David Moyes has the final say on recruitment at the club

David Moyes has the final say on recruitment at Everton and believes the side needs “players more than ever” after a bad patch of form in recent weeks.

The Toffees are dealing with a severely depleted squad at the moment and have won just one of their last seven matches. They got knocked out of the FA Cup by Sunderland at home last weekend.

Everton are believed to be in the hunt for a striker after both their existing options - Thierno Barry and Beto - have come up short this season. The two players have six goals between them, prompting the club to look for a new number nine.

There’s business to be done in the January transfer window, provided that the club can identify the right targets. The final decision on recruitment, however, rests with Moyes.

“I’ve got the final say if we want to buy a player or we don’t want to buy a player. But I get told by my superiors how much we’ve got to spend and what we’ve got available and I have to work off those thoughts,” he said in the pre-match press conference before facing Aston Villa.

“I think Angus (Kinnear) came out in the programme a few weeks ago and probably came and gave you all a pretty good answer from the CEO. I think we’re in there trying but it doesn’t mean we’re just going to take any player for the sake of it.

“The reality hasn’t changed. We’ve said all along, we’re looking, we’re trying.

“It’s not like we’ve shut ourselves off from the transfer window. We need players more than ever and we probably need them as soon as possible if we could make that happen.

“But more than likely, this month is never done particularly quickly, so we’re still looking. I’m not sure we will get anything but we’re trying.”

There have also been rumours and speculation in recent weeks, linking star forward Iliman Ndiaye with a move away from the club. Ndiaye, who is currently preparing for the AFCON final against Morocco on Sunday, has been a revelation for the Blues since signing from Marseille in the summer of 2024.

Asked whether the club had received any offers for the forward, the Everton boss said, “There’s absolutely zero truth in that. If there is, I don’t know anything about it, that’s for sure.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never even heard of it to be honest. It sounds like someone has made that up somewhere, you know what I mean.

“We’ve no intention of letting Ili go, none whatsoever. I’m sure there’s a price for every player on the planet if you look around but if you ask me, we have no intention of selling Ili – we need him back.

“We need him back to give us some creativity and make and score goals. So, we’re missing him for all those good reasons.”

However, he admits he's "thrilled" that both his players have made it to the AFCON final, jokingly adding, "I hope if they win, they don't celebrate too long because I need them back!"

 

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