Liverpool Echo

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Liverpool legend Andy Robertson on a free transfer

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Liverpool legend Andy Robertson on a free transfer.

Robertson will officially leave the Reds when his contract expires at the end of the month after nine years at the club in which he made 378 appearances and scored 14 goals while providing 69 assists from left-back.

The defender, who will captain Scotland at the forthcoming World Cup, was a key figure in a team that won a glut of honours including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

Robertson was close to joining Tottenham during the January transfer window before it was determined he would spend the rest of the season at Liverpool.

But the Londoners have now got their man with the 32-year-old having agreed a move to the capital after Tottenham secured their Premier League survival on the final day of the season.

“Andy is someone I’ve admired for a number of years and he will bring outstanding technical qualities, experience, leadership and mentality to our team,” said Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

“He is a proven winner at the highest level over a long period and is someone who can be a big player for us, both on and off the pitch.”

Robertson is one of three players who will depart Liverpool on a free transfer this summer.

An overview of what David Moyes and Everton want from the months ahead

Everton will go into the summer transfer market with the intention of improving David Moyes’ first XI.

The club views the window as the second stage of the major squad overhaul that began last summer and, for the manager, the main priority is to raise the level of quality within the dressing room.

That is an approach that has been influenced by the final seven weeks of the season, a winless run of games that ultimately cost Everton a shot at Europe.

Moyes believes the issues that unfolded during that period - alongside misfortune with injuries and key referring decisions, some of which have been conceded were wrong by the VAR watchdog - were not down to the size of his squad but the quality within it.

Important players who had been the bedrock of what had been shaping into a positive campaign, including Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, struggled to carry the team at the end of gruelling individual seasons in which they had dealt with an international tournament and a hamstring injury respectively.

The pressure on them to consistently deliver became painfully clear as Everton collapsed on the final push for a top eight finish after the team thrashed Chelsea in March.

As that streak unfolded much attention was paid to Moyes’ limited use of players - he used just 22 across the season, the fewest in the Premier League.

That was partly down to his side still bearing the scars of the austerity that characterised the final years of former owner Farhad Moshiri’s reign - in a threadbare squad there was only one senior outfield player who went unused, Adam Aznou.

It was, however, clear Moyes placed his trust in a core group of players who carried the bulk of the responsibility to carry out his plans and was reluctant to utilise some on the periphery of the squad.

Moyes, who likes to work with a smaller squad, did not view the drop-off in the final weeks - when Everton lost points from positive situations late in games against Liverpool, Manchester City, West Ham United and Crystal Palace - as being the result of tiredness, citing the lack of European football and domestic cup runs behind his thinking.

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Instead, his attention has been drawn to issues within his first XI that he hopes to resolve in the summer. Most pertinent is the longstanding problem at right back, an area that has been problematic for years.

This was an area it was acknowledged needed addressing in the first summer window of Moyes’ second stint and of the Friedkin Group’s ownership, and an early move for Kenny Tete was embarked upon. When the Fulham defender opted to instead sign new terms with Craven Cottage, the setback was not recovered from and Everton ended another window believing they had enough players in the squad who could cover the position.

That approach has been exposed as Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson endured another season of injury issues.

The departure of club captain Coleman heightens the requirement for a new right back this summer, particularly given Moyes has become the third manager to opt against using Patterson even when he was the only specialist right back fit and available.

Moyes has repeatedly stated the club is actively looking for a right back and that search will surely end this summer. Other areas are also under review, including in midfield, out wide, at left back and up front. Thierno Barry and Beto combined for 17 league goals across the season, a reasonable haul given both endured difficult opening months to the campaign. It has not been enough to spare them from coming under review and Everton are open to signing a forward if they think they can improve their options for a fee that falls within budget.

Of the money that will be made available, Moyes is of the belief that it would be better to spend larger sums on players the club can confidently expect will take the club forward rather than split it across a number of signings designed to flesh out a small squad.

That belief is at the root of his calls for TFG to show ambition this summer - he wants the club to move forward and believes the resources and commitment for that to be reflected in the transfer market should be shown.

