Merlin Rohl continued to build on a promising first Everton pre-season by scoring in a 2-1 win against Hamburg. The 24-year-old, back on familiar ground in Germany, endured a stop-start campaign after joining from Freiburg on deadline day last summer.
Rohl arrived on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy should Everton avoid relegation. He made his debut in a goalless home game against Aston Villa on September 13, but a hip injury then kept him out for more than a month. A hernia followed, ruling him out for six weeks between the 2-0 win over Fulham on November 8 and the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on December 20.
Rohl finds rhythm
After arguably his most promising display for the Blues in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa on January 18 - a side who had won their previous 11 home games - Rohl was not selected again until the trip to the Emirates on March 14. He would not start again until the final month of the campaign.
With a full pre-season behind him, he reprised the right-wing role he played in the final weeks of 2025/26. Having become the first German to score for Everton against Sunderland on May 17, he added another assured finish in Hamburg while covering plenty of ground.
Known for his intelligence off the pitch, the articulate Rohl has a passion for photography, and the club featured him in a series of short travel-guide videos before their fixtures in his homeland. Of Hamburg's famous Reeperbahn, he said: "It's quite famous – I don't know so much about it." On local refreshment, he added: "German beer is quite good – I've been told!"
New look midfield
Everton's midfield is changing after Idrissa Gueye departed following seven years of service across two spells at the club. James Garner, the reigning Player of the Season, is currently injured; he missed just six minutes in all competitions during 2025/26 when David Moyes protected him from a potential suspension at the end of the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on December 13.
Ahead of the Hamburg fixture, former Everton defender Tony Hibbert said he was looking forward to seeing Hayden Hackney again. The Championship Player of the Year linked up well with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on his debut at Stoke City. Watching at the Volksparkstadion, ex-Everton captain Alan Stubbs was encouraged by how Hackney is always on the front foot, driving forward to test defences.
The 24-year-old new boy, who told the ECHO he wants to hit double figures for combined goals and assists in his debut Premier League season, is still finding his feet. Eight goals and six assists in his maiden campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium are the kind of figures Dewsbury-Hall brought to the table last time out, and Dewsbury-Hall will want more of the same. The £25million recruit from Chelsea almost a year ago is another deep thinker, and his smartness was on display again here, with Stubbs adding that he ran the show. Dewsbury-Hall was candid about the team's finish, calling it an "awful end" when they were "miles off it."
Barry still under scrutiny
Thierno Barry knows he still has much to prove. The Frenchman was the only player other than Garner to feature in all 41 matches, but it took him 17 matches, 737 minutes and 19 shots to score his first goal. A mid-season purple patch brought five goals in nine games, including four in five in January, before he tailed off, lost his place and became involved in an online spat with supporters that led to boos.
Against Hamburg, Barry appeared to be applying himself. Joe Thomas described him as "an enigma" while still handing him a score of 8, and Barry showed composure to set up Rohl for the first goal. His usually languid style gave way to the hustle and bustle that makes Beto a fan favourite, and he was a willing runner throughout.
Graham's late show
Hamburg's youngest ever player, Louis Lemke, started despite being born on October 8, 2009 - over four months after Everton last played in an FA Cup final under David Moyes against Chelsea. The 16-year-old left-back, up against compatriot Rohl, may not be the new Wayne Rooney, but playing in one of Europe's big five leagues at such a tender age signals enormous potential.
It was late substitute Braiden Graham, almost two years older than Lemke, who made the biggest impact. Introduced on 90 minutes for Dewsbury-Hall, the Northern Ireland prospect delivered an intended cross for Beto that Jordan Torunarigha turned into his own net for the winner.
Unlike Rooney, who was physically developed enough to bully senior professionals as a teenager, Graham is of slighter stature. The Ballygowan-born forward was a prolific finisher coming through, and his Linfield manager David Healy, Northern Ireland's record scorer, said: "He's goals, goals, goals." With Everton's strikers Beto and Barry standing 6ft 4in and 6ft 5in respectively, Graham has been deployed cutting inside from wide areas. A first-team breakthrough is possible, though a loan for senior experience looks more likely at this stage; his assist here can only boost his confidence.
