Bring in the cavalry – who might arrive in January?

I wouldn't give him or Thelwell a penny. So, for me, we have to get someone in who can identify what we need. Besides a feckin miracle, two full-backs for a start!

These links / rumours / options won't change a great deal regardless of who the manager is.

If PSR / cash allows, the club will absolutely be working on deals in parallel to any managerial changes.

The same applies for Mid Field and Forwards, though with different, but basically the same reasons.

Dyche is/has been, in no way all of the problem(s) - but he is no part of any solution.

I always read your pieces as they are well researched.

Although Brown and Bah sound a little similar to two players we currently have in that area of the pitch. Although Dyche isn't playing one of them...

There seems to be a real dearth of forwards out there now. I am wondering if we should try getting Richarlison back on loan this transfer window. He's hardly getting much time at Spurs now is he?

IMHO, PSR is still a factor, so Thelwell would still need to work with a de-facto salary cap on top of his head and that means we need to sell before we can buy.

Without someone taking some (if not all) of Keane's £100k per week salary off our hands, for example, nothing substantial can happen.

Lamptey is a free agent at the end of the season so Brighton might want to cash in now rather than lose him for nothing. They'd certainly give us more dynamic play down both flanks.

Philogene rumours gathering pace, I don't know much about his work rate but he is a gifted and electric right winger, what is not to like? Young and British, big yes from me. If they get £18-20M for him they have made a solid profit in 6 months (they got him on the cheap for £13M as part of their buy back clause).

If Philogene can come in along with an electric RB (Wesley for me please! Though if Lamptey is available cheaply that might make more sense) and a replacement striker for the outgoing Beto or DCL, then we could look a completely different outfit, especially with Potter at the helm.

So Wesley, Philogene and Giminez/Ferguson for me and Potter. Outgoings Patterson and Douroure with either one of our strikers. Well I can dream right?

Just seen a bit of the Football Show on SKY where they placed Everton’s attacking strength compared to the rest of the league since last November.

Goals- Bottom
Goals from Open 'play- Bottom
XG- Bottom
Touches in the Opposition Box- Bottom
Shots on Goal-'Bottom
Another category that I can’t remember but which we were also Bottom.

Just in case you weren’t already on anti-depressants.

However, we are not worse than all of them (and the three promoted clubs) in the attacking stakes. That is what is truly depressing about those stats and this season.

We should be better but the play is worse now than it was with Gray up front as a makeshift striker when Dyche did the extraordinary job of keeping us up that first half season.

Though on the flip side Robert, if you were to consider defensive stats then it would be a different picture. If we can just improve those attacking stats at the same time to about 15th on average then we will be fine, but this cannot continue as is. Also heard Osman on Talksport saying that Doherty is our top scorer over the last 10 games, embarrassing stuff.

With or without Dyche, I would expect those attacking metrics to improve by a decent measure if we were to sign, say, Lamptey and Fellows for the right flank. Neither are brilliant but the supply of balls into the box would be much improved - creating better quality chances and more chances too.

Totally agree, I’ve just said similar on the Friedkin thread Robert about DCL.

1- Mitigating factors: Due to PSR we need to trade or use outgoings to make this happen. A potential new manager needs to make a decision on DCL. He may rate him like Ancelottii did or he may not. His situation is crucial in terms of PSR because his entire fee will be close to pure profit on the accounts. Say he is worth 15 million, that can free up to a maximum 75 million were the new signings put on 5 year contracts.

2-Player necessity: We are only likely to be able to sign 1-3 players maximum. Therefore if we are to attract a top manager he will insist on certain players kept and certain positions and players needed to improve the squad.It may reduce the field to firefighters, desperate managers or those that love the club without this power.

3- Player Identification:If Sean stays a player like Lamptey would be a big no no. Poor in a back four, can't defend, susceptible aerially in a set up designed to keep clean sheets and a terrible injury record to boot. He would be fourth choice right back. Conversely if Potter is appointed, better suited with three at the back, will have licence to showcase his talents both attack wise and energy to bomb up and down. He will then be first choice in competition with Patterson.

4-Squad assessment: You argue who wouldn't want better players? Who decides whether they are better players? Most Evertonians would drive Harrison back to Leeds because he's useless. Bielsa if appointed raves about the player. He was their most pivotal player in helping a collection of journeyman finish above Ancelottii's expensively assembled, star studded side. In doing so he outperformed James Rodriguez in terms of goals, assists, work rate and overall impact on their respective teams. Watching Harrison for us it is unimaginable that this is the same player.Doucoure was seen as unfit for a side deep in relegation under Lampard yet Pivotal under Dyche.

