James Garner: Everton dressing room targeting Carabao Cup glory

Standfirst: key facts and figures

• Everton beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the Carabao Cup third round. Charly Alcaraz scoring the winner 10 minutes from time.
• James Garner tells the Liverpool Echo the squad discussed making a “good run” and potentially winning the cup, a trophy Everton have not lifted since 1995.
• Garner, capped by England in March but left out of the World Cup squad. Says he has had no contact with Thomas Tuchel. Newcastle United await Everton in round four at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Wolves victory: how Everton set their cup target

Everton needed a moment of quality to see off Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Charly Alcaraz supplied it 10 minutes from time to settle a tight third-round tie 1-0. It kept alive a competition Everton have not won since 1995. That’s a gap of more than three decades that now shapes how the squad talk about the tournament.

James Garner says that gap was on the players’ minds well before the Wolves game kicked off. He told the interview with the Liverpool Echo that the squad had already discussed their ambitions for the competition. “You want to go as far in the cup as possible. We spoke among ourselves about wanting to make a good run this year and potentially win it,” Garner said.

That admission turns a routine third-round win into something more pointed for supporters. A narrow victory over Premier League opposition is one thing. A dressing room that has named the trophy as a target is another. It raises the stakes for every round that follows.

The expert angle: Garner on trophy ambitions and England squad talks

Garner’s comments carry weight for two reasons. They tie together Everton’s long wait for silverware and his own path back into contention, both at club level and with England.

Asked about the scale of that wait, Garner did not play it down. He told the Echo it “has been a long time”. He said the players’ response is to enter every campaign determined to give themselves the best possible chance. Rather than dwell on the years without a trophy.

That mindset extends beyond the cup itself. Garner tied the ambition to Everton’s broader targets for the season. He told the Echo, “You want to finish as high as possible and have good cup runs. That is what we set out to do. I can’t see why we can’t have a good cup run this year.” It sets a clear internal benchmark against which the next two rounds will be judged.

Garner’s own season has been shaped by injury. Also by international recognition that arrived, then stalled. He made his senior England debut during the March international break, only to be left out of the World Cup squad that followed. Asked whether he had spoken to manager Thomas Tuchel about a recall, his answer was blunt: “No, I haven’t.”

Garner played down the significance of a recall. He pointed instead to his recent return from injury and the two appearances he has had since. Garner told the Echo that whether the call comes or not is not something that will trouble him, given he is still working his way back to full sharpness.

The ambition to add to that single cap has not faded. Garner called an England recall “every boy’s dream” and said his priority now is reaching the physical levels he showed last season. He pointed to last year’s call-up as the standard he is chasing, saying further recognition would follow “if I get to those levels.”

What happens next: Newcastle challenge at Hill Dickinson Stadium

Everton’s reward for beating Wolves is a fourth-round tie against Newcastle United at Hill Dickinson Stadium. It pits two established Premier League sides against each other. With a quarter-final place at stake.

Garner said the venue held little significance for him, telling the Echo, “For me personally, I don’t mind if it is home or away.” The draw has since settled that question, sending Newcastle to Everton’s own ground.

He was more focused on the standard of opposition than the venue. “It is 11 vs 11 on the pitch. They are a very good side. We are both Premier League sides. It will be a good game,” Garner said. It was a fair verdict on a Newcastle side that will arrive with cup ambitions of their own.

For Everton, the fixture is the next test of the target Garner described. A squad that has told itself this is the year for a genuine run.

Beating Wolves was step one. Beating a fellow top-flight club at home in round four would be the clearest sign yet that the talk in the dressing room matches what is happening on the pitch. More detail on the build-up is covered in our full report on Garner’s cup ambitions.

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