Former Blues star Michael Ball considers the benefits of the club returning to European football next season
14:07, 30 Mar 2026Updated 15:34, 30 Mar 2026
Iliman Ndiaye celebrates putting Everton 3-0 up over Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images
The dust may have settled on that fantastic result against Chelsea but the result and the performance have stuck with me.
During the calm of the international break I have not been able to tone down the thought that, if Everton can reproduce that form over the final seven games of the season, Europe is well within reach.
I know plenty of supporters are having the same thoughts but I have come across many, online and in person, who are concerned next season would be too soon for this club to stretch itself and compete on the continent. For what it is worth, I disagree.
What Everton have already achieved this season has been remarkable. The question now is whether the team can reach the levels set by David Moyes when he returned to the club and make what seemed a distant goal become a reality.
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That there is even a chance of this happening this season is a real positive. It is even more impressive given key players have often been missing – Jarrad Branthwaite for the first half of the campaign and Jack Grealish since mid-January.
There are difficult games to come but to be able to have something to aim for at this stage of the campaign – and for it to be positive – is fantastic when you look back on what the club has been fighting for in the final months of the last few seasons.
I am well aware of the concerns of those who think getting into Europe this early would actually set the club back. The squad as it currently is would not be adequate but there is the summer for that. We would need more players but that is where you put your faith in those at the top to go out and strengthen appropriately.
The ambition will be to make the squad better this summer whether Everton are in Europe or not – being able to sell the prospect of competing on that stage would no doubt help in attracting a better calibre of player to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The extra games should also help David Moyes manage the minutes of players, too. One of the reasons for the drop off in performances in the cup games this season has been the players who were given chances to impress were unable to take them. One reason for that, I thought, was because they did not look ready for the games physically or mentally. Europe would provide opportunities to get more players consistently involved, meaning they are more likely to succeed when called upon.
That Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest are struggling so severely is used by some as an example of the dangers of Europe. But for me, their situations serve as a useful warning of what can happen if you do not approach the busier schedule properly and I think Moyes has the experience to be able to juggle priorities.
We have got something we could achieve and it would be absolutely fantastic if Everton could do it. I think it would be a positive for the club so I hope the players can go out there and play without pressure and expectation and just see if they can help Everton back into Europe. No-one expected this, which would make it even more special.