One boost for Moyes will be that he is under no pressure to sell his best players. While Finch Farm is braced for interest in standout players including Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner, the club is in a strong position to rebuff interest - or at least dictate the terms in which any business is done. There is a willingness to do business for some squad players, however, particularly if it helps to raise additional funds to be directed towards the first team.

Some key areas for immediate attention remain internal, as talks continue with Vitalii Mykolenko and Idrissa Gueye over their futures. Both are in the final weeks of their current deals, though the club has an option to extend their contracts. Moyes suggested ahead of the trip to Tottenham Hotspur that a new deal with Mykolenko was close.

The club also needs to engage with Manchester City and Chelsea over the respective loan deals for Jack Grealish and Tyrique George. Everton will not trigger the £50m option to make Grealish’s loan move permanent but do wish to explore whether they can call upon the 30-year-old for another season.

Moyes, meanwhile, has been impressed with George but said his future will be dependent on the impact a permanent deal will have on his wider budget. Both players will return to parent clubs under new managers, which could impact any Everton plans - though the Blues have the option to secure George should they be willing to match the terms agreed when he arrived on loan in January.

Everton’s first signing of the summer was confirmed several weeks ago when they secured survival, a feat that triggered the £18m buy obligation agreed with Freiburg for loanee Merlin Rohl.

Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on the defeat to Tottenham and their side's dissapointing end to the Premier League season

Everton were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in their final game of the season on Sunday afternoon. Joao Palhinha scored the only goal of the game just before the break as the home side managed to avoid relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

David Moyes’ side, who were well in contention for a European placing in March, eventually finished 13th after failing to win any of their last seven games. And that has led to the Blues boss coming under pressure from supporters.

And with Sunday’s game in mind, our Everton jury have returned to have their say on Sunday’s defeat and the Blues’ end to the season.

Mark McParlan

Unfortunately, against Tottenham Hotspur we witnessed the second utterly disgraceful Everton performance in a row.

Sure, there was no longer European football to play for, but a ‘respectable’ top-half finish could have been on the cards with a win. Instead, we allowed Spurs to stroll to the easiest safety-guaranteeing fixture they could possibly have dreamed of.

West Ham did their part, but with the eyes of an entire country upon us, we let that country down. By confirming Tottenham’s survival, all we have done is guarantee that they are another team who will leapfrog us next season.

We did not turn up at all. For 90 minutes, until injury time, our performance was outrageous, embarrassing, humiliating. We conceded loads of early chances. We had no control over the game and gave the ball away constantly. I was bored watching us.

I cannot believe David Moyes fielded the exact same line-up, Beto / Thierno Barry swap aside, which has been producing the same lacklustre results and performances for this whole crucial period of the season.

What is being gained by still picking the same players who are either knackered or done with the season? Let’s experiment. Jake O’Brien in his natural position, perhaps? Tyrique George and Charly Alcaraz are desperate to prove their worth. Or our £40million summer signing?

I’m just disappointed for those who travelled down to London, in boiling heat, for the fifth time since March, and had to watch that performance.

Everyone is absolutely furious with how we’ve thrown away the end of this season, and rightly so. The immediate post-match social media reaction that I saw was majority Moyes out.

I get it and agree with everything being said, but at the same time, I can’t bring myself to officially call for sacking the manager.

Arguably, it doesn’t matter anyway – he will get to start next season. Angus Kinnear and the board had made that clear enough already.

James Kellett

Everton’s 2025-26 campaign ended in such disappointment, when just two months prior, discussions were floated about the Toffees hitting the heights of the Champions League.

So where did it all go wrong? A mixture of questionable managerial decisions, lack of quality in the squad, and of course, poor officiating from Premier League referees.

The aftermath of finishing 13th in the league has led some Evertonians down the path of calling for the removal of David Moyes.

Fans are frustrated with their club, and rightfully so, as it stems from over 30 years of just purely existing in the league and cups.

But when looking at Everton in their current predicament, regardless of who is in charge or what referee officiates their matches, the crop of players are just not good enough.

Taking the final match against Tottenham Hotspur, three of the back four were members of one of the worst Everton teams in history, the 2022-23 side.

With respect to James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Vitalii Mykolenko, all have proven their worth in the Toffees’ team, but if the club wants to push higher up the table, the upcoming transfer window is going to be one of their biggest in years.

