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The Toffees have eased themselves into sixth position in the Premier League table, having won four, drawn four and lost two of their 10 games to date.
Great start to 2026/27 for Everton
Just two points off Merseyside rivals Liverpool, and five behind Manchester City in third, David Moyes can feel rightly proud of the way in which his players have responded, Grealish aside.
As the Scot has shown time and again, both at Everton and elsewhere - West Ham being the most obvious example - when he's given the right backing from the board, Moyes knows how to get the best out of players who might not necessarily be headline-grabbers on the face of it, but who will put in a shift for the team.
Indeed, this Everton side is very much a typical Moyes squad. Full of hard-working individuals who value the team ethic above all else.
In Thierno Barry, the Merseysiders have one of the English top flight's most in-form strikers, with four goals and two assists in his last three games.
Plenty of other first-team stars have begun the season well, but the one area in which they are perhaps lacking something is with regard to midfield creativity.
Shock January move for De Bruyne
Grealish's absence has denied Moyes that unpredictability down the left side, and Everton do need something other than workmanlike performances from their other midfielders, notwithstanding that the likes of James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have provided more than just a robust presence when required.
If the club could land a player who could open up the passing lanes with ease, see the bigger picture before anyone else, and weigh in with their fair share of goals, it might well be a signing that helps the club beyond measure and is at the forefront of their drive for European football.
That might also explain why Italian media are now reporting that Everton are looking to bring Kevin De Bruyne back to the Premier League in a shock January swoop.
Napoli are, apparently, open to initial discussions, though it isn't clear if any deal would be a loan or permanent switch.
At 35 years of age, De Bruyne is coming towards the end of a glorious playing career, and the idea of one final hurrah may well appeal to him.
However, should Everton really be looking in his direction, or are there younger and better options to provide essentially the same level of output?
Most matches, most goals, best shot accuracy
So far in 26/27, the Partenopei have also won four of their matches, but have drawn two and lost four, leaving them in a lowly 10th place in the Serie A table, and some nine points off the Champions League qualification places already.
De Bruyne has played the most matches (15), along with Matteo Politano, and has scored four goals and provided one assist in 11 league games, putting him at the top of Napoli's scoring charts.
A shot accuracy of 63.64% is also the best of any Napoli player who has scored more than one goal this season.
In terms of the other areas of his game, his 297 passes ending in the final third are 134 more than any of his teammates', whilst the 36 chances he's created are far and away the best showing in the squad.
Only Rafa Marin and Amir Rrahmani have more total passes than De Bruyne's 626, though unusually for the Belgian, his 81.95% pass completion rate is one of the lower outputs in the squad.
An appalling six successful crosses from 27 attempted is another blot on the midfielder's copybook, though 51 ball recoveries, 12 through balls and 18 successful layoffs are all best-in-class and offset any below-par showings in other parts of his game.
As hardworking as McTominay
His recent performances have seen a high of 8.8 in the Flashscore ratings, and his 75 one-on-one duels attempted are exactly the same as the more celebrated Scott McTominay's, suggesting that, despite some reports to the contrary, De Bruyne's all-round game is in fine fettle.
He might not be as mobile or as dynamic as he once was, but at 35 years of age that's only to be expected.
If the other midfielders at Everton can lighten the Belgian's load and leave him to be the creator supreme that he remains, there's every reason to believe that De Bruyne could be the catalyst for a finish for the Toffees in the European places.
Whether Napoli actually allow him to move on is another question entirely...