Former Everton striker Louis Saha has boldly claimed he is “very confident” that the Blues can be contenders for a Champions League place while backing another striker to follow his path from Manchester United to Merseyside.
Despite being just three points shy of a Champions League qualification spot after a 3-0 victory over Chelsea on March 21, Everton suffered an end-of-season slump, failing to win any of their last seven matches. They ultimately repeated their previous year’s finish of 13th, just one point better off than they had been 12 months earlier.
Undeterred, Saha, who scored 35 goals in 115 games for Everton between 2008 and 2012 after being signed by David Moyes, believes better times are ahead. He played in a side that finished fifth, eighth and seventh in the Premier League in his three full seasons at Goodison Park.
Moyes steered the Blues to nine top-eight finishes, including their highest ever Premier League placing of fourth in 2004/05 to secure Champions League qualification. Despite widespread supporter frustration over how the inaugural 2025/26 campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium finished, the Parisian has tipped the Glaswegian gaffer to get things right next term.
Speaking to Casinolyze, Saha said: “Everton in Champions League contention? I’m very confident. I love what David Moyes has done. He has regenerated the connection between the fans and the players. The team itself still needs to improve a lot, and he has done well with his squad. But the midfield power is not matched with creativity, and the creativity is not matched with finishing. Those parameters are important if you want to reach the European spots. Defensively, they have made massive improvements, but they still need better results in both boxes. I think it was much better, especially at home. These are elements to build on for next year.”
Curiously, despite Beto netting 10 goals last season, including eight since the turn of the calendar year, and Premier League rookie Thierno Barry registering eight times, Saha has earmarked a solution to the improvement in finishing he wants to see from a striker who struck just twice in 26 matches for Manchester United in 2025/26.
He said: “I can see the quality of Joshua Zirkzee. He has not found the right match in terms of style of play yet. Manchester United were in need of a number nine, someone a bit more lethal in the final third. He has proved to be a good link-up player with good technique, and I think he is a terrific lad because he wants to work hard and help his team, it is not about him and his ego. I really like this profile. I still think he could do something at United. He needs a couple of goals and a bit more of an aggressive approach in his attitude. That would really help him. You can have that at other teams like Everton, who are trying to be at that level. I think they have two strikers with a similar profile in Beto and Barry, having Zirkzee with a different style could help them a lot. But yeah, I think it is a shame he came into the club when the team was not ready and not performing. He lost the opportunity to grow with the right people around him and I hope that next season, after a full pre-season, he can prove people wrong.”