Moyes will face deserved criticism, but in the 2025-26 campaign he was unable to address the overall lack of quality on his side, and Everton would be in a similar position now if they had any other manager in charge.

Worries will linger regarding the business that the Scot would like to conduct in the summer, but with the correct additions in key areas, he has an opportunity to win his doubters over.

Yet if new recruits fail to make an immediate impact, things could go extremely sour for the 63-year-old. And it is Moyes’ transfer strategy that is at the crux of his current position.

If the ownership dislikes the direction he plans to take the club in concerning transfers, then the Toffees may well have to search for a fourth manager in four years.

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Paul McParlan

For Everton and our fans, opportunity doesn’t always come knocking. It came most recently with a glimpse of a place in Europe being tantalisingly close, but after six games without a win before last Sunday, that was squandered.

At one stage, it seemed easier to make Europe than not make it, but we blew it. Everton that!

Another priceless opportunity was handed to us last Sunday, when we had the chance to send Tottenham Hotspur down to the Championship.

They had only won two home games all season, and the tension smouldering amongst the home supporters was volcanic. All the pressure was on them.

We produced what was arguably our worst away performance of the season in an insipid and impotent display, which handed the initiative to the home side, who duly went on to win the game comfortably and save themselves from the drop.

How could we have let that happen? We didn’t have a shot on target until the 98th minute! Watching that shambles filled me with dismay and mounting anger. We had a golden opportunity to relegate our opponents, and we wasted it.

Last season, we ended the campaign on a high, with three consecutive wins. This time we have not won any of our last seven games. While fans of teams such as Sunderland and Bournemouth can anticipate playing in Europe, the closest we will get to playing European opposition will be in a pre-season friendly. Again! For the eighth year running!

David Moyes’s post-match press conference was a masterclass of deflection, delusion and denial. When asked by the ECHO reporter Joe Thomas if he understood the frustration of fans, he answered with a terse ‘no’. Seriously? What kind of response was that?

Are the fans wrong and is he right? Should we be grateful for finishing 13th, one point better off than last time? Should we be dancing with joy in the fan plaza at Hill Dickinson Stadium or organising an open-top bus parade to celebrate this magnificent feat? Are we not ‘Happily Dissatisfied’?

The manager seemed to think that not being involved in a relegation scrap was a testament to the fine job he is doing. Sorry, David, it isn’t. We have been brainwashed into accepting mediocrity as the norm.

Sadly, the recent comment by our CEO, Angus Kinnear, that he was ‘happily dissatisfied’ with our season reinforces that mindset.

Before the last international break in March, we had a chance to play Champions League football. At the very least, all we had to do was take seven points from a possible 21 to make the Europa Conference League.

We managed three! It was a catastrophic collapse in form which the manager seemed powerless to stop.

We could have relegated Tottenham; we didn’t. We should have made Europe; we didn’t. These opportunities have not arrived too often for Everton this century.

Andy Robertson will leave Liverpool upon the expiry of his contract but it has been suggested he will sign for Tottenham Hotspur.

Former Liverpool defender Andy Robertson is closing in on his next move after reaching a 'verbal agreement' with Tottenham Hotspur. According to reports, the Scotland international will remain in the Premier League after Spurs maintained their interest following a failed move in January.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Juventus' late hijack attempt has failed in the process with the full-back respecting the "pact". The former Dundee United and Hull City left-back found playing time restricted at Anfield during Arne Slot's difficult campaign as summer signing Milos Kerkez, 10 years Robertson's junior, was preferred.

Robertson bid an emotional farewell to the Anfield faithful on Sunday during the 1-1 draw with Brentford and received a guard of honour on his final Reds bow. But he won't be far away from returning to L4 after Roberto De Zerbi's side ensured survival on the final day of the season with a 2-0 win over Everton.

It now appears that the Liverpool legend dropped a clear hint about his next move during his final message to supporters after his exit. Taking to social media, the Scotland captain told supporters, "it's not goodbye, it's a see you soon".

He said: "I have spent all week telling the people in the building, players and staff how much they mean to me. Now it’s my turn to tell the most important people at the club how much they mean to me.

