Everton will host Man United in the third round of the Premier League. Moyes attended the pre-match press conference.

First, the transfer window has now closed. How do you feel about the team's final transfer dealings?

Very disappointed. I'm disappointed that we couldn't complete more deals. Some things didn't go the way we hoped in the end. But in football, sometimes you have to accept that disappointment. We will accept it and move on.

From your perspective, what exactly happened with the Balogun deal on transfer deadline day?

There were a lot of different situations, and in the end, it wasn't anyone's fault. These things happen often in football. There was a problem with the player during his medical, it's as simple as that. There's no other story behind it, that's just how it was.

Obviously, the transfer window was close to closing at that time. Was it because you decided not to let Harrison-Armstrong leave, which put the team in a situation where you had to get funds from elsewhere before you could push through the deals you wanted to complete?

Listen, I'm not in charge of the club's finances. I don't handle those things. But I think you're right. We did hope to get some funds at the time, and those things were being discussed. I know we lost Ndiaye, who was a player we absolutely didn't want to lose. But sometimes, when clubs like Man City come calling for your players, things can become very difficult.

This has happened to me before. I lost Wayne Rooney, he went to Man United; over the years, I've also lost Lescott and Rodwell, who went to Man City. So this time, unfortunately, we lost a player we didn't want to lose because we liked him very much.

I was also going to ask you how you feel about that. In addition, Tim Iroegbunam also left. It sounds like you're taking this with a relatively calm attitude, feeling that this situation just happens from time to time, is that right?

No, I don't see it that way. Because I know what I need, and I know what a Premier League team should look like, how many players it needs. I'm very clear about these things; I've been in this league long enough. But some things didn't go our way, and there were some areas where we could have done better ourselves. In the end, we didn't want to lose so many players, but for different reasons, these things had to happen.

After the transfer window closed, there were reports that the club owners were looking for investment. Have you talked to them about this? If so, what did they tell you, and what views did you express to them?

No, I haven't had any such conversations with them, certainly not about investment or club-level matters. That's probably beyond my remit.

So, overall, how do these events of the past few days affect your goals for the season on the pitch?

Actually, I don't have any particularly big goals. But within the team, I talk to the players and tell them what we expect from the team and where we want to go. I think the players have had a very good start to the season, with two wins and a draw. So, within the team, there's a lot of positive emotion right now, and everyone is confident in our performance at the start of the season. I need to make sure I continue to give them all the support they need, give them enough trust and help so we can maintain this momentum.

Following on from that. You mentioned last week that you like players who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, and sometimes they have to take on work they wouldn't normally do. Given the current squad size, will this be even more necessary for them?

Of course. Every one of them has to be able to step up and help, because our squad is small, very small indeed. But sometimes, that also creates opportunities for people who haven't had them before. In football, sometimes you just need someone to give you that chance to prove what you can do. So we'll see if some of them can seize the opportunity.

But to be fair, they've already proven their ability last season, and the team as a whole is very close to where we want to be. So, I'm not really worried about that. I believe they will give their all.

Let's talk about the Man United match this weekend. Looking back at your past relationship with Michael Carrick, when he was a player. Did you see any qualities in him at that time that made you think he might become a good manager in the future?

I often say this when people ask me such questions. Sometimes it's hard to look at a player and judge that he will definitely become a coach, because sometimes it's precisely the people you didn't expect who end up in coaching roles.

However, if you ask me, based on how Michael Carrick played back then and the type of player he was, I think he might have always been very suitable for a career in football management. I think he's done a great job bringing Man United back to the Champions League. Many managers have had great difficulties there in the past, and I think he's stabilized the team again. He knows how this club works, and he knows the way things are done here. He also has his own understanding of what the club relied on for success in the past.

So I think he's done very well. Has he been there for six months? About six months, right? So that's a very good six months.

Currently, the main center-forward option is Tierney-Barry. Have you talked to players like Brennan-Johnson, Tyreke-George? Alcaraz has also played as a forward in his career. Have you talked to these players about possibly needing to slightly change their positions and roles?

Not yet. I'm currently focused on the players we have and what we're doing right now. We need to find different solutions. Whether it's injuries, suspensions, or fatigue, these situations will arise, so we have to look for solutions, and we will try to do so.

