Everton submit offer to sign £30m “wrecking ball”

Everton supporters aren’t asking for Erling Haaland, but it would be nice for David Moyes‘ attacking system to be fronted by a goalscorer who can prove the difference in fighting to record a top-half finish in the Premier League.

Moyes might point toward improvements made across the 2025/26 season, but the truth is that Everton did no better last season than during the 2024/25 campaign, albeit with the Scotsman enjoying an emphatic effect when replacing a dispirited Sean Dyche in January.

A protracted bid for Middlesbrough captain Hayden Hackney rages on, but the Toffees need more than just a midfielder this summer. Namely, they need a couple of forwards to propel them, well, forward.

At the top of Moyes’ shortlist is Jarrod Bowen, who might just be available after West Ham United’s relegation from the Premier League, but he’s not the only one on the radar.

Everton submit offer for Premier League forward

Everton need forwards, and Moyes knows what he likes from a tactical perspective. It only seems natural that the grizzled Scot would move for the attacker who has provided him with such rich rewards in the past, Bowen the talisman at West Ham for so many years.

The 29-year-old, who was overlooked by Thomas Tuchel ahead of the Three Lions’ World Cup campaign, is anticipated to be on the move this summer following his outfit’s relegation, and Everton are among the frontrunners, having already made an initial move.

Despite West Ham’s £50m valuation, Everton have not been deterred, and the Friedkin Group are already lining up another exciting forward who may even surpass Bowen on Merseyside.

According to Football Insider, Everton have made contact with Chelsea this summer and they have offered Liam Delap a contract as Moyes looks for a new centre-forward to front his system.

Delap has not enjoyed a standout season at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea are expected to let him leave. Everton are at the front of the pack, but multiple clubs are interested.

Chelsea paid £30m to take Delap from relegated Ipswich Town last summer. Everton had been thick in the race, and while the Blues are hoping to make a profit and sell the 23-year-old for £40m ahead of the new campaign, his returns on the field will surely see Moyes and co push for a shrewder price.

Why Delap could be a better signing than Bowen for Everton

Everton’s vested interest in Delap last summer came to naught, and while Ipswich’s frontman had riches glinting in his eyes as Chelsea promised him the world, a more pragmatic viewpoint would have suggested that Stamford Bridge was not the hothouse he needed at that stage of his career.

It’s frustrating. Delap was one of the Premier League’s most exciting strikers when he burst onto the scene with the Tractor Boys, scoring 12 goals across 37 matches. His physical presence set him apart, and would have been perfect for Moyes’ Toffees system.

Alas, he went to Chelsea, failing to nail down a spot at Stamford Bridge and now being nudged toward the exit by the powers that be.

It’s a setback, but one he could overcome at Everton, maybe even growing into a forward who can surpass Bowen at the Hill Dickinson.

Bowen might be an experienced and prolific Premier League attacker, but he is getting on, and would not stand to make the long-standing impact that Delap would enjoy at the front of the attacking line.

Still only 23, Delap has scored 13 goals and missed only 14 big chances across two seasons in the Premier League, bringing an edge alongside his threat as a “wrecking ball” in attack, as has been noted by Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones.

He is not a superstar – yet – but Delap has shown that he can score goals in the Premier League, and when considering Everton’s need for goalscorers and the fact that Bowen would cost more while only offering a limited amount of high-class quality, Delap would surely be the snappier signing for the Merseysiders.

Remarkably, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jack Grealish did not play together at Everton last season, speaking of injury issues which created a disconnect at the Hill Dickinson.

Everton hope to show this summer that they are learning, evolving, growing. By signing players who can actually stand out as superstars, easing the burden on the likes of Branthwaite and Grealish (should he return to Merseyside), Moyes might just hit a winning formula and bridge the gap between Everton and the Premier League’s European places.

Could Delap and Bowen add the superstar power that the Toffees need? They might just, and Chelsea’s rogue striker could even prove the better signing down the line.