Much was made of Everton's failure to bring over a new centre-forward on transfer deadline day - and rightly so.

Last-gasp moves for Folarin Balogun and Joshua Zirkzee both fell by the wayside after Richarlison's exciting return to Merseyside collapsed, leaving David Moyes' side in purgatory.

Beto was sold, and, more concerningly, Iliman Ndiaye joined Manchester City in August for a £65m fee. Gone is much of Everton's edge in attack, and now, Moyes needs to find an internal solution.

Tyrique George has stepped up at the start of the season, and now, Tyler Dibling must too.

Why Tyler Dibling can be a game-changer for Everton

Last summer, Everton spent £40m on bringing Dibling over to the club from Southampton. He had shone in a dim pool of Saints strugglers, who were miserably relegated at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

His former youth coach, Andy Goldie, once said Dibling is a "world-class talent", someone who can go on to wreak havoc at the highest level. However, he has yet to show that with consistency on Merseyside.

Dibling replaced the ailing Brennan Johnson after the hour mark as Everton defeated Ipswich Town before the international break. He was uncontainable, charging at the Tractor Boys and creating two chances despite only taking nine touches.

That's the kind of full-throttle football that Dibling needs to bring to the table more consistently. Thus far, he has drifted too often, but perhaps the England youth star is beginning to strut his stuff, also completing seven dribbles while creating two chances and claiming an assist against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.

Dibling is a fantastic prospect, but he has yet to show that he can do it consistently in the Premier League for Everton. Given that there is such a shortage of attacking talent at the club right now, there's a case to be made that a former youth prospect should never have been allowed to leave Merseyside.

Everton have already lost a Dibling upgrade

There is a reason Moyes has been so reluctant to hand Dibling the minutes he wants in the Premier League. He has made one fleeting - and albeit impressive - cameo this season, kept on the bench for all of Everton's league outings beyond January in 2025/26, playing one minute in total.

Were he still at the club, would Moyes place greater trust in Mohamed-Ali Cho, who is rising to the fore with Hull City?

Previously on Liverpool's radar, Cho scored a fine consolation goal as Hull were defeated by Newcastle United at St. James' Park before the international break, and though he has yet to start in the top flight after his £13m summer transfer from OGC Nice, the right winger has made quite the impression, and it looks like he is going to earn further opportunities to impress when club football returns.

Fleet-footed and invariably dangerous, Cho could pip Dibling at Everton, were he in the squad. He certainly has more senior experience, having scored 12 goals and supplied 13 assists across 90 games for Nice. Before, he featured for Angers and Real Sociedad in Spain.

Such versatility could have been an invaluable asset for an Evertonian attack in 2026/27 whose lack of depth has led to calls for Charly Alcaraz and Johnson and George to fill in for Thierno Barry at No. 9. Beto's gone, and Ndiaye can no longer work his magic for the club either.

Cho's consistency across a number of seasons in France appears to have set him up for success in a well-oiled Hull machine. He is starting to come into his own. Journalist Antonio Mango said way back when that Cho has an "unbelievably high ceiling", and while it's early days, the Tigers are beginning to reap the rewards of Cho's careful development.

Everton, sadly, are not. This one slipped through the Finch Farm gates for nothing at the age of just 16 and now plays for a Premier League rival, showing a lot of promise while still giving the hint of more still to come.

The French winger's silky dribbling and natural directness when on the attack would have made him the perfect player to step up and perform now that Ndiaye plays for Man City.

Alas, Moyes has to make do with what he's got. There is a lot riding on Dibling's shoulders right now.