David Moyes is sometimes portrayed as the craggy-faced, cantakerous old manager who is stuck in his ways, but Everton have made a promising start to the 2026/27 season under his stewardship.

A winning Premier League start and passage into the third round of the Carabao Cup has been a nice way to kick things off, and while the need for more signings before the transfer window closes remains, it's clear that the players are on the Scottish coach's side.

Moyes has cultivated a progressive environment at the Hill Dickinson, with big names eager to jump onboard.

Take Jack Grealish, for example, who expressed his adoration for the 63-year-old while on loan last season. Now, in spite of interest from Aston Villa, the Manchester City man wants to return to Merseyside.

Why Everton need to re-sign Jack Grealish

Last summer's loan move to bring Grealish over to the Hill Dickinson proved an inspired gambit from Moyes and co. The England playmaker was at a low ebb under Pep Guardiola, but he bounced right back after a change of scenery, with pundit Theo Walcott claiming his spark had been "coached out of him" at the Etihad.

Since moving to Manchester City, Grealish has ebbed and flowed in front of goal, but he enjoyed a rich stay on Merseyside last season, prolific before injuring his foot in January and seeing his resurgent campaign curtailed.

Grealish may well be on the move again before next week's transfer deadline. A number of Premier League clubs are interested. In spite of his boyhood club Aston Villa eager to secure a romantic return for their one-time hero, he wants to return to Everton and continue that journey.

Everton and their owners, the Friedkin Group, must hurl the kitchen sink at getting it over the line. He hit eight goal involvements under Moyes' wing before injury struck, and created two chances per game on average across 20 outings.

Given the need for more progression and creativity in the build-up, this could be a game-changing signing for an Everton side who dropped off across the latter half of last season.

But Grealish might not be the best attacking signing the Toffees could yet pull off, with another former Blue on Moyes' radar.

Everton exploring better signing than Grealish

Thierno Barry has made a fantastic start to the season, scoring four goals across his first two games. The French striker is a real talent, but unreliable - and you could say the same for Beto.

If Everton manage to add a dynamic goalscorer before the end of the window, Moyes might just have what he needs to kick on, and according to TEAMtalk, an ambitious move for Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison might be in the pipeline.

Spurs are considering a sale, and it's understood that Richarlison would leap at the chance to return to his former club. Having entered the final year of his contract, Richarlison could be available for a cut-price fee, though Everton would angle for cheaper than the £35m Tottenham are hoping to bank.

Richarlison scored 43 Premier League goals across four seasons for Everton, with his menacing approach to the striker's game making him a force to be reckoned with. Fitness-wise, Moyes would need to manage him carefully. He only started 20 top-flight fixtures last term, though scored 11 times for a wobbling Spurs side.

Capable as a centre-forward or a winger, Richarlison could work a number of different buttons for the Hill Dickinson side, and while he differs in style to Grealish, signing him might be even more important - with Man City interested in signing Ndiaye before the window slams shut.

Ndiaye is Everton's talisman, the one who can make things happen. He is a deadly attacking outlet, and given that Grealish only scored twice for the Toffees last season, he might not be the perfect like-for-like replacement there.

It is for this reason that Richarlison could be a key figure in charting a course forward. The Brazil international is a big-game player with a track record of scoring goals in the Premier League, and for that, signing him should be imperative for the club over the coming week.

Richarlison has not always been displayed in the brightest light at Tottenham, but he has been a comparatively clinical presence for the Lilywhites, their top scorer during a dark year in 2025/26.

Whether he completes a move back to Merseyside remains to be seen, but if he can capture the kind of form that earned him that big-money move to the capital, there's no question he would be quite the addition.