Everton signed Tyrique George permanently earlier this week, and the youngster may possess a secret weapon that could be quite helpful for David Moyes.
Everton completed a move for George on Monday, landing the winger from Chelsea after his loan spell in the second-half of last season.
How excited are you by Everton’s signing of Tyrique George on a permanent deal? Can he really kick on now after his loan?
The deal is now official, with the Toffees paying an initial £18m, with £6m to come in potential add-ons… ✅
Everton are thought to have paid about £18 million initially, with £6 million to come in potential add-ons.
George said that he was keen to sign for Everton in time for pre-season, and seemingly he is very determined to begin the new campaign in the starting XI.
We will see if he gets his wish, but if he does, then we’ll surely see him on one of the wings.
But George is actually capable of playing a position we’ve not yet seen him in – and it’s not as a striker.
Tyrique George has midfield capability
It is always handy when a player is versatile.
And George is seemingly someone who really can be good in a lot of different positions.
We’ve known about his potential to play as a centre-forward, although David Moyes has not yet used him in a central role.
But it seems George can actually operate deeper and play a number eight role if needed.
Liam Twomey, who covers Chelsea for The Athletic, has been speaking about George following his permanent move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and suggests the player is a midfield option.
Speaking on Straight Outta Cobham, he said: “I think he can play quite well out there (wide). But I know at academy level, he played a bit more as a 10, sometimes even as an eight, where he would score incredible goals from distance. I certainly never felt he was a nine, which is where he had to play for Chelsea quite a bit under Maresca under his anyone-but-Mark Guiu policy.
“But yeah, he’s got a lot of talent and I know there will be Chelsea fans in some quarters questioning why he is leaving.”
Of course, at the moment, Everton do have a number of players capable of playing in the number eight and 10 roles.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has had the number 10 role locked down for a while, and has proven himself capable of scoring and assisting on a semi-regular basis.
But there’s also Charly Alcaraz and Harrison Armstrong who are options.
That said, Alcaraz has interest from River Plate and may yet leave, and it will also be interesting to see if Armstrong sticks around after he struggled for minutes during Everton’s 2025/26 run-in.
But George being an option to play a bit deeper is certainly something that could be helpful to Moyes.
He is certainly a great carrier of the ball, and that could be a nice trait to have in the middle. Everton haven’t really had someone who can burst in midfield, although Hayden Hackney could now bring that ability.
George has already scored several goals from the edge of the box in his fledgling career, so he is clearly handy to have in those kinds of areas.
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