Major Concern for Everton Ahead of the New Season

With just over two weeks until the kickoff to the 2008-09 Barclays Premier League season, Everton is definitely not as prepared as they would like to be. The Merseyside club has yet to make a single signing this summer and have lost three of their pre-season matches.

To make matters worse, chief executive of Everton Football Club Keith Wyness resigned from his post just hours after seeing David Moyes' 10-man side lose 2-0 to the Chicago Fire. The match was the first of two friendly fixtures scheduled in the USA.

Moyes has wasted little time in criticizing the club for making such little progress in the transfer market this season.

While other clubs are out wheeling and dealing and bolstering their squads, the only transfer worth talking about for Everton is the sale of star striker Andy Johnson to Fulham.

“We cannot hide the fact that we need new players at Everton,” Moyes told Everton TV.

“Everybody knows it, I know it, the players know it. We have to get five or six players in before the season starts. It is okay getting fit, but you have got to be able to play better. At the moment there is not enough competition for the players to realize that if they play poorly they will not be selected.”

A lack of competition for places in the Everton squad may be the major concern at the moment for Moyes, but with Everton hoping to break the top four in the league next season and make a good run in the UEFA Cup, they need to drastically strengthen their squad.   

Not to mention there is the FA Cup and the Carling Cup, both competitions in which Moyes hopes his side have a long cup run in.

So with less than a month to bring some new faces to Goodison Park, Moyes will have to be extremely busy in the transfer market. And it won’t help much that Keith Wyness has left a hole in the chief executive position at the club.

Fortunately, Moyes is fully aware of Everton’s lack of movement in the transfer market this summer. Otherwise there would be even more need for concern.

“We are in a poor, poor situation regarding going forward.”

With so little time until the new season begins, Everton fans better hope their manager can work some magic and bring in some new players soon.

Everton has been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon's Joao Moutinho and is reported to be planning to use the money from Andy Johnson’s sale to lure the Portuguese international to England.

The next few weeks will be interesting, and I recommend you keep an eye on the happenings at Goodison Park, well, that is, if there is any.