"That is you guys. From day 1 the love and support you have shown me has been unimaginable. Your support always gave me that extra motivation to be the best I could have been.

"We have had so many special nights and special days together and for that I’ll be forever grateful. The home games, away games, trips to Wembley or the parades. You guys ALWAYS show up in your numbers and I never took that for granted.

"You are the heartbeat of the club and the best fans in the world. Thank you for the reception yesterday, that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

"You guys are family. This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you soon. YNWA. Robbo."

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The 32-year-old's Liverpool career will come to an end at the end of the season, when his contract expires. He won two Premier League titles, two-time Carabao Cup-winner as well as adding Champions League, Super Cup, FA Cup and Club World Cup honours during their dominance under Jurgen Klopp.

Robertson will lead Scotland out at a World Cup for the first time since 1998. For the defender, he will also have international accolades in his focus as he enters the twilight of his career.

The left-back stands just 10 caps away from levelling Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish on 102. The pair united for a BBC Sport interview ahead of his Liverpool farewell, Dalglish said: “It’s a great coincidence between Scottish people and Liverpool.

“None of us that played for Liverpool would have been there without Shanks [Bill Shankly], who set it off at the very beginning for everybody.

“Throughout the years when Shanks was there and since he left, there has been a lot of successful times for Liverpool but there’s also been a lot of Scottish people. For some reason, they seem to enjoy it. They seem to be able to mix in with the punters, and they like to see a wee bit of Scottish in it.

“I think you fitted the bill perfectly. You’re a great credit to yourself. You’re a great credit to the football club, the way you conducted yourself and what you have produced for the club.

“You can see that with your winner’s medals. You’ve done yourself proud, you’ve done Liverpool Football Club proud. You did Scotland proud.”

Everton were in ninth after taking the lead against Sunderland. By the full time whistle at Tottenham Hotspur they had endured a costly slide

Everton’s drop down the Premier League table will cost the club millions of pounds in merit payments.

At half-time in their penultimate game of the season, the Blues were leading Sunderland thanks to Merlin Rohl’s deflected strike. At that moment they sat in ninth place, separated from eighth and a place in Europe on goal difference alone.

The second-half collapse that followed, combined with the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, left the Blues in 13th - the same position they occupied at the end of last season, and where they would have finished the previous season without being hit with points deductions.

As well as costing the club a shot at a return to Europe, the slump down the table will lead to a significant reduction in merit payments - hundreds of millions of pounds handed out to clubs depending on where they finish.

The figures set to be allocated this year have not been confirmed by the Premier League but over the past two seasons each extra place has been worth around £2.7m. Last season, ninth-placed Bournemouth earned £31.9m while 13th-placed Everton took in £21.2m - a difference of £10.7m when assessing where Everton stood during the break against the Black Cats.

The fees are expected to increase this year with the Athletic projecting the disparity between ninth and 13th will be £15m. As such, that will be £15m lost by Everton across the final 135 minutes of the season.

Such fees are just one of the knock-on effects of Everton’s slip down the table, with Europe having appeared within reach after the demolition of Chelsea in March. Seven winless games followed, meaning the club will not be one of the eight English sides in Europe next season - nine if Crystal Palace win the Europa Conference League this week.

David Moyes said a lack of European football hindered Everton’s efforts in the transfer market last summer. He will now face the same challenge over the coming months.

Another challenge will be the anti-social scheduling Everton will once again be subject to. As one of the clubs outside Europe, their schedule will have the flexibility to place them on Monday night duty - a slot they have occupied seven times this season and which has felt like a contributory factor to the club’s poor home form and initial struggle to settle at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly frontrunners to sign Andy Robertson from Liverpool, but there appear to be other offers for the Scotland international this summer

Juventus have reportedly made an offer to sign Andy Robertson this summer. Tottenham Hotspur are still said to remain ahead of the Serie A side, but Italy appears to be another option for him.

Several of his Scotland team-mates already play in the country, most notably Scott McTominay, who joined Napoli from Manchester United. Billy Gilmour also moved to Naples when leaving Chelsea, while Che Adams swapped Southampton for Turin's other club, Torino, that same summer.

Robertson played his last match for Liverpool on the final day of the Premier League season. He will leave this summer when his contract expires.

