View: 79% Everton midfielder better placed for 2025-26 role than international comrade

Merlin Rohl and Harrison Armstrong are battling for playing time in Everton‘s midfield, but it’s the latter who has put up the better underlying numbers this season.

23-year-old Rohl signed for Everton on loan from Freiburg last summer, but has made just 13 appearances in all competitions during his debut campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

We say debut, as it’s reported that the German youth international will see his temporary Toffees move turn permanent as soon as Everton can’t mathematically be relegated this term.

Meanwhile, Armstrong spent the first half of the season out on loan with Championship Preston North End, but was summoned back to Merseyside in January after a fruitful few months at Deepdale.

So, with seven Premier League games to go, both Rohl and Armstrong are jostling for position in David Moyes‘ midfield pecking order ahead of the summer transfer window.

Merlin Rohl and Harrison Armstrong’s league stats compared

Everton will reportedly pay £18million for Rohl if/when Everton’s Premier League status is confirmed for another year, and given the way his debut season has gone, that looks like a transfer misfire.

However, with significant Bundesliga experience on his CV and 13 caps for Germany’s Under-21s, perhaps fans shouldn’t be so quick to write him off just yet.

As for Armstrong, the 19-year-old has been with Everton since the age of five, and has always been highly regarded by those within the football club.

After returning from his loan spell with Preston, the versatile midfielder had a little run in the starting lineup, but has since dropped into a backup role in recent weeks.

So, both players could be getting moves away from Merseyside this summer, either on a permanent or on loan, but which one has posted the better underlying stats in the Premier League this season?

Well, as per Sofascore, Armstrong has a considerably better long ball success rate of 62.5 per cent compared to Rohl’s 25 per cent, and also has a higher pass success rate of 79 per cent to Rohl’s 74 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, Armstrong is also posting a 56 per cent ground duel win rate to Rohl’s 43.6 per cent, has conceded less fouls per game (0.5 to 0.8) and has a higher expected goals (xG) of 0.79 to 0.64.

Per game, the Englishman has also recorded more interceptions (0.4 to 0.2), clearances (0.7 to 0.5), won more fouls (1.3 to 0.3) and has more shots on target per game (0.2 to 0.0) respectively.

However, Rohl does have a higher dribble success rate of 30 per cent to Armstrong’s 14.3 per cent, and has a slightly better aerial duel win rate of 48 per cent to the teenager’s 46.2 per cent respectively.

Armstrong and Rohl could be primed for bigger Everton roles

So, despite Armstrong largely posting stronger underlying numbers than Rohl, the two haven’t cemented themselves of a first-team role for next season onwards just yet.

Saying that, both James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could be poached by top clubs this summer, and 36-year-old Idrissa Gueye may also be playing out his final weeks as a Toffees player too.

Therefore, significant changes could befall Everton’s midfield ranks over the summer window, and that could afford both Armstrong and Rohl the opportunity to win a larger role in pre-season.

At the very least, Everton chiefs may not want to move either of them on before they definitively know what’s happening with Garner, Gueye and Dewsbury-Hall, and so a vital end of term and pre-season awaits the two youngsters.

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