Jordan Pickford's World Cup Journey and Jack Grealish's Return

Jordan Pickford walked off in Dallas with three points, four England goals behind him and one very public argument on his hands. Some opening night.

The Everton goalkeeper helped Thomas Tuchel’s England begin their 2026 World Cup with a 4-2 win over Croatia, a wild, open game that exposed as much as it encouraged. England scored freely, conceded carelessly and, in the middle of it all, Pickford found himself at the centre of a flashpoint over playing out from the back, with cameras catching an apparent clash between goalkeeper and head coach on the touchline.

Tuchel wants risk. Pickford has never shied away from it. That tension spilled into view, a reminder that England’s World Cup story will be anything but dull – and that Everton’s No.1 remains one of the most demanding, vocal figures in the modern game.

Grealish back on the grass

Back on Merseyside, the mood music is different but no less significant. Jack Grealish has returned to training at Everton after five months on the sidelines, a slow, frustrating spell that stalled his impact at the club just as he was expected to become a central creative force.

His reappearance on the training pitches offers Sean Dyche and his staff something they have sorely lacked: a player who can take the ball under pressure, roll a defender and change the tempo with a single touch. Fitness will be managed, minutes will be measured, but simply seeing Grealish back in full work is a lift for a squad that laboured through long stretches without that kind of invention.

Pre-season on the road

Everton’s summer will be anything but static. The club has confirmed more fixtures in its 2026 pre-season schedule, with the Blues set to criss-cross England, Scotland and Germany.

For supporters, it is a chance to follow the team through a proper old-fashioned tour: different grounds, different atmospheres, a first look at new ideas and, potentially, new faces. For Dyche, it is a moving laboratory – a chance to refine shape, test youngsters and harden fitness levels against a range of opposition before the Premier League storm hits again.

That storm will start to take shape on Friday 19 June at 10am BST, when the 2026/27 Premier League fixtures are released. Everton will reveal their schedule live on a special YouTube show, turning what used to be a simple list into an event of its own. Fans will circle the derbies, scan the run-in, and count how many heavyweights arrive at Goodison in quick succession. The rhythm of the season, laid out in one hit.

Market moves and a midfield priority

Behind the scenes, the recruitment work continues to grind on. Everton remain determined to land Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer, viewing him as a key piece in reshaping the centre of the pitch.

The problem is the price. The two clubs are still some distance apart in negotiations, and any agreement is described as not close. Middlesbrough know what they have: a young, technically secure midfielder with resale value. Everton know what they need: legs, passing range and a player who can grow with the project. Something has to give for this to move. For now, it hasn’t.

Luca Davis is another name in the frame, though for very different reasons. The young defender is attracting loan interest from a clutch of League One and League Two clubs, a natural next step for a player who has outgrown youth football but still needs the bruises and lessons of the senior game. A good loan can make a career. Everton will be wary of choosing the wrong one.

Youth steps up – and moves on

Everton’s academy continues to push players toward that line between promise and profession. The club’s 2025-26 season review has highlighted a strong campaign for the Under-18s, with regular goalscorers emerging and a collective step forward that suggests the pathway remains alive.

Yet progress at youth level often comes with a cost. Demi Akarakiri, who has impressed for Everton’s youth sides, could be preparing to swap Merseyside for Cagliari. Italy beckons, and with it the lure of a different route to the top. For Everton, it is another reminder that developing talent is one thing; keeping it is quite another.

A club in motion

From Dallas to Finch Farm, from academy pitches to transfer rooms, Everton’s summer feels restless, full of moving parts. Pickford is chasing a World Cup with England while carrying the scrutiny that comes with being Tuchel’s goalkeeper. Grealish is back, desperate to make up for lost time. The fixture list looms, the transfer market nags, the youth system keeps producing – and occasionally losing – its brightest.

The pieces are shifting. When the new Premier League season kicks off, we will find out whether Everton have moved far enough, and fast enough, to change the story.