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Sky in Italy claim Juventus have made enquiries and requested information about Robertson. They have made those moves as they reportedly look to sign experienced players this summer.

It is also acknowledged that the club have done likewise with Alisson. The outlet notes that Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti previously worked with the goalkeeper while at Roma.

Unlike the Brazil international, it is certain that Robertson will depart, having announced that decision in recent weeks. He shared a heartfelt message to the Liverpool fans on social media after bowing out at Anfield when being substituted in his final appearance for the Reds.

Robertson said: "I have spent all week telling the people in the building, players and staff, how much they mean to me. Now it's my turn to tell the most important people at the club how much they mean to me. That is you guys.

"From day one, the love and support you have shown me has been unimaginable. Your support always gave me that extra motivation to be the best I could have been.

"We have had so many special nights and special days together, and for that I'll be forever grateful. The home games, away games, trips to Wembley or the parades.

"You guys ALWAYS show up in your numbers, and I never took that for granted.

"You are the heartbeat of the club and the best fans in the world. Thank you for the reception yesterday, that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

"You guys are family. This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you soon. YNWA. Robbo."

Michael Ball tackles the big issues at Hill Dickinson Stadium following Everton's final game of the season at Tottenham Hotspur

It was the ultimate fixture of flattering to deceive as ‘Spursy’ came up against ‘Everton that’ but unfortunately all us Blues knew how it was going to pan out.

I went down on the train to watch the game and when I got to Euston station, there were sets of fans from various clubs and the ones who supported West Ham – and Arsenal – were saying: “can you do us a favour?”

It was a very hot day and I wondered whether Everton were going to show some bravery, loosen the reins and go for it, but unfortunately, we never did that.

Tottenham went into the fixture having not won a home game this calendar year yet walking away from the game afterwards when their fans were all relieved, I told them: “You were up against the best opponent you could have picked for this scenario.”

This is the question mark over David Moyes and his team. You’ve been brought to the football club to make us steady and the manager has done that, probably a lot better than plenty of fans think.

However, when we had a game where all the pressure was on our opponents, we were so passive, playing the ball backwards and sideways with no intent at all. We’ve been there ourselves when the burden has been on our shoulders, but when we have these opportunities to move forward, we always fail.

I don’t care about Tottenham. I don’t care about their team or their fans, I care about Everton and I want us to go out and be hard to beat and we’re not.

I want Everton to be nasty but we’re too nice. With the clientele and manager that we’ve got we should be difficult to come up against.

But instead, the opposition can just go out and enjoy themselves. That’s really frustrating from a fan’s point of view, never mind from an ex-player.

I went out to the concourse and it was bouncing, like it is at every Everton away game, they’ve travelled down to London at great cost and our supporters were in full voice, but as soon as the whistle went and the match started, all that enthusiasm evaporated and we just knew it was going to be one of those games.

Why can’t we be the guys to turn up, put them under pressure and pin them into the corner? Test the keeper and try to quieten the home fans down.

West Ham scored in their game, but it didn’t change the atmosphere at Tottenham because they knew it was comfortable. Everton weren’t doing anything, so they knew it was fine.

We never make it difficult. As Evertonians, we’ve been there, going into matches when our Premier League status has been on the line, but we had to fight and roll our sleeves up in such situations, and in 1994 and in the final home game in 2022, we had to come back from two goals down to survive.

Yet, when Spurs have got their version of that, the way the goal came about was also far too soft and we didn’t have a shot until the 99th minute.

You’ve got to read the room a little bit. Play Tyrique George from the start and put players in who want to show the manager and the fans what they’re capable of and express themselves.

I’m not saying put people in just because it’s the last day of the season but copy and paste is not working.

Before the Spurs match, Everton were one of only four Premier League teams to have won more games this season than the previous year, along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Afterwards there were six but it’s not all doom and gloom because the season has been a very strange one and a lot of teams are frustrated.

Is David Moyes the guy to get us where we want to be? That’s a huge question mark for the board.

Everything was rosy before the break after the Chelsea game, but the last seven weeks have left us wondering what is going to happen next season. There is another manager whose name is being widely circulated on social media, but could he survive an 11-game run without a win at Everton?

