David Moyes Warns Everton Still Short as Transfer Deadline Approaches

David Moyes walked away from Deepdale with a 4-0 win and a place in the next round of the Carabao Cup. He did not walk away satisfied with his squad.

Everton swept aside Preston North End, but when the conversation turned from goals to recruitment, the Blues boss was blunt.

“I still think we’re short in the squad,” he said. No dressing it up. No attempt to hide the gaps with the glow of a comfortable cup win.

Five signings, but numbers still don’t add up

Everton have brought in five players this summer. On paper, that sounds like a busy window. In reality, Moyes sees it as just three fresh faces.

Tyrique George and Merlin Rohl both finished last season on loan at Goodison Park, so in his eyes they are continuations, not additions. The real new arrivals are Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard and Brennan Johnson.

Set that against the departures and the picture sharpens.

Seamus Coleman and Idrissa Gueye have gone after their contracts expired. Dwight McNeil left as part of the deal that brought Johnson from Crystal Palace. Jack Grealish returned to Manchester City at the end of his loan.

Moyes has done the maths. He does not like the answer.

“We thought our squad was quite thin last year and at the moment, I think we're still one down, if my numbers work out,” he said. “We're one down from where we were even last year. So I still think we're short in the squad. I still think we're short in quality in some places. I need to try and add that.”

Thin last season. Thinner now. And this is a squad that already ranked among the smallest in the Premier League.

Right-back priority and Grealish question

The most obvious hole remains at right-back. Everton are still actively looking for a solution there, a position that has troubled the club for years.

Nathan Patterson is the only specialist right-back in the squad, but internally he is not viewed as the long-term answer. That leaves Moyes hunting for a starter in a key area of the pitch with less than a week left in the window.

The club have also kept lines open with Manchester City and Jack Grealish over a possible return. Grealish, though, is not short of admirers. Aston Villa and Sunderland are among the sides showing interest, raising the stakes if Everton want to bring the playmaker back.

So while there is a plan, there is also a race. And not one Everton fully control.

Futures in the balance

The need to strengthen does not rule out outgoings. Far from it.

Patterson’s situation reflects that tension: the only natural right-back in the squad, but not fully trusted as the solution. His future remains one to watch as Everton try to reshape that side of the defence.

Up front, Beto’s position looks increasingly fragile. He stayed on the bench throughout the 4-0 win at Preston, an unused substitute on a night when goals came freely. At full-time he handed his shirt to a supporter, a small gesture that will only fuel talk about what comes next for him.

Carlos Alcaraz and Tim Iroegbunam are also heading into the final year of their contracts, though some deals carry a club option to extend. The clock is ticking on decisions there too.

O’Brien stays in Moyes’ plans

One player whose name has moved into the rumour mill is Jake O’Brien. Reports suggest Everton would be open to offers for the centre-back, and his absence from the action at Deepdale did little to quiet that noise.

Moyes, though, pushed back on any idea that O’Brien has no future at the club.

“Just the same. No problem, I’ve chosen at the moment not to use him, but he’ll be used in plenty of games, no doubt,” he said.

No drama, no public warning shot. Just a manager insisting the defender still has a role to play in the months ahead.

Six days to change the picture

So Everton leave Preston with four goals, a clean sheet and a reminder that cup nights can still feel fun. Moyes, though, is staring hard at the calendar.

Six days of the transfer window remain. He believes his squad is already one body lighter than last season, and that group was stretched to its limits.

The message from the manager is clear: the result at Deepdale was emphatic. The work off the pitch needs to be just as decisive.