Thelwell can most certainly improve the squad in terms of making it better long term however the new manager will feel certain players are better than they are showing, some can be used better, some won't excel under him and some areas will be deemed short in quality. It will be the manager who will ultimately carry the can.

At present, we do not know when / if the managerial position will change before the window shuts. It may even be the Friedkins / TFG do not know - since their preferred options may be waiting on the West Ham job (or others options which include waiting until summer).

As for attracting a top manager in January - well that is extremely unlikely (unless you call Moyes, Potter, Terzic etc a top manager). In any case, Potter and Terzic in particular are used to being supplied with players, rather than running the show on recruitment.

Whatever the case, it seems fairly plain that we could use some reinforcements and we only have 3 weeks to sort this out. Discussions with agents and selling clubs will therefore have to be happening already (as they seem to be with the likely departure of Beto).

The pool of players available will be pretty limited - the out of favour, surplus to requirement or those needing to be sold to balance the books (being why so many Lyon players are linked). Some, like Gimenez at Feyenoord, might move in January if someone is prepared to pay handsomely. I guess we will not.

With time against us and the market so limited, we may well need to move for one of these players even if it's not an ideal signing for Dyche.

As you say, Dyche might want a different sort of RB than Lamptey in an ideal world. But in a cash strapped, beggars can't be choosers world - would Dyche reject Lamptey if that's all the club can find / afford? Seems very unlikely.

And if the Friedkins / TFG have in mind we'll be appointing a more progressive manager in summer (or after January in an emergency) then Lamptey would probably fit the bill.

As for the loan players, it is more likely than not there's no decision to be made. Other than youth development loans, you can't usually just send players back. Why would Leeds accept Harrison back, for example, given that he's on something like £80 or £90k per week - and possibly wouldn't even get in their first choice starting XI?

I wouldn't mind if we could sign at least three of them. By name: Yuri Alberto, Ernest Nuamah, Archie Brown – they are maybe realistic targets too and can fix striker, right-winger and left-back problems.

Jaden Philogene could be also a great fit and negotiations are underway, as reported here and there.

By the looks of it, he would be a good signing for us.

Probably not, in all honesty. The same names keep cropping up around us and Premier League clubs of similar standing.

I am not even sure whether Moyes does any of his own scouting like he did when he was with us - the recruitment game has moved on a long way since then so very, very few first team coaches will get deeply involved in that sort of thing.

To the extent he does do that sort of thing, the only really imaginative signings at West Ham in recent years were Coufal (€6m) and Soucek (€16.2m) each bought from clubs in Czechia.

If he still gets himself to Prague, he'll have noticed a cracking young left back / left winger out there who is currently being linked with Liverpool and Palace. Only 20, Malick Diouf is a very pacy, dynamic player with good end product for one so young. I've mentioned him in other articles over the last year or so but it now looks like he'll move soon.

He's raw but would be an exciting signing for us - maybe cost about €18m. In terms of price inflation, that might be broadly the same as the €4.50m we paid for Oviedo (one of Moyes' last signings) in 2012 - and not a lot more than the €1.75m we paid for McFadden in 2003. How time flies.

Hopefully I’m wrong, but I’m becoming increasingly concerned that we maybe haven’t got much wriggle room because of PSR.

I’m hopefully putting one and one together and coming up with four, just because the Friedkin’s, seem to have gone with the safest option in appointing Moyes.

Nothing wrong with the safe option when you’re stuck in a difficult position, but as always only time will tell.

I would have thought that Moyes would have asked that very question. The fact that he has subsequently been appointed suggests that there could be additions, maybe, hopefully, possibly.

To whoever it was who suggested Emi Buendia great shout. I love this player from his time at Norwich (my family are all Norwich fans). Hard working and creative but lacks pace and not sure how he is now after a serious injury.

I am still hoping for Fellows over Nuamah though I agree Robert that the latter is a likely signing. I’d like to build for the future and go for Evan Ferguson and Rigg of Sunderland.

I’d still like Patterson to come good under a new manager but if not Wesley
Please 🙏

I'll add a couple of names to the list of rumoured targets.

Rensch of Ajax: fast young right back out of contract in summer. Could get him on a low-ish fee but suspect he'll hold out until summer and won't be short of offers from around Europe.

Rios of Palmeiras: talented Colombian midfielder who is a slightly late developer having played pro futsal before football. Now 24 he's earned a move to Europe. £83M buy out clause but would probably be sold for about £20M. Not going to score or create goals though – he's more of an Andre Gomes type player (hilarity ensues).

Nuamah and Fellows still seem the likeliest to me.

What's going on with Nuamah?

