David Moyes Calls for Squad Reinforcements After 4-0 Win

David Moyes left Deepdale with a 4-0 win and a place in the next round of the Carabao Cup – but not with a settled squad.

The Everton manager was blunt after the rout of Preston North End. The performance pleased him. The numbers do not.

“I still think we’re short in the squad,” he said, laying bare his view of the final six days of the transfer window.

One down on an already thin squad

Everton have brought in five players this summer, though Moyes effectively counts only three as fresh faces. Tyrique George and Merlin Rohl both ended last season on loan at Goodison Park, so in his eyes the true additions are Hayden Hackney, Christian Norgaard and Brennan Johnson.

Set those against the departures and the picture tightens quickly.

Seamus Coleman and Idrissa Gueye have gone after their contracts expired. Dwight McNeil has moved on as part of the deal that brought Johnson from Crystal Palace. Jack Grealish has returned to Manchester City after his loan ended. Strip it back, and Moyes believes he is operating with one fewer player than last season – and that was already one of the leanest squads in the Premier League.

Asked directly at Deepdale if he still needed signings, the Scot did not hesitate.

“I think we definitely need to continue to make additions, that's for sure,” he said. “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.

“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.”

The win at Preston underlined what his best XI can do. It also underlined how quickly the options run out behind them.

Right-back priority and Grealish question

The long-running issue at right-back remains unresolved. Everton are still searching for a solution in that position, despite Nathan Patterson being the only specialist right-back on the books.

The club are expected to be open to outgoings, and Patterson is not viewed internally as the answer to the problem that has dragged on across multiple windows. That leaves Moyes trying to plug a gap in a key area of the pitch while the clock ticks down.

Attention also lingers on Jack Grealish. Everton have stayed in contact with the playmaker and with Manchester City over a possible return, but the landscape is more crowded now. Grealish is drawing interest from clubs including Aston Villa and Sunderland, and any deal would have to be navigated carefully in the final days of the window.

If Everton want him back, they are not alone.

Futures in the balance

The uncertainty does not end there. Beto’s situation looks increasingly fragile. He did not get on the pitch at Preston, finishing the night as an unused substitute, and then handed his shirt to a supporter at full-time. It may have been nothing more than a gesture. It looked like a farewell.

Like Beto, Carlos Alcaraz and Tim Iroegbunam are entering the final year of their contracts, though some of those deals contain club options to extend. Every decision now carries a financial and sporting consequence, with Everton trying to strengthen without losing control of their wage bill or their asset value.

Moyes knows he needs room to manoeuvre. That almost certainly means players leaving as well as arriving.

O’Brien still in the manager’s plans

One player whose future has been thrown into the spotlight is Jake O'Brien. The centre-back did not feature at Deepdale and has been linked with a move away, with suggestions Everton would listen to offers.

Moyes pushed back on any idea that O'Brien has been cast aside.

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

For now, O'Brien remains part of the plan, even if he is watching from the bench.

The 4-0 scoreline at Preston showed what Moyes can coax from this group on the night. The next six days will show whether the club can give him enough players – and enough quality – to carry that level into a full Premier League season.