David Moyes is open to signing players without Premier League experience but is aware Everton needs to be savvy this month
David Moyes would not be put off by a lack of Premier League experience should Everton have the chance to bring in signings from abroad. The Blues manager is keen for his squad to be strengthened this month and, given the club’s proximity to the bottom three, would like players who have the best chance of making an immediate impact.
But he is also keen to balance the needs of the present with those of the future as he hopes to lead the club Everton to safety over the coming months and then make sustained progress from the summer.
Moyes is of the belief that new additions can hit the ground running in the right circumstances even if they are new to the league.
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His view contrasts with that of his predecessor Sean Dyche, who was cautious when integrating new signings from outside the English top flight – as shown by his use of summer arrivals Iliman Ndiaye and Jake O’Brien, who both joined from Ligue 1 in France.
Moyes’ confidence is helpful this month, with the club’s spending power constrained by the final throes of its past struggles with Profit and Sustainability Rules. While the Blues complied with the rules for the 2023/24 financial year, new owners The Friedkin Group must wait until the summer before the club is freed from the last of the consequences of previous breaches.
Everton may also need to look abroad for reinforcements given the club is currently using its two domestic loan spots, with Armando Broja and Jack Harrison on loan from Chelsea and Leeds United respectively. Talks have taken place with Chelsea about potentially ending Broja’s deal after he was stretchered off with a serious injury in the FA Cup game with Peterborough United earlier this month, but there has not yet been a breakthrough.
On his ambitions for the January transfer window, Moyes said: “It would always be good to get some Premier League experience because they know what they’re coming into and really I think at this stage, where we are, I think it probably would be the right choice if we could.
“But again, it’s not that easy, and because our loans are tied up a little bit as well, that doesn’t make it easy. Players from overseas quite often can come and hit the ground running and there’s no reason to say they wouldn’t, or that they wouldn’t give the team something else. So we are not going to be put off by that. But I think we will look very carefully in the market for value, certainly at least in this transfer window.”
One player the club has considered this month is Ernest Nuameh, the Lyon winger. Everton have had recent dealings with the French club – signing O’Brien on a permanent deal from in the summer and then taking Orel Mangala on loan from them.
Speaking to the ECHO ahead of the game with Tottenham Hotspur, O’Brien praised his former team-mate, describing him as: “A good player, an exciting player. He can attack, he is positive in the way he plays – it would be great to have him.”
Lyon are dealing with financial problems, which could improve the Blues’ chances should they decide to formalise a pursuit of Nuameh.
There is no certainty Everton will proceed any further, however, with Moyes keen to make sure every target is carefully assessed given the constraints the club is under. Even if they do, reports in France suggest moves elsewhere in the football world could reduce the chances of a Nuameh departure.
While Lyon are keen to improve their financial position, L’Equipe claim a big money move by Zenit Saint Petersburg for Luiz Henrique could offer an alternative solution to the sale of Nuameh. Henrique played for Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo, a sister club of Lyon within the portfolio of US businessman John Textor – who attempted to launch a bid for Everton last year.
Henrique was unveiled as a Zenit player on Monday following a deal said to be in the region of £30m. The French outlet suggests it could strengthen the accounts of Textor’s wider football group, improving Lyon’s current position.
For Moyes, work to strengthen the current squad remains a priority. Asked whether the win and performance against Tottenham changed his belief in the need for reinforcements, he said: “We definitely need to try and keep adding. Look, we have only got one win so I am not here celebrating in any way, far from it.”
There is little doubt to those inside and outside the club that the priority is improving Everton’s goal threat. Before the 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Everton were the league’s second lowest scorers with just 15 all season. There is, though, an acceptance that the solution may be to add creativity. There remains a belief that Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose goal against Spurs was his first since September, may be the most effective route to more goals if work can be done to improve the number and quality of chances provided to him.
For that reason, wide attackers are being carefully assessed in the hope Everton can add depth to Moyes’ current options – while Iliman Ndiaye has impressed since his summer arrival and Jesper Lindstrom produced his best display in Royal Blue at the weekend, neither Lindstrom nor another option, Jack Harrison, have scored in the league this season. Dwight McNeil has been more effective but has been absent for weeks with the aggravation of the knee injury he initially picked up against Fulham.
Everton look set to benefit from business elsewhere in the English pyramid. Tom Cannon, the Blues academy graduate, is closing on a move to Sheffield United. His current club, Leicester City, recalled him from his loan spell at Stoke City this month after his nine league goals fuelled interest in him.
Everton have a sell-on clause, meaning they will receive a fee should a deal for Cannon be agreed.
Meanwhile, Michael Keane, one of more than a dozen current senior players set to leave the Blues in the summer, continues to attract interest. Heading into the new year, clubs in Italy and the USA were among those interested in acquiring his services for next season.
Sheffield United reportedly have an interest in signing him this month, though no formal enquiry is understood to have been made to Everton.
Mason Holgate, another centre back whose Blues contract is due to expire in the summer, is hopeful of convincing West Bromwich Albion, where he is currently on loan, to offer him a permanent deal.