Look at those fans of West Ham, they’re telling us that they can’t believe they got rid of David Moyes – twice. He won them a European trophy and now they’ve been relegated.

Am I surprised by the level of criticism that the manager has received of late? That’s football and it’s a results-based industry.

When you win, you’re the best thing since sliced bread. Yes, we’ve had some huge VAR decisions go against us throughout this winless run, but it feels like we just put our heads down, feel sorry for ourselves and do nothing about it.

Moyes has got a better tune out of these players than some of his predecessors but then they just go back to reset and self-destruct.

Because of the way our season has panned out has made it more frustrating. If we’d been chasing the pack and then finished like we did, we’d probably have been feeling a bit better about it.

Sunderland have finished seventh and they went into their game at Hill Dickinson Stadium a week earlier, below Everton in the table. They’ve not just sneaked into Europe, they’ve bypassed the Conference League and made it into the Europa League.

I heard David Moyes after the game, saying how he doesn’t understand the frustration of Evertonians, but that’s the reason. We were there, we were in the mix, but we let it go.

That group of players should have been good enough to get over 50 points. Credit to Sunderland, they’ve done fantastically well, but it’s an even harder pill to swallow when they went into the penultimate game of the season below us and they didn’t even play that well against us, yet they came back with three points and have finished seventh.

Coleman signs off but others haven't taken their chance

It was brilliant to see Seamus Coleman come on again for his last Everton appearance. The first thing he did was an overlap.

Ndiaye had three opponents around him, and the fans were getting frustrated as he was losing the ball because he had no options. It’s almost like we go: “there’s the ball, now go win us the game,” but he’s out of form and struggling.

But Seamus comes on and gives him an option because he’s a natural full-back, that’s what you’re supposed to do. We’ve been beaten this season, especially at home, by teams who have had very progressive full-backs who overload and get forward, like Tottenham and Newcastle.

We don’t do that though. Whether it was Ndiaye, Jack Grealish or Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on form, we left it to them to try and win us the game while the rest just sit and watch.

While we have performed well in 20-30 minutes spells in various matches, we often haven’t taken advantage of such situations, and our game management and decision-making isn’t there. We’ve been playing better football at times and have come away from games thinking: “we should have got more from that.”

There have been times when the manager has trusted certain players to come on and they haven’t seized the moment, so from David Moyes’ point of view it will be a case of: ‘I’ve given you the opportunity and you haven’t taken it.’ But then on the flip side, players need rhythm to get into games, and they’re left playing catch-up, so coming on with just five minutes to go will not help them.

Finally, good luck to Everton’s players who are going to the World Cup and thanks to everyone for reading this column throughout this season – I hope you all have a great summer. Up the Toffees!

James Garner spoke following Everton's 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in their final game of the season

James Garner believes it’s obvious where Everton need to improve but insists it’s still been “a progressive season” for them despite their dramatic downturn in form during the run-in.

The Blues’ 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur – a result that ensured Roberto De Zerbi’s side avoided relegation at London rivals West Ham United’s expense – meant that David Moyes’ men failed to taste victory in their final seven matches. Despite being three points off a Champions League place following their 3-0 success against Chelsea in March, Everton ultimately finished 13th for the second straight year with just one more point than they picked up in 2024/25.

Garner said: “I’m disappointed. We’ve not won in seven, so that’s even more disappointing, to finish the season off without a win in seven is very disappointing.

“Personally I’ve had a half decent season but it’s not just me, there’s a team as well and there are 11 different people on the pitch and subs that can come on so I’ll help in whatever way I can but ultimately I need my team-mates there to help me to pick up points.”

Asked if he could put his finger on why Everton’s results tailed off so badly, the 25-year-old said: “No. If I could have then I would have tried to fix it.

“These type of runs happen, but we need to change or find out what it was because that can’t happen going into the new season.”

OPINION

Garner believes that despite not being embroiled in another relegation battle, he has a clear indication over where Everton can do better as a whole, regardless of the steps he feels they have taken. He said: “It’s definitely been a progressive season, a better season that we’ve had over the last four or five years. Six or seven games ago, we were talking about maybe having a European run.

