David Moyes said he is optimistic that Everton will not have to sell any of their key players before the end of June to pass Financial Fair Play.
Everton were given two points deductions by the Premier League last season for failing Profitability and Sustainability Rules in successive years and announced a loss of £53.2m for the 2023-24 campaign on Monday.
They have cashed in on prize assets before the end of the financial year on 30 June before, including Richarlison to Tottenham in 2022, while they sold Amadou Onana to Aston Villa for £50m in July, and during the current accounting period.
Now Moyes thinks Everton may be able to get into July without being forced to let star players like defender Jarrad Branthwaite and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford go.
“I’m actually hoping that we don’t [need to sell],” he said. “I’m hoping that maybe we might be okay but I couldn’t confirm that.”
Moyes has held meetings with executive chairman Marc Watts this week as he plans what he believes will be a “big summer” in the transfer market.
Everton have five loanees who, as things stand, are due to return to their parent clubs in the summer and a host of players whose contracts expire, including captain Seamus Coleman, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and midfielders Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye.
They have postponed contract offers until they are mathematically safe while Moyes has warned that, even if their PSR problems are in the past following the takeover by The Friedkin Group, they will not have a limitless budget.
“It’s not like we can just go out and buy 10 players because we still have the rules to abide by,” he said. “We will need to plot a course on what it is going to look like, squad and new players and players who we are keeping as well.”
Moyes feels his out-of-contract players are doing a fine job of playing for their futures and has said they could also impress other clubs.
“I think that the players that are in the situation will be doing that,” he added. “I think they are. I think the players in the situation, the boys who were coming off the bench were doing terrific and it wasn’t even some of the boys who are coming out of contract. I always think that players are proud and they want to do well, whether it is for themselves or for their family. When you cross the white line you are being judged. You want to perform because even if you weren’t going to be here, you want to perform for anybody else who might be interested in you. We’ve got a big turnaround. I think everyone knows we have a big summer ahead of us because of the situation we are in.”
