Where Merlin Rohl will impact David Moyes’ Everton as loss of former star now replaced
Everton’s new deadline day acquisition Merlin Rohl is set to make his debut for David Moyes’ team after the international break.
Rohl joined Everton in a loan deal with a £17 million obligation to buy from Bundesliga club Freiburg last Monday.
Everton have started the season in good form, winning two of their opening three Premier League games before the international break.
Jack Grealish has been on form since leaving Man City and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has also looked impressive in Moyes’ revamped Everton side.
Everton’s new boy brings memories of summer departure
Rohl will likely add competition to Dewsbury-Hall in the attacking midfield positions, but can also be deployed deeper in Moyes’ double-pivot.
Aaron Barton from Opta posted some graphics of Rohl from his last season at Freiburg on X (formerly Twitter) showcasing where he likes to play.
The graphics show that Rohl operates a lot in the right half-space, and his addition may be welcomed by Ilyman Ndiaye who will look to push on from his right wing position to more central areas.
When assessing Rohl’s numbers on FBRef they shake out remarkably similarly to Abdoulaye Doucoure who left Everton in the summer.
Rohl contributes in similar ways to Doucoure as a box-crasher, generating 1.12 shots per 90 to Doucoure’s 1.09.
Comparing Merlin Rohl to Abdoulaye Doucoure
The average shot distance of the two players also suggests their roles were similar last season with Rohl taking his shots from 18.2 yards out compared to Doucoure’s 14 yards.
Creatively the two are similar in their numbers too, with Rohl generating 1.59 passes into the final third and 0.89 key passes per 90, while Doucoure listed 1.54 and 0.98 respectively.
| Merlin Rohl | 2024/25 | Abdoulaye Doucoure |
| 18.2 | Avg. shot distance (yds) | 14 |
| 1.59 | Passes into final 3rd | 1.54 |
| 0.89 | Key Passes | 0.98 |
| 2.06 | Tackles + Interceptions | 2.04 |
| 1.12 | Shots per 90 | 1.09 |
Finally, their defensive actions also size up similarly with Rohl’s 2.06 tackles and interceptions per 90 bettering Dourcoure’s 2.04 in the same area.
While Rohl may be used deeper by Moyes to accommodate Dewsbury-Hall as a number 10, the Scotsman will know he has a readymade Doucoure replacement waiting in the wings if needed.
The former Mali international was a vital presence in Sean Dyche’s relegation-threatened Toffees set up, famously scoring the goal which kept the club in the Premier League two seasons ago, but left at the expiry of his contract in the summer.
He was never the same force under Moyes, but any concerns about the loss of his qualities may have been assuaged by the arrival of Rohl.