“I think if the games had gone differently and a couple of games we were even leading but we’ve lost points, so it could have been a lot different season if we’d had picked up points over these last seven games.

“There’s definitely been an improvement and definitely something we can be positive about going into next season.

“I think what’s let us down, perhaps over the course of the season because it’s easy to look at the last seven games because it’s been the most recent, is that we’ve let far too many goals in. It’s literally the obvious but we need to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

“This season we’ve done much better scoring goals, but we need to keep more clean sheets and be a lot more solid going into the new season.”

Garner was named Everton’s Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season and was rewarded for his form with a new, improved contract in January. The Birkenhead-born player believes he has now set standards he needs to maintain.

He said: “Me personally, I think that I’ve had my best season that I’ve had as a professional. It’s definitely given me a level to stay at going into next season.

“If I drop below where I’ve performed at this season then it will be noticeable, so I need to stay at this level and if not, go higher.”

Despite his form earning Garner a first England call-up, a brace of caps in March and a man-of-the-match award on his international debut against Uruguay, he missed out on a place in the Three Lions’ World Cup squad. Blues boss David Moyes said he was disappointed for his player but not surprised given the team’s end of season slump and asked whether he thought Everton’s form in the run-in had cost him a place on the plane, Garner said: “Maybe yeah. The manager chose his players and he might not have had his team even before he made his announcement.

“I don’t know whether it did play a part, but it is what it is.

“He [Thomas Tuchel] called me. It was pretty basic to be honest.

“He said: ‘It’s not the news that you’re after.’ Look, there’s a lot of top players that have missed out, I’m not the only one and I wish the boys all the best for the summer.”

Analysis from the final day defeat at Tottenham Hotspur as Everton's end of season tumble down the table ends in 13th place

Everton’s end of season collapse will bring back painful memories for David Moyes of when a similar run started rather than finished against Tottenham Hotspur.

Back in 2004, before some of the current Blues squad were even born, Moyes’ men enjoyed a 3-1 win against Spurs at Goodison Park on Good Friday and then promptly drew the next two games before losing the final four.

The upshot of it all was that despite not being in any kind of realistic relegation battle all season, Everton – who wrapped things up with a 5-1 thrashing at Manchester City (still several years before they became petrodollar billionaires) - finished 17th on just 39 points. There was clamour for the Glaswegian gaffer to go with that old chestnut that he had supposedly lost the dressing room even being trotted out.

Thankfully that was still an age before widespread social media and Moyes rode the storm, the club’s owners were rewarded for their patience and the Blues’ highest-ever Premier League position was achieved just 12 months later. Ultimately, there would be no fewer than nine top-eight finishes on his watch.

This year, second time around, there could, and perhaps should have been another one. Instead, Everton finish 13th for the second consecutive year and just one point better off than last year when the Scot returned at the halfway point with just 17 points on the board.

Whatever you think of David Moyes and his tactics, he’s shown himself to be the Blues’ most consistent manager of the Premier League era and arguably the ONLY man in modern times to lead the club effectively on a long-term basis. As Pep Guardiola departs Manchester City, the 63-year-old who dubbed Everton ‘The People’s Club’ is the only manager in the competition’s history to have accumulated over a thousand points after serial title winners Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

But Moyes, like all those beleaguered Blues, his hurting badly over the way this campaign has petered out. With one more year to run on his current contract, having already overhauled Howard Kendall in terms of matches managed, he’s due to overtake Harry Catterick as the longest-serving Everton boss of all-time next season, but if he is still there then both he and the club’s supporters will be demanding much better than this.

Running on empty

When asked in his pre-match press conference to preview this fixture if he thought Everton’s end-of-season slump was down to fatigue, manager David Moyes was pretty emphatic that he felt that wasn’t the case. The Blues boss said: “Well, we’ve not played 50 or 60 games like the Aston Villa players or the others. If you’re asking me, that doesn’t stack up one bit at all.

“I don’t see where that can even be part of it, players are playing 60 or 70 games and what not, and getting on with it. For us to have 38 games, 40 maybe, I can’t see that at all.”

Whether you agree with his selection policies or not, he has a point, so just what was it down to because there was a distinct drop off in form, particularly when it came to some of the team’s star men. Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have been shining lights for Everton for prolonged periods this term but the form of the pair slumped badly in May.

