David Moyes on Everton's Transfer Window Challenges
David Moyes insists Everton’s summer rebuild is far from complete, warning his squad is still short with less than a week left in the transfer window.
The Everton manager spoke after watching his side sweep past Preston North End 4-0 in the Carabao Cup at Deepdale, a scoreline that flattered the state of his depth chart more than it reflected it.
“I still think we’re short in the squad,” Moyes said, cutting straight through the post-match glow.
Numbers game leaves Everton light
Everton have brought in five players in this window, but Moyes is clear about what that actually means. Two of those arrivals, Tyrique George and Merlin Rohl, were already in the building at the end of last season on loan. In his eyes, that leaves just three genuine additions: Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard and Brennan Johnson.
Set that against the exits and the picture darkens.
Seamus Coleman and Idrissa Gueye have gone at the end of their contracts. Dwight McNeil has headed to Crystal Palace as part of the deal that delivered Johnson. Jack Grealish’s loan has expired. Strip it all back and Moyes believes he is operating with a group that is effectively one player down on last season – and that was already one of the smallest squads in the Premier League.
Asked directly whether more signings are needed, the Scot did not hesitate.
“I think we definitely need to continue to make additions, that's for sure,” he said. “We thought our squad was quite thin last year and at the moment, I think we're still one down, if my numbers work out.
“We're one down from where we were even last year. So I still think we're short in the squad. I still think we're short in quality in some places. I need to try and add that.”
The performance at Preston underlined the promise in the starting XI. The bench told a different story.
Right-back search and Grealish question
One issue has hung over Everton for too long: right-back. It still has not gone away.
The club remain in the market for a solution on that flank, despite Nathan Patterson being the only specialist right-back in the squad. Crucially, he is not viewed internally as the long-term answer to the problem.
At the creative end of the pitch, the Grealish question lingers. Everton have kept lines open with Manchester City and with the player over a potential return for the playmaker, whose situation is being monitored by other clubs, including Aston Villa and Sunderland. If Grealish does come back, it would be a significant boost to the attacking options. If he does not, Moyes will need another way to inject craft into a squad he already considers thin.
Outgoings could yet shape what Everton are able to do in the final days.
Futures in the balance
Beto’s situation encapsulates the uncertainty. He did not get on the pitch at Preston, finishing the night as an unused substitute, then handed his shirt to a supporter at full-time. It may have been nothing more than a gesture. It did not feel meaningless.
Like Beto, Carlos Alcaraz and Tim Iroegbunam are into the final year of their deals, though some contracts carry a club option to extend. Those clauses give Everton a degree of control, but they also sharpen decisions. Cash in now, or commit for longer?
The same tension surrounds Patterson. He is not considered the solution at right-back, yet he is the only natural in that role. If a new right-back arrives, does Patterson stay as cover, or does he become a saleable asset to fund the next move?
O’Brien stays in the picture
One player whose name has been floated in exit talk is Jake O’Brien. He did not feature at Deepdale, prompting questions over whether he still figures in Moyes’ plans.
The manager was firm on that point.
“Just the same. No problem, I’ve chosen at the moment not to use him, but he’ll be used in plenty of games, no doubt,” Moyes said.
That line matters. It suggests that, despite reports the club would listen to offers, O’Brien still has a role to play this season, at least in Moyes’ mind.
The 4-0 win at Preston offered encouragement and a glimpse of what Everton can be when the first-choice players click. Moyes’ words afterwards told the other half of the story: with six days left in the window, the real contest is not just on the pitch, but in whether Everton can finally bulk out a squad he still believes is one body – and a little bit of quality – short.
