Marco Silva stated that Everton could need five new signings after watching his side lose twice in a row in the Opel Cup, as reported by The Liverpool Echo.
Speaking after the game, he said: “It is not the best thing to do in this way, but it is what it is, and the club are trying to give me the conditions we need because, until now, we need some important players to sign, you are talking about five players in 12 days.
“It is too many and, of course, I would prefer to be with all of them in our squad at this moment but we don’t have that and we are preparing for the first game.”
The chances of the club being able to pull off this many transfers in such a short period of time are slim as the Portuguese alluded to himself, though Everton are seemingly doing their best to help judging by his admission the club are trying to give him the correct conditions.
Silva stated that while he wants Idrissa Gueye to stay at Goodison Park, the Senegalese midfielder will need to be replaced if he does leave.
Regardless of outgoings, the manager wants a centre-back, right-back, winger and striker before the window is over.
There were signs in the friendlies – against Sevilla and Mainz – that justified his approach, with the first being that Seamus Coleman was “risked” due to a lack of options.
The second is squad depth, as Silva explained his thoughts on the side he put out for one of the games: “It was not easy for Morgan [Schneiderlin] and Tom [Davies], it is not easy when they want to show the coach they are ready to play, to be with a lot of young kids around them.”
The reason he is so desperate for improvement is ultimate that he wants the club to be successful: “Our ambition is to win, pre-season or not. I cannot see one football game without the aim and goal to win.”
Everton were just three points off a Europa League place last season, so the idea of them challenging seriously for a European spot isn’t out of the question.
It seems unlikely the club will be able to sign five players in such a short period of time, though it does show ambition that Silva wants things to be ironed out. Even if they do at this late stage, business will have to be rushed which can bring its own risks, such as panic-buying, something they are aware of considering the fact they refused to do business in January (per the Liverpool Ech0).
However, it can also be said that a lack of organisation has been put on display because if these signings are needed as desperately as the manager believes, at least some of them should have been concluded earlier in the window, especially as Everton have only completed three so far.
How many players can Everton really expect to sign? Join the discussion by commenting below…