With Jack Grealish having already been sidelined since January, the downturn from the most creative pair in the team who are both usually assured finishes too, with Ndiaye not showing his usual coolness in front of goal and Dewsbury-Hall dallying with chances caused a significant slump in fortunes with the squad’s lesser lights unable to fill the void. While the pair were guilty of profligacy in recent times, this showing was perhaps even worse as neither of them had a sniff and we can only hope they come back fresh come August.

When a late opportunity failed to fall for him, Everton substitute Tyrique George stood before the advertising hoardings in the North Stand and was goaded by the fans of Tottenham Hotspur, a local rival of this Londoner’s parent club Chelsea. Whether he ultimately ends up back at Stamford Bridge this summer or the Blues take up their option on the 20-year-old prospect remains to be seen.

George, who was Everton’s brightest performer on a day of huge disappointment – despite only featuring in the final quarter of the contest – kept on plugging away and it was only a spectacular save from Antonin Kinsky in stoppage time that denied him his first goal for the club.

While an equaliser would not have prevented the hosts from staying up, it would have certainly cranked up the pressure inside the stadium in the latter changes and more importantly for the substitute, would have been a huge boost to his own confidence.

Arriving on the final day of the winter window, George has shown in patches just how much promise he offers. This correspondent might have used the phrase “fits and starts,” but there has only been one of the latter.

The ball is in the Blues’ court when it comes to the prospect of doing a permanent deal but when asked in his pre-match press conference, Moyes said: “We’ve enjoyed having Tyrique here, he’s been an excellent boy and he’s work rate and everything has been excellent, so we’re happy with him.” He also added a line about both George and Grealish going back to their parent clubs.

There’s certainly a player in there, and we’ve seen more minutes and more promise in the second half of the campaign from George than from £35million signing Tyler Dibling, but for now his prospects of moving to Merseyside on a permanent basis appear to be in the balance.

David Moyes was speaking after his Everton side went down 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur to finish the Premier League campaign without a win in seven games

David Moyes conceded he was disappointed with the way Everton’s season had finished as a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur left the club without a win in seven matches.

Joao Palhinha’s first-half goal was enough to give Spurs the win that sealed their Premier League survival and condemned Everton to a bottom-half finish.

For so long Europe had looked within reach for the Blues but instead they have finished 13th - the same position as last season and with just one extra point.

Asked how he felt about the way the campaign had drawn to an end, Moyes said: “I'm disappointed in the last six or seven weeks. For probably three quarters of the season we've been very good. In the last six or seven weeks we have been really disappointed, but not always.

OPINION

“And I'm saying it in every interview I do at the moment, you cannot forget the handball at West Ham, or the penalty kick at Man City. If we were coming here with two points more we'd have had a different mindset completely.

“We've got a group of players coming here, in a comfortable position in the league. We would have been coming here needing to get a win, probably, or a draw to be in Europe.

“So, there's been a lot of things that played a part, probably more so this season I've felt than ever before, certainly from my point of view.”

Everton struggled to deal with Tottenham until a late flurry of chances almost yielded a point - coming closest when substitute Tyrique George forced a stunning save from Antonin Kinsky.

Mathys Tel was a constant threat down the the Blues' right, where stand-in full back Jake O’Brien found it difficult to contain him.

With Idrissa Gueye and Jarrad Branthwaite injured and Nathan Patterson ill, Moyes’ scope for changes may have been limited and only the strikers were changed from the side that started the defeat to Sunderland - Thierno Barry starting ahead of Beto.

Asked by the ECHO why he did not make any further changes, the Everton boss said: “If I thought it was better I would have done it.”

Reflecting on the match, Moyes said: “I thought we didn't play well in the first half. I thought we were resilient enough not to let Tottenham go any further ahead.

“It always meant that we were in the game right to the end, and probably we were the better team in the last 20 minutes. But not for the other part of the game, so I couldn't put my hand up and admit to that.

“But we made sure Tottenham didn't get too much, but we didn't have any opportunities really until 10, 15 minutes to go when we brought in a couple of the younger boys who made a big difference, so we were pleased with that.”