
Christian Nørgaard is reportedly close to leaving Arsenal after only one season in north London, with Everton said to have reached an agreement in principle for the midfielder.
The Athletic reports that Everton have struck a $9.4 million (£7 million) deal for the 32-year-old. If the move is completed, Nørgaard is due for a medical next week before heading to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The midfielder is expected to fill the vacancy left by Idrissa Gueye. Although his time at Arsenal has been brief, his 20 appearances last season and his spell as Brentford captain underline that he remains a proven Premier League option. At Everton, he should face less competition for a regular role than he did at the Emirates Stadium.
His possible departure may also have wider consequences for Arsenal’s summer plans. The club have spent much of the window pursuing Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimarães, with bids of £55 million ($73 million) and £70 million ($93.2 million) already turned down. Newcastle value the midfielder at around £93 million ($124 million), while reports now claim Arsenal are prepared to go to £80 million ($107.5 million) in an effort to bring him to north London.
Guimarães is believed to be open to the move, and that feeling has reportedly grown stronger following Eddie Howe’s departure. There had been concern about committing such a large fee to a 28-year-old when Arteta already has several midfield options, but Nørgaard’s exit would create more room in the squad.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are now set to “accelerate and close” a deal for the Newcastle midfielder as soon as possible. If that happens, he would join Martin Ødegaard, Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Ethan Nwaneri in Arteta’s midfield group.
For Arsenal, Nørgaard’s sale would not rank among the biggest moves of the summer. Even so, it may be the opening that allows a much larger transfer to move ahead.
Arsenal
Premier League’s longest-serving managers and the rapid reset shaping 2026/27
A summer reset has left the Premier League with a long list of new managers and just one clear outlier.
The Premier League remains a ruthless place for managers, and the 2026/27 season begins with that reality clearer than ever. A summer of upheaval has left dugouts across the division occupied by a fresh wave of appointments, while one club is still waiting to name a new head coach.
At the top of the list, Mikel Arteta stands alone as the league’s longest-serving manager. Appointed by Arsenal on Dec. 22, 2019, he has outlasted every other current rival and remains comfortably ahead of the pack. Behind him comes Unai Emery, who has been in charge of Aston Villa since Nov. 1, 2022, followed by Daniel Farke, who took over Leeds United on July 4, 2023.
Further down the rankings, the turnover becomes even more obvious. Régis Le Bris and Fabian Hürzeler both arrived in July 2024, while Frank Lampard, David Moyes, Sergej Jakirović, Keith Andrews and Michael Carrick all joined their clubs during 2024 and 2025. The list then tightens further still, with a cluster of appointments made only months before the new campaign.
There are notable cases throughout. Roberto De Zerbi, hired by Tottenham Hotspur on March 31, 2026, sits just outside the top 10. Michael Carrick is inside it after first being named interim Manchester United boss in January and then permanently hired in May. At the other extreme, Álvaro Arbeloa is the latest arrival, taking charge of Fulham on July 7 after an unsuccessful spell as Real Madrid boss.
A number of other clubs have also changed course recently, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Over half the division has turned to new managers in 2026 if Newcastle United are included, with the club still yet to appoint Eddie Howe’s successor.
For now, Arteta remains the benchmark for staying power in a league that rarely gives managers much time.