Moyes has said he wants/needs 2-3 new players let's see if these Yanks are any better than Kenwright.

But you lot crack on and moan like little children.

It's not like everything has to stop and we start all over again. At least that's what serious companies do.

Look at Manchester United. Bought a load of players that don't fit the new manager's system. Now they're stuck with players the manager doesn't want.

You think Emery doesn't get a say in which players he wants to bring in?

Would you rather he 'hesitated' or signed like a drunken sailor like Koeman?

I hope, for the sake of all of us, he doesn't disappoint you.

Better value and players to be had in the summer.

I want Everton to win so I hope he does well and not hope he fails to prove a point.

Moyes will sort this football club out and give us some respect back.

I just hope the next manager after him doesn't ruin his work like Martinez did.

Latest rumormongering from the Sun has Thelwell and Purdy about to be sacked by the Friedkins, with David Weir and old Moyes pal Mick Doherty, now at Atalanta, the candidates to replace Thelwell.

I hope Moyes gives us our respect back, but I honestly think he was complicit in taking our respect away.

It's all been said, Ryan, 5-year contracts making him one of the highest-paid managers in world football, and he didn't even have to win a trophy because he was only managing plucky little Everton.

The younger fans are happy, I heard Goodison was more lively yesterday and the team played a lot better. I'm hoping that Brighton have as many injuries as Spurs did, because you can only beat what's in front of you and winning will hopefully bring some much-needed confidence.

I disagree about Moyes, being the best since Kendall Mk 1, but that doesn't really matter because talking about confidence, I think I have to stretch my memory back to the very earliest part of the ill-fated Benitez regime to remember the last time an Everton team played without any real pressure and with any real confidence and that didn't last very long.

Meanwhile Carlo spent like a drunken sailor only to get us two mid table finishes. Stuck Keane and Holgate on 5 years 80g a week contracts, and James on a million a month. He then took off without a moment's notice, leaving us dangerously short going into the new season. Whereupon we ran to Benitez.

And I can name you half a dozen games I enjoyed watching Everton under Carlo, the rest were a trial. None of them were as emphatic as yesterday. And to put the top hat on it, he took us for £20M in 18 months, and still sued us cos we didn't pay him some crappy bonus.

I've seen some rumours tonight we've got a budget of £10M. That's a Chermiti-level signing, if that's true we may as well wait til summer.

He gave us European football, great away European trips, top 6 finishes, excellent players like Arteta, Cahill, Pienaar, Baines, Coleman for peanuts.

He gave us some hope and a semblance of a plan.

Unfortunately he worked under the worst chairman in Everton history. We could easily have been a Sheff Wednesday or a Leeds United.

Who has been better than Moyes since HK1?

Anyway, hopefully there will be some movement soon Steve / Colin.

There's a few other names being mentioned as possible targets - but only the same sort of names getting linked to the poorer half the Premier League and mid-tier clubs in Europe. Nothing too spectacular - although Yilmaz of Galatasary could be quite an exciting signing at RW.

To explain the hesitancy, wery little business has been done yet by anyone. We're probably figuring out who we can sell (Keane, Doucoure, Beto etc) before committing to any purchases.

Ultimately we are still very poor in Premier League terms.

I still think we'll get a couple in but may all happen in the last couple of days of the window - and even the final minutes - as agents, players, selling clubs and buying clubs finally accept less than they were hoping for.

Likeliest still probably one of Nuamah and Fellows might - and maybe a RB like Rensch or Walker-Peters. Starting to suspect that we won't upgrade the striker position in Jan. That'll be one for summer. Who knows, they might even be trying to persuade DCL to stay.

Moyes got us our worst ever points tally and wasn't sacked because we had a chairman, who had no money to replace him and his only objective at the time was to sell Wayne Rooney, otherwise he had to relinquish his ownership of Everton.

I don't know the complete history of Everton, but in my lifetime I can't remember an Everton manager getting more than 3 or 4 years, before he was expected to win and yet here was Moyes getting five year contracts, just to make sure we came in the top half of the table.

Some people want respect but I think you only really get genuine respect, when you win.

Picking him left back ahead of Leighton Baines too.

Dithering Dave only signed Arteta when his move for Scott Parker fell through.

He ‘managed' Rooney too, prior to him joining Man Utd and playing every game.

Can't get a player to score more than 15 goals a season either.

I think Moyes will get our transfer recruitment better going forwards.

Think you also posted something fairly hostile on the other thread. Guess you've had a bad day.

Therefore, I'd conclude Moyes is some way off being the best manager at the Club since HK Mk I. Admittedly, he looks like a stand-out performer compared to some of the dross we've suffered.

