Everton manager David Moyes expects to enter this summer with far more stability than he had at the end of last season
David Moyes applauds after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium. Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
David Moyes applauds after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium. Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
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David Moyes does not know how long it will take before Everton have a squad the club should be happy with but believes it will be in a much stronger position this summer compared to last.
The Blues boss ended last season with a long to-do list, starting with the dozen or so senior players whose contracts or loan deals were expiring. Several of those scenarios were not dealt with until the start of July, with those negotiations having a knock-on effect for the rebuild that was then undertaken.
Across a busy summer, Moyes sought to address the many holes in the squad but still entered this season with a threadbare unit in comparison to many other Premier League clubs. He has also accepted that not all of the transfers have made an immediate impact and is casting an eye towards the summer and what might be possible then.
On how many windows he believes would be required to build the squad towards one he would be happy with, he said: “I don't think I could put a number on how many windows, but I think the summer windows are the ones which really matter more than ever. I think the January ones, in a way, don't really count.”
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Everton signed Tyrique George on loan from Chelsea in the winter transfer window; the only deal completed in a notoriously tough period for business and a signing prompted by the loss of Jack Grealish to injury.
The most significant piece of January business was instead James Garner signing a new contract.
The midfielder has emerged as a key player under Moyes and is one of three firs- team players, the others Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski, to have signed extensions since the season started.
Referring to this, Moyes said: “Last year, we had about 12 players out of contract. We don't have those numbers this year. We've got a lot of players re-signed. So, we've probably not got as big an issue this summer and obviously the team's position [is better].”
Moyes said that last summer he barely had enough players to take on the pre-season tour of the USA. He expects to be in better shape when the club starts pre-season in the summer.
One position he will be looking to address is right-back, an area where Everton have required support for years amid persistent injury issues for Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson.
Even when both fit, as at the weekend, Moyes has shown a preference to move Jake O’Brien or James Garner out of position instead of utilising them.
The situation is most stark for Patterson, who played well when called upon in January but has not had a kick since almost leaving for Genoa on loan at the end of the winter window - though he has still made the Scotland squad for the upcoming international break.
Coleman’s future is expected to be discussed when he returns from the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers later this month and Moyes has been clear he has a future at the club so long as he wants it, on the pitch or behind the scenes.
Moyes will need to make decisions on George and Grealish, who both have options Everton can trigger to sign permanently, while, as well as Coleman, Tom King, Vitalii Mykolenko, Michael Keane and Idrissa Gueye will be out of contract.
On his ambitions, he said: “We need to get Everton back in a period of stability, where we think that we're not looking over our shoulder and where we are beginning to challenge the top teams.
"We're probably doing that a little bit at the moment in some ways - and that was only after probably the best part of one, maybe two windows.”