David Moyes has spoken about the prospect of signing free agents and his thoughts on the ideal size of the squad ahead of Everton’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur
Everton manager David Moyes speaks in his pre-match press conference to preview the trip to Tottenham Hotspur
Everton manager David Moyes speaks in his pre-match press conference to preview the trip to Tottenham Hotspur
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David Moyes admits it will be difficult for Everton to identify a suitable signing from among out of contract professionals after he was left with a squad of only 18 outfield players.
Iliman Ndiaye, Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson were all sold on transfer deadline day while Adam Aznou was sent on a season-long loan the day before.
And while Jack Grealish and Ainsley Maitland-Niles did arrive at the club before the window shut, the collapse of a move for Folarin Balogun left the Blues with just one striker, one left-back and one right-back.
Everton go to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, who despite finishing 17th in the Premier League for the previous two seasons, splashed out £314million on new faces this summer and omitted former Blues ace Richarlison from their Premier Lesge squad when he failed to secure an exit as they didn’t have room for him.
Asked about potential ways of bolstering his own numbers, Moyes said: “You’re looking at the free transfer market or you’re looking at players out there.
“Of course, we’re looking to see if there’s anything that could be of use, but I think to be at the level we’re at, to make something that would make a big difference, it’s not an easy thing to pluck from the transfer group.”
TThe Everton manager acknowledged having fewer players can help foster a tight-knit group but admitted he’d have liked to be working with larger numbers.
Moyes said: “I think it is interlinked. I think a small group together, the tightness that can happen, I think I mentioned Leicester City winning the league a few years ago and what it was like, it looked like a small group of players who did that.
“It’s probably less and less likely given the extra amount of Champions League games and international games, which make it necessary to have the extra players in your squad. We’ve not got European football this year, so maybe we can find a way of getting through with what we’ve got at the moment?
“I do think sometimes having a tight group can work. I’m not saying it will and if I had my choice I’d have more numbers obviously, but I certainly wasn’t somebody who needed 24 or 25 outfield players, it wasn’t that I was looking for.
“I’ve tried to work mainly with 21 outfield players, that’s the number I’ve tried to have and sometimes you can maybe have 22, it can be a bit bigger, but around that number would have been my choice.”