Moyes under pressure as the League Cup offers Everton a chance to end trophy drought

Time and a change of direction from the owners are not on David Moyes’s side as he tries to end Everton’s trophy drought, which will soon approach 32 years. The League Cup offers a chance to move towards that aim, even as the Friedkin Group wants to sell the club and investment in the squad has dried up.

A European challenge was also among Everton’s stated ambitions for the season. The owners’ shift has not changed what is expected of Moyes, who must work with fewer resources. Everton host Newcastle at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday in the fourth round of the League Cup. Newcastle will have 7,732 supporters, after Everton allocated the visitors 15% of the ground.

The tie comes after consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal, Everton’s only losses of the season. The attack is another concern: Thierno Barry is the club’s only available striker after the Friedkin Group accepted a £35m bid from Nottingham Forest for Harrison Armstrong at the end of the summer transfer window.

Barry scored four goals in the first two games of his second season in English football. But the 24-year-old French forward has missed 12 big chances in the Premier League this season, while Everton’s performances have dipped at times. Brennan Johnson and Jack Grealish are also expected to contribute more from the wings. Moyes’s limited use of Hayden Hackney, Tyrique George and Tyler Dibling has meanwhile prompted criticism over whether he is making the most of his options.

Club captain James Tarkowski summed up the need for a response: «We need to start picking up results.» The challenge comes amid a tight financial picture: Everton made a £25m profit in the last transfer window and have the lowest net spend in the Premier League over the past five years.

The League Cup also offers a reminder of what a trophy can mean. Newcastle ended a 56-year wait by winning the 2025 final. Alexander Isak led Newcastle’s attack at Wembley that year. Moyes has experienced European success with West Ham: their 2023 Europa Conference League win ended the club’s 43-year wait for a major trophy. He longs to feel that joy again with Everton.