Moyes: ‘I would have rather had more numbers’
HALEWOOD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 11: David Moyes manager of Everton speaks to the media at Finch Farm on September 11, 2026 in Halewood, England. (Photo by Tony McArdle - Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)
David Moyes made clear that he would like a bigger squad at Everton.
The Toffees missed out on a deadline day signing to have backup for Beto as a striker, signed Ainsley Maitland-Niles instead of Kenny Tete at right back, and only have 18 outfield players on their roster.
·‘I've tried to work mainly with 21 outfield players’
After coming close to continental competition last campaign, the window felt like a disappointment. It did not detract from the effort in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United, but the feeling still stings.
" Leicester City won in the league a few years ago and what it was like. It looked like a small group of players had done that. It's probably less and less likely because of the number of games, the extra Champions League games, and the extra international games we've just talked about.
“That makes it so you really need 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.
"When you talk about the 21 players we have at the moment, three of them are goalkeepers, so you separate your goalkeepers from your outfield players, which takes it down to 18. I do think that sometimes having a tight group can work, but I'm not saying it will.
HALEWOOD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 9: Jack Grealish as David Moyes watches on during the Everton Training session at Finch Farm on September 9, 2026 in Halewood, England. (Photo by Tony McArdle - Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)
HALEWOOD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 9: Jack Grealish as David Moyes watches on during the Everton Training session at Finch Farm on September 9, 2026 in Halewood, England. (Photo by Tony McArdle - Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)
“I think if I had my choice, I would have rather had more numbers, obviously, but I certainly wasn't somebody who needed 24 outfield players or 25 outfield players. It wasn't that I was looking for.
"I've tried to work mainly with 21 outfield players, and that's the number I've tried to have. Sometimes, maybe 22 can be a bit bigger, a bit round that number, which would have been my choice. I think that's more because of the way the Premier League has gone and the changes we're seeing.
“We're seeing more managers now making five substitutes in lots of games than maybe we've done in the past, and I think that's the reason why the squads are much bigger."