If this situation had arisen a few weeks ago, we would have had a few friendlies then, and perhaps we could have used those games to try some different things. But because it happened so late, I don't really have many opportunities to actually try these things now.

I remember one game where we played Tyreke as a forward, and we tried one or two different things. So obviously, we'll be looking very closely at what we can do.

Considering the current small squad size, is the free agent market also an option you can consider?

Yes, we are looking at the free agent market. But to be fair, what I want to build is a team that can be at the top of the league and compete. I want to continue to place this demand on the team, and I also want the club to continue moving in the right direction. I also want the players to believe that we are indeed moving in the right direction. This is very important to me.

We have kept some players through contracts, such as Jarrad Branthwaite. We just brought in Hackney, Ghana also signed a contract, and we also offered Pickford a contract. These players all have the ability to reach the senior England squad level, so they need a good platform to showcase themselves. Therefore, we need to show what the team wants to do, and we hope to help these players reach the level we want them to reach.

You just mentioned James Garner. There were reports that Chelsea might make a last-minute offer for him before the transfer deadline. Also, you just mentioned that the owners wanted to secure some funds before they could invest further. Looking ahead, does Garner also make you worry about whether the team can keep him?

That news you just mentioned was completely untrue, so I don't know where it came from. There was absolutely no truth to it. Listen, if Garner continues to perform as well as he did last season, then obviously, something like this could happen in the future.

However, since I came here, including my different coaching periods in the past, I have also experienced similar situations. As I just said, I once had to sell Mikel Arteta to Arsenal. I think sometimes you have to sell a player to clubs that are competing for titles, participate in the Champions League every year, and are willing to pay high transfer fees, this situation can indeed happen.

Perhaps the worst time was when I had to sell Wayne Rooney to Man United. I still remember thinking: "Oh my God, if we don't keep winning now, it's going to be the end of the world here." But we still moved forward, and we actually did very well without him.

So we have to keep doing that, and believe that even if we lose some players, we must strive to make the team better and better.

As a manager, you certainly have personal goals. When this situation happens, and you're building a team that hopes to constantly improve its ranking in the Premier League, how do you personally deal with this situation?

Not very well. Because I'm older now, I don't want to stay in the lower half of the league forever. When I came here, I told the players that our task is to get as close to the top of the league as possible and challenge for it.

I must say, they did an excellent job in this regard last season. I don't think many people expected us to achieve such good results.

So I can only hope we can do it again. The external expectations for us might not be particularly high right now, but internally, I've been encouraging them. If there's ever a time we particularly need the club's fans, it's now. Of course, there's never any doubt about the fans' support for the team.

At Bournemouth, they stepped up and let everyone know that they are a very important part of this club, and always will be. I hope they will step up again on Sunday afternoon to support the team.

I'm sure they will. One last question, do you feel now that you, the CEO, the board, and the club owners are currently completely aligned in terms of direction?

If you want to succeed, everyone must be aligned on the same things. All these parts are very important. Someone told me today that there shouldn't be any barriers between departments; everything should be consistent.

We now have new owners, and they are still getting to know the club. I think as we get to know each other better and become more familiar, things will improve.

Given the current squad size, I think you might need to rely more on academy players in the future, and possibly put some academy players on the bench. I'd like to ask, how do you currently evaluate the club's youth academy situation? Which players do you think might be ready to take this step?

We do have some academy players who will obviously be involved with the first team. As for whether they're ready to make that step up? I'm not sure yet. So we'll have to see how they perform.

Some people might be pushed into this position directly due to the team's circumstances. As I said before, this often happens. When an opportunity comes your way, can you seize it? Can you adapt? Sometimes, the players who might be ready for the first team are precisely in positions where we already have two players.

So often, it also depends on where we specifically need people, and which positions the team needs these young players to fill where there are currently gaps.

Can I ask about one specific player? Because we've been talking about strikers, and the potential shortage in that position. What about Brayden Graham? What do you think of him? Is he ready?

First, I don't think he's a center-forward. I think for us, he might be more suited to playing from the wing. We like Brayden very much. He has trained with us many times, and he was with us throughout pre-season. He is clearly moving in the right direction.

Could he be a source of goals for the team in the future?

Are you talking about in the Premier League?

Yes.

For any young player, asking him to become a consistent source of goals in the Premier League after coming here is a very difficult request.

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