David Moyes: Everton Still Needs More Transfers

David Moyes walked away from Deepdale with a 4-0 win in his pocket and a reminder ringing in everyone’s ears: this Everton squad is not finished.

The scoreline against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup looked emphatic. His assessment of the transfer situation was anything but.

“I still think we’re short in the squad,” the Everton manager said, bluntly, after the game. He didn’t dress it up. He didn’t pretend a comfortable cup win had solved anything.

Numbers that don’t add up

Everton have made five signings this summer, but Moyes’ own maths strips that figure back. Tyrique George and Merlin Rohl both ended last season on loan at the club, so in his eyes they are continuations, not fresh additions. That leaves three genuine new faces: Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard and Brennan Johnson.

Set that against the departures and the picture shifts.

Seamus Coleman and Idrissa Gueye have gone after their contracts expired. Dwight McNeil left as part of the deal that brought Johnson in from Crystal Palace. Jack Grealish’s loan ended and he returned to Manchester City. Four out, three truly in.

For Moyes, that leaves Everton one player lighter than last term – and last term the squad was already one of the smallest in the Premier League.

“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,” he said. “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 message was clear: the result at Preston does not change the plan. The final six days of the window have to be busy.

Right-back priority and Grealish question

Nowhere is the gap more obvious than at right-back. Everton are still actively searching for a solution there. Nathan Patterson is the only specialist in the position in the squad, yet he is not viewed internally as the answer to a problem that has dragged on for too long.

That stance leaves the door open to both incomings and outgoings. Patterson could be vulnerable if the right offer lands and a replacement is lined up.

Higher up the pitch, Grealish remains on the agenda. Everton have stayed in contact with both the playmaker and Manchester City over a possible return after his loan, but they are not alone in that conversation. Clubs such as Aston Villa and Sunderland are also interested, and the clock is running.

If Grealish does come back, it would help address the quality deficit Moyes keeps referencing. If he doesn’t, Everton will need another creative solution from elsewhere.

Futures in the balance

The uncertainty does not stop there. Beto’s situation looks increasingly fragile. He did not get on the pitch against Preston, finishing the night as an unused substitute, and then handed his shirt to a supporter after the final whistle – a small gesture that will only fuel talk about his future.

Like Beto, Carlos Alcaraz and Tim Iroegbunam are all heading into the final year of their contracts. Some of those deals include club options to extend, which gives Everton leverage, but also forces decisions. Keep them, cash in, or commit to them properly? The next week will go a long way to answering that.

Moyes also had to address the position of Jake O’Brien, another unused substitute at Deepdale and the subject of reports suggesting Everton would be prepared to listen to offers for him.

“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,” he said.

It was a short answer but a pointed one. O’Brien, Moyes insists, still has a role this season, even if the market noise continues around him.

Six days to fix a thin squad

Strip away the glow of a 4-0 cup win and the picture is stark. Everton have lost senior experience in Coleman and Gueye, energy and end product in McNeil, and the guile of Grealish. They have gained three genuine new signings and, by their manager’s own calculation, stand lighter than they were a year ago.

Moyes is not hiding from that. He is challenging his club to act.

“I think we definitely need to continue to make additions, that's for sure,” he said. The emphasis on “definitely” told its own story.

Everton have six days to change the numbers, to bulk out a squad their manager still calls “short” and lift the level in key positions. If they don’t, the question will not be about how they beat Preston in August, but how far a thin group can stretch once the Premier League grind begins to bite.