Everton's best summer signing will be £32m Arsenal wizard - according to bold prediction

David Moyes has masterminded a return to European contention for Everton this season and there is every chance that Toffees fans might be rewarded with a series of trips around the continent next term.

With the possibility that as far down as eighth place could qualify for Europe, Everton have as good a chance as any of making seventh or eighth spot their own as the top six battle it out for the Champions League. While gate-crashing the top five might appear unlikely considering the Toffees’ inconsistency at times this term, such a lack of consistency has plagued most sides in the division and Moyes’ men have coped with it better than most.

We had a look forward to next season at Hill Dickinson Stadium and used Football Manager 26 to predict who Everton will sign this summer – and who their finest arrival of next term could be.

Everton’s best summer signing of 2026 - according to Football Manager

According to Football Manager, Everton spend £65million this summer across the signings of nine players. One man in particular stands out and becomes a hero on the Blue half of Merseyside – in the shape of Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard.

The 31-year-old has been a reliable source of goals for Arsenal this term but the chance remains that Mikel Arteta will look to bring in a younger replacement over the summer. If that happens, the Belgium international could conceivably leave and become a key man for Everton instead.

In the save, Trossard signs for the Toffees for £32m and makes 50 appearances in all competitions (including 10 in the Europa League), scoring seven goals and providing eight assists with an average rating of 7.04. A truly transformational signing, Trossard has the experience of competing at the highest level and in Europe and transmitted this quality over to his new employers in Merseyside.

Amongst Everton’s other summer signings, Merlin Rohl arrives on a £20m permanent transfer from Freiburg and makes 32 appearances as mostly a substitute, while Adrien Leon Barisic signs from Basel, Kike Barja from Osasuna and Zeki Celik on loan from Roma, and the trio are all useful squad players – but cannot match the influence of Trossard.

Would Trossard be a good signing for the Toffees?

Everton are looking to take the step up from mid-table mediocrity and frequent relegation battles to becoming a European challenger, and signing a player of the technical quality and experience of Trossard could make a huge difference if they are to continue on that trajectory next term.

Trossard has bagged seven goals and eight assists for Arsenal this season and was their joint-top goalscorer in the league until not too long ago. If he is ultimately to be sold this summer, it will be due to a desire to refresh in the left-wing position rather than a lack of use for the Belgian at the Emirates. He could make a similar impact at Everton.

In Football Manager’s prediction, this is not enough to ensure another positive season, though. Amidst their Europa League commitments, the Toffees see their league form suffer as a result and finish in a lowly 15th place, though relatively comfortably clear of the drop and never in grave danger of relegation. It will be intriguing to see how Moyes’ side do in reality if their fixture list does begin to stack up next term.