Carlos Alcaraz raised eyebrows this summer when he signed on a permanent basis.
Alcaraz failed to impress during his loan spell at Flamengo after arriving at the end of the January 2025 transfer window. Although the Argentinian did not become the main starter, he has proved his worth, scoring twice, including the winning goal on Everton’s Premier League debut against Crystal Palace, and providing two assists.
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Both assists came from Beto, and Everton seemed to have stumbled upon a workable partnership, with Alcaraz’s direct play and willingness to pass from behind, suiting Beto’s preferred operating style.
In 774 minutes of Premier League play, Alcaraz ranks in the 86th percentile of attacking midfielders (top five European leagues) in assists, 76th in shot chances created and 88th in progressive passes.
It is therefore natural for Everton to make Alcaraz their first permanent signing of the 2025 summer transfer window. He is signed on loan with an option to buy.
Yet Everton chose to try and squeeze Flamengo. Some fans question this approach, though I’m not sure why. This is sensible. Flamengo need to sell a player who has failed to settle, and the opportunity to save money is at hand. Ultimately, Alcaraz signed for a fee reported to be around £12 million. Not bad at all in the current market.
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However, there are some signs that Everton, and David Moyes in particular, are not entirely convinced. Alcaraz only signed a two-year contract. For a player of his age (22 at the time), it felt like an extremely short-lived deal. Everton do have the option to extend the contract until 2028, but it is still rare for a young player to have such a short contract.
Alkaraz should have done enough to earn Moyes’ trust last season. He’s a tireless worker, willing to play many different roles, and when he does show up, he’s used to making an impact.
However the arrivals of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish saw Alcaraz drop down the pecking order and he barely featured in the opening weeks of the season. He was heavily substituted at half-time in September’s Carabao Cup defeat to Wolves, but then played a huge role in helping Everton turn the game around against Crystal Palace on 5 October.
With injuries, suspensions and absences popping up, Alcaraz’s opportunities will always come, but there’s certainly an argument to be made that he’s been underutilized early in the season.
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But after coming on as a substitute in the 4-1 loss to Newcastle United at the end of November, Alcaraz started four of Everton’s five league games.
He was outstanding against Bournemouth and provided an assist in a disciplined and gritty performance, and showed his quality against Nottingham Forest. But in the three games since, Alcaraz has been more than just flattering and cheating — he’s been abysmal.
We must remember that despite Alcaraz’s top-flight experience, he has only just turned 23. He’s still young and obviously needs to be patient.
But it’s fair to say Everton need better from him, especially in the absence of key creators such as Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye.
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On 13 December, Alcaraz came on as an early substitute for the injured Dewsbury Hall against Chelsea. Shortly after coming on, he blindly passed into the Everton backline, giving Alejandro Garnacho a great chance. Only a desperate run from James Tarkovsky and a poor finish prevented Alkaraz’s silly error from denying Everton a goal.
A week later against Arsenal, Alcaraz was extremely sloppy. Not hitting the ball enough or passing the ball in the wrong direction, holding the ball too long. The same was true against Burnley last Saturday.
The performance at Turf Moor was particularly frustrating. With Jack Grealish joining Everton’s other star players, Alcaraz has the chance to really show his quality against a side in the bottom three. Proving that he has the ability to help Everton create more chances.
Instead, he was hesitant with the ball, often lingering on the ball too long after an initial strong showing. There were multiple chances in the first half, with Alcaraz, who is adept at carrying the ball from deep, charging forward while spinning defenders, but the final pass failed him.
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That being said, Alcaraz has a habit of being in the right place at the right time. He might have done better, heading straight in from Tyler Dibling’s pass, but he passed the ball straight to Martin Dubravka and an audacious bicycle kick in the second half could have gone past the Burnley keeper.
But the statistics paint a grim picture. Of course, Alcaraz finds that opportunities don’t come easily, so that must be taken into account. However, he ranks just 41% among attacking midfielders in terms of progressive passing and 32% in creating shot-making moves. He only ranks in the 75th percentile or better in two possession-based metrics — pass completion percentage (75th) and pass attempts (80th).
This campaign was – and still is – Alcaraz’s chance to truly earn Moyes’ trust. His work ethic cannot be questioned, but for a player of such obvious quality, his decision-making must improve. This is not just an example of Alcaraz’s adventure; This is not a flaw. He is an offensive player who should be encouraged to try and make things happen. But the quality gap between him and Dewsbury-Hall in key positions and at key moments is sometimes quite obvious.
With Merlin Rohr back from injury and Harrison Armstrong likely to be recalled from his loan spell at Preston North End, Alcaraz will need to improve on his performances in the coming games. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Everton will need some consistency from Alcaraz.