James Tarkowski and Moyes Push Everton’s European Bid at Palace
james tarkowski was part of the Everton squad heading to Selhurst Park, where David Moyes made clear he wants the club in Europe next season. Everton went into the weekend three points behind seventh-placed Bournemouth, with the manager framing the trip to Crystal Palace as part of that push.
David Moyes and Everton’s push
Moyes said he wants to get a European campaign for Everton and pointed to the experience he had with West Ham a few years ago. He called it “amazing for the football club” and added, “Amazing for the supporters, players, myself and the staff. It's hard to put into words what that feels like. If I could get that for the Everton supporters, that's what I really want to do.”
The Everton manager returned midway through last season and steadied the side after a relegation battle, lifting them to comfortable safety. Now the target has shifted again, and the gap to Bournemouth gives the club a live route into the European places if the results keep moving the right way.
Selhurst Park and the schedule load
Crystal Palace arrive with a different workload. Moyes said they have played 60 games this season after reaching the Conference League Final, while Everton had played 41 games in 2025/26 by the time of the article. He said Thursday-Sunday football is really difficult for a coach and described Palace’s European final as “incredibly special.”
He also tied the schedule to what happens on the pitch after those midweek games. “It's such a big thing. You tend to find you have effects after the [European] games, I'm hoping that Crystal Palace find they have some,” he said, before adding: “Big congratulations to him [Oliver Glasner] and his team, it's unbelievable. They have good players, a good team, a good manager and now they find themselves in another final... a European final, which is incredibly special.”
Gueye, Grealish, Branthwaite
Everton will go into the Palace match without Idrissa Gueye, who will miss the trip to Selhurst Park. Moyes said Gueye is not training yet, is fine, and it is not a serious injury.
Jack Grealish remains a longer-term absentee because of a foot injury, and Jarrad Branthwaite is also out for longer with a hamstring injury. That leaves Moyes working with a thinner group as Everton try to stay within reach of Bournemouth and keep the European chase alive.
