Everton are looking to strengthen this summer – and Ange Postecoglou’s previous verdict on one target might just force David Moyes into action.
Everton are looking to kick on in 2025/26 in their first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
After finishing 13th in the Premier League in 2024/25, it’s all about improving now for Everton – but The Friedkin Group have a lot to do this summer.
Many players are leaving the club, with some already confirmed to be departing.
David Moyes wants to get the club back where they belong, and CEO Angus Kinnear has already spoken about Everton challenging for Europe.
Everton are prioritising four positions this summer, and one of those positions is central midfield.
Matt O’Riley has emerged as a new target for Everton recently, and what Ange Postecoglou said about him a few years ago will potentially really encourage Moyes.
What Ange Postecoglou said about Everton target Matt O’Riley
O’Riley has just finished his first season at Brighton, after joining the Seagulls from Celtic in a £25 million transfer (BBC Sport).
O’Riley did not feature too prominently in the 2024/25, starting just 11 Premier League games in total. And he could now move on after just a year.
Interest is already mounting in the player despite his underwhelming move to the Amex Stadium, with clubs likely remembering how good he was previously at Celtic.
And it was there he worked with Ange Postecoglou, the current Tottenham Hotspur manager.
And if Moyes needed some encouragement to swoop for O’Riley, then he might want to read what Postecoglou said of the midfielder a few years ago.
He said (via Sky Sports): “Matty came in last January from playing in League One, which was his first real experience at senior football, into an environment where he’s playing in front of 60,000 people, playing Champions League football and taking some real responsibility as a young man; I think he’s been brilliant and he’s consistently trying to improve.
“Again, he’s one of these guys who wants to get the absolute maximum out of his career, so there isn’t a day that goes by that he isn’t looking to better himself on and off the field. And you know, he continues to make strides in the areas he needs to. He’s played an awful lot of football for us since he came. I think it would be very few games that he hasn’t actually played or missed.”
Everton fans have already backed a move for O’Riley, and we will now wait and see if the club decide to make an official approach.
Matt O’Riley is a consummate professional David Moyes would love
For one reason or another it hasn’t really worked out so far for O’Riley at Brighton.
But seemingly there could be a chance for Everton to sign the Denmark international – and O’Riley feels like a David Moyes player.
Former Swansea manager Russell Martin previously said of O’Riley: “It’s his mentality that sets him apart. He’s supremely confident and a super pro; his diet is spot on, and he’s really athletic, more than he is given credit for. He’s got everything to play at the top – for Denmark and in the Premier League.”
As Evertonians well know, Moyes is a manager who is all about high standards and professionalism.
He loves players who are fully committed, and who have desire and great work-rate.
It remains to be seen how much Brighton will ask for O’Riley, but with Everton losing Abdoulaye Doucoure, the club are right to be showing interest.
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