David Moyes has offered an update on Everton's January transfer plans after a frustrating summer
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 has revealed Everton currently have no plans in place for the January transfer window with the club currently up for sale by The Friedkin Group.
The Blues endured a frustrating summer window, and transfer deadline day in particular, as Iliman Ndiaye, Tim Iroegbunam, Beto and Nathan Patterson all left the club.
While they did manage to re-sign Jack Grealish on loan from Man City and bring in Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Lyon, they also failed to bring in a new striker after Folarin Balogun rejected a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium at the 11th hour.
Such dealings ultimately left Everton short, with Moyes continuing to bemoan the loss of some of his important players and the failure to replace them.
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Yet with the Blues currently sitting seventh in the table, able to move level with the top four with a win over Coventry City on Friday night, and through to the League Cup quarter-finals, Moyes was also full of praise for his remaining ranks for continuing to deliver in challenging circumstances.
“No. At the moment, there's no plans (for January), no,” he admitted. “I think the current group we've got are doing excellent.
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“I think, especially knowing the way things have gone in the summer and the window, I think they need praise for how they're doing and they're going about it.
“We've lost a couple of games, but we've won a few important games as well. So, pleased with them and I hope we can keep it going.
“I think there's a lot to be positive about because of how they've been doing generally. I feel we could have probably been doing better if we hadn't lost some players in the summer.
“I think it would have kept us right and amongst it. We've dipped and the other night we won at Newcastle but if we don't, we could have been sitting here maybe 15th or 16th in the league, I don't know where it would have been.
“But it would have still only been probably three or four points off the top teams.
“So, it's very hard to judge the league standings at the moment. I think all you can try and do is get as many wins as you possibly can and perform as well as we've done.
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“I think in the main, the players, even in the games we've lost, I think they have had good moments in the games and we've been a little bit unlucky.
“Maybe we just don't quite have the quality to be at the levels of some teams, but hopefully we'll give them all a good game.”
Moyes insists he has not been surprised by his side’s promising start to the season despite their limited numbers.
And the Scot warned his players that they can not take their places in his side for granted after being impressed by their efforts when rotating his ranks in back-to-back wins over Newcastle United.
“I'm going to say no (I’m not surprised by how we’re doing) because I want to be up there and I want to be challenging,” he said. “It was disappointing when we lost some of our best players because it would have definitely helped us and given us a real chance of continuing to do it.
“Let's be fair, last season we were probably quite similar. We were in and around the top end of the league for long parts of it.
“So, I hope we can keep that going. But, as I said, because the league is so tight, you know, if you lose a game you can be dropping down, if you win a game you can be pushed up.
“So, just trying to get a few wins and solidify yourself in the league and be in a good place, and I hope we can do that.
Should Everton try to get rid of Jack Grealish in January?
Jack Grealish (Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
Jack Grealish (Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
NO - He will come goodKEEP HIM - But let him go when his loan spell ends
He continued: “I had in my head that we would probably change when we went up to Newcastle, just for different reasons. I just thought we might need different things there.
“We've only got a small group of players as you know. 18, 17 outfield players at the moment.
And I want them to feel that if they play then we need them, we use them.
“But they've also got to show, they can't come in and not be productive. If you've got the jersey, it’s quite hard to give it away and give it over to somebody else.
“But the two Newcastle games showed me that we’ve got 14, 15 of them who can come into the team and be used.
“We need to be unpredictable sometimes, but also I want it to be a challenge for the players in the team that they don't think that suddenly they've got the jersey and they’ve not got much competition.”