I know you and Sam Hoare do your homework on these things, do you think he can step up to Premier League level? He definitely sounds like the type of signing Moyes would have made in his first spell.

Yakubu got 20 goals in a season for him so it's not true to say he can't get a forward to get 15 goals for him.

Yes, Lescott was excellent at left-back, scoring goals and then he moved to centre-back where he was equally as good and moved for 4x the price we paid for him. A great signing.

He made Baines the second-best left-back in Europe.

Also, in Martinez's 1st season we finished 9 points better off than in Moyes's last, so how is that ruining his work?

Lastly, Moyes ran the show when he was here. He worked hand in hand with Kenwright. If Kenwright dumbed down expectations then Moyes was definitely part of that.

In terms of players coming in, anyone with a modicum of footballing ability to replace the hapless Doucoure please.

He is not likely to get anywhere close to the class of, say, Son or Kulusevski or even Brennan of our recent opponents Spurs.

However, he would be an improvement on what we have - and should be a decent source of crosses (which we're crying out for) and pace on the counter.

Things have improved since Moyes left then?

You can see how this helped them buy instead very high potential players who even have Champions League (or European) experience like Kerkez, Zabarnyi, Huijsen and others.

They also buy players like Fellows from the Championship for their decent value, high chance of settling in etc.

We're not going to buy any stars – it's more about sensible strategic building.

He's been playing games and getting more confident, but I don't believe he his physically ready just yet and my own view is that Everton, need a couple of ready made players, right now.

One thing that has been mostly awful since Moyes left is our player recruitment, Ryan. Martinez came in and made the Moyes team he inherited a lot more pleasing on the eye by signing Barry, Lukaku, McCarthy and Gerard Deulofeu, but after qualifying for Europe and not getting backed, his team slowly went downhill because Roberto, either didn't know, or didn't really concentrate on being able to defend.

The director of football model hasn't worked so far, and I'd always prefer it if the manager signed the players that he wanted, rather than the way it seems to operate now

Moyes stumbled upon two incredible full backs?

I can’t be sure about the players names.

We all know we overpaid and the ludicrous contracts put us in an extremely difficult position. We need to move away from that and concentrate on the best young players in the Championship and abroad.

I was reading about Harrison Burrows the other day, he only cost Sheffield United £3M rising to potentially £6M, he was one that you or Sam mentioned on here. From what I've heard, he seems to be doing well and will be in the Prem soon enough.

We've known for decades that we've bought players no trophy winning club would ever even look at as even doormen, never mind trophy winners.

We've all for years alluded to the "forest of deadwood" on our books alive, well, and fabulously well off whilst they strut about Finch Farm on life-changing contracts (for them alone....... and it's still there, in abundance!)

And yet so many of us seem to imagine salvation from a mere three points for a win, as, and only occasionally - for decades as it's largely been, when.

It's not good enough at all and I hope that FSG quickly galvanise the football/media world by displaying REAL enterprise in an admittedly crowded football media circus. It'd benefit them and us Toffees.

Kenwright's Everton reminds me of an old saying that has more than a glimmer of truth, and many of us recognised it decades ago, and said so - "even a blind squirrel occasionally stumbles upon a nut" - not that Kenwright ever stumbled across any that nourished OUR club.

I hope Friedkin aspires to well above that!

Or the DOF has been in place a while, there is a philosophy in place, and a Manager / Coach is recruited that fits that philosophy.

Everton have never had either scenario, there's been a mish mash of DOF and Managers of differing methods an expectations.

Maybe TFG will lay out what they want and get a DOF to start implementing it, it won't be with Moyes as Manager though. Maybe they have to start with the youth teams and work up in the few years Moyes is with us.

It's time we stopped being the out of date outlier.

Moyes will not call the shots this window and identify his own targets. That is because the targets announce themselves via agents and selling clubs. That's why the same core group of players ate linked with us, Forest, Bournemouth etc etc. It's based on who is realistically available.

Paul asks a perfectly normal question but when I said we need players who are ready for the Premier League now because of our current position, I'm not sure that Esse is quite ready, although this is obviously just my opinion.

Let's see how many games the kid gets between now and the end of the season for Palace? My view is that it won't be many.

People said Patterson wasn't ready for the Premier League, Paul, and when I look back at the money he cost Everton, and a player who was getting used more than him left the club for free, I don't believe that this type of deal makes sense for Everton when you analyse our current position?

One thing Moyes can do is teach, and I believe Coleman owes much of his brilliant career to his intensive classes at The Moyes University of Defensive Positioning and Man-Marking. Coleman himself expressed gratitude for his coaching, then and later.