Everton face Premier League season with reduced squad after frustrating transfer window, says David Moyes

David Moyes says Everton will begin the new Premier League season with a smaller squad than planned after the club were unable to complete more of their transfer business.

The Everton manager was frustrated by the lack of arrivals and the number of departures during the window, with his options already limited before Sunday’s meeting with Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Moyes said the club had intended to strengthen but had been unable to conclude all the deals they had hoped to complete.

“Disappointed we didn’t do more business and disappointed things didn’t go our way in the end,” Moyes said.

“Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointment, and we will move on.”

Everton also allowed several players to leave, including Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye. Moyes said the club had not wanted to lose a number of their players, but acknowledged that it can be difficult for teams to retain their leading performers when bigger clubs become involved.

“Ultimately, we didn’t want to lose a lot of the players, but for different reasons that had to happen,” Moyes said.

A late attempt to sign United States striker Folarin Balogun also broke down after an issue was identified during his medical.

Moyes said the failed transfer was not the result of any dispute between the clubs or the player, and rejected the suggestion that there was anything more to the situation.

“It wasn’t anybody’s fault. It happens in football a lot,” he said.

“The player had a problem in his medical, and that was simply it. There’s no other story behind it.”

With fewer senior players available, Moyes may need to rely on members of Everton’s academy during the campaign. However, the experienced manager admitted he could not yet say whether all of the club’s young players were prepared for the demands of regular Premier League football.

“Are they ready to make the step up? I’m not sure about that,” Moyes said. “We will see how that goes; some of them might be pushed in.”

The manager believes the shortage of numbers could still create an opening for players who have not previously had an opportunity to establish themselves in the first team.

“They’re all going to have to be able to muck in as we’ve got a real small squad now,” he added.

“It gives opportunities to some people who have not had them, and sometimes in football you need to be given that chance so that you can show what you can do.”

Everton’s reduced squad will be tested immediately when they host Manchester United on Sunday. The fixture will offer an early indication of how Moyes’ team can manage the physical and competitive demands of the Premier League under difficult circumstances.

The club had hoped to enter the campaign with greater depth, but the collapse of the Balogun move, the departures during the transfer window and the failure to complete further deals have left Moyes with limited alternatives as the season begins.