David Moyes has hinted that Everton might still make transfer movements as his side prepare for an away trip to Wolves this weekend.
The Toffees come into this fixture in good spirits, having christened the new Hill Dickinson stadium with a 2-0 win against Brighton at the first attempt.
That result more importantly saw Everton record their first league win of the season, following a disappointing opening day defeat to Leeds.
It sees Moyes’ men sitting in eighth at the Premier League’s early stage – an area of the table where the Scot has notably aimed towards finishing, in reference to his first spell in charge.
Opponents Wolves in contrast, are yet to get going, having failed to claim a point or score in their opening two league matches.
Despite the difficult start, they managed to match the Blues' Carabao Cup exploits by progressing to the third round in midweek after a 3-2 comeback win over West Ham.
Wolves also have the edge when it comes to recent matchups at home, with Everton winning just one of their last eight games at Molineux.
Forgetting the records, continuing the good spell amongst transfer talk was the main focus for Moyes as he answered the media ahead of Saturday’s game.
Building on a winning habit
The last week or so is an example of how quickly football can change, with Everton seemingly off the pace when it came to their opening day defeat against Leeds.
Frustration was the notable buzzword to describe the Toffees' performance, with it being known that Moyes was unhappy with certain aspects.
Fast forward to now and Everton have since responded with successive wins in both league and Carabao Cup.
The aforementioned home win over Brighton was backed up by a controlled 2-0 win over League One outfit Mansfield to maintain their winning record at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While winning is most important, the electricity and progressive nature of Everton's performances have been aspects which those of a Toffees' persuasion have arguably been most impressed with.
That was something Moyes was keen to recognise when discussing his side's recent form.
“Well it was a really good victory against Brighton. They are a very good side and never easy to play against.
“We backed it up with a cup win in midweek which is never easy and we’re pleased to get through.”
The Everton boss remained calm on that subject when discussing opponents Wolves however, highlighting a tough battle ahead.
“Wolves have got a good side. I think the manager is doing a very good job and they’re developing as a team.
“We go to Wolves knowing that we’ve got a difficult game and we’re going to have to play really well to get a result.
“We had some terrific wins on the road last season so I hope we can keep it going. We were a bit disappointed against Leeds but we’re going into the game at Wolves and see if we can come out with three points.”
Attacking options to excite
Part of the Toffees recent feel good factor has been the inclusion of various attacking talent within the squad.
The Blues transfer business has largely focused on reinforcements in forward areas to improve their lack of goals.
It was an issue that became quite apparent last term with Everton scoring 42 league goals last term - the fourth worst record behind the relegated trio of Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich.
When breaking it down further, the attacking duo of Iliman Ndiaye and Beto were responsible for 17 of those alone.
Everton's need for more has since seem them bring in the likes of Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Thierno Barry and Tyler Dibling to add more creativity and firepower in attacking areas.
The addition of that quartet has signalled a new forward-thinking Moyes philosophy to some, an opinion that the Toffees boss was quick to dismiss in favour of his style always having an exciting intention.
“It’s always been my thought that I want my teams to be entertaining," he said.
"I want them to try and score goals but ultimately the best teams in the Premier tend to have the best defensive records.
“We’ve got a good defensive record and we’ve had that last season. I’m trying to build on a chance to see if we can score more goals and make more chances when we can.
“We’ve had to bring in people who can do it. I’ll not be able to play them all at the same time but we’re really pleased with the people we’ve brought in.”
Grealish's arrival from Manchester City has notably been the standout signing, with Moyes pleased with his early impact.
“I’m really pleased because he’s a real talent and someone who we’re hoping that we can help get back to the levels where he’s produced over many years.”
"He’s helped us already, he’s suddenly got a couple of games back to back. I hope we can continue to build on it and get him fitter, stronger and used to playing again.”
Late transfer moves
In a busy transfer window that saw Everton take a while to get going, the Blues have since made additions to enhance competition and squad size.
The Toffees have signed eight new faces in a total spend over £110m, with a number of those signings already impacting the first-team picture.
It has mainly focused on the midfield and attacking departments, with many arguing that the back line could do with more reinforcement given issues at full-back and central defensive cover.
Quizzed on whether the club might make more additions before Monday's deadline, Moyes remained coy on the subject.
“We could do, but I don’t want to raise all the expectations all the time.
“I think for most of this summer I’ve been saying that we will be looking to make signings and we have done.
“Of course there’s areas that we feel as if we need and if we can do it, great. If we don’t then we’ll go with what we’ve got.
“Whether we get anything over the line before Monday night, I couldn’t be sure of that yet.”