The Curious Case of Everton Youngster Tyler Dibling

Tyler Dibling arrived at Everton last summer with plenty of expectation. £40m splashed on a young English talent from Southampton, in what was an exciting window for the Toffees.

Everton have struggled to find a right-sided attacker in recent years, and many expected Dibling to be the man to nail down that role. Fast forward almost a year, and his career has stagnated. 

One of Dibling's former managers, Russell Martin, certainly wouldn't have expected a player of his ability to be in this position.

But what's actually gone wrong? Who is to blame? And why do I think this is still going to work out?

The main issue here is alignment. David Moyes reportedly has a huge say when it comes to recruitment, leading us to believe that he green-lit a move for Dibling. 

The club have to be aligned when it comes to transfers. There is no point splashing £40m on a player if the manager isn't going to play them. At the same time, you have to invest in young talent if you want to progress, rather than signing older players with no sell-on value. 

There has to be an agreement between the club and manager about the strategy. If we're going to invest in young talent, you have to give them the opportunity to learn, develop, grow, and make mistakes. 

Dibling is the type of player I want to see my club invest in, but at the same time, do I want us spending £40m on someone if the manager isn't going to remain patient? Moyes has to buy into the strategy, or there is no point in continuing to recruit young players.

Has Dibling set the world alight when given the opportunity? No. However, how can you expect someone to develop into the player many expect if they are barely given opportunities? 

During the 2025/2026 Premier League season, Dibling played just 350 minutes. That's equivalent to around nine minutes per game, or just under four full matches. Since the end of January, Dibling has played just one singular minute in the Premier League. 

We now have a £40m asset who has failed to progress, and to put it bluntly, has wasted a whole season of his career. He hasn't developed, he hasn't learnt anything, he hasn't positively impacted Everton. 

And for what? A 13th-placed finish in the Premier League. 

Dibling is not to blame. He hasn't suddenly become a player who wasn't worth investing in. Moyes has ran players into the ground rather than give young players opportunities, even when those players have failed to perform. 

Failing to develop, and failing to progress. 

In reality, Dibling is going to be at Everton longer than Moyes is. The England youth international has a deal with the Toffees until 2029, while Moyes is surely skating on thin ice.

A different manager might not have played Dibling every single week, but most managers in the Premier League would have given him opportunities. 

For Dibling, he just needs to ride this wave, stay grounded, and use it as motivation to prove him wrong. There's going to come a time when Moyes is relieved of his duties, and there's no doubt a new manager will see Dibling for what he is. 

The next manager has to believe in the process. Stay patient with young players, give them the minutes they deserve, and treat them like professional footballers, not spectators getting splinters on the bench.