Silva is desperate for four more signings as injury puts Delph out of big Everton opener
MARCO SILVA has urged Everton’s board to get busy in the final days of the transfer window after his thin squad lost another key player.
Fabian Delph, a £10million arrival from Manchester City last month, is set to miss the start of the Premier League season after suffering a groin injury in yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Werder Bremen.
Delph was substituted in the fourth minute, having felt a muscle twinge following a tackle, and will have a scan in the next 48 hours once the issue settles down. As it stands, his involvement at Crystal Palace on Saturday appears unlikely.
The Portuguese manager said: ‘We haven’t had all the feedback from the medical staff yet but we have to wait now. Let’s see over the next few days. I think on Sunday or Monday we will find out more about what it is.’
It has been a difficult summer for Everton in getting moves over the line but they completed a £25million deal for Mainz midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Moise Kean will follow him.
Kean, the 19-year-old Juventus striker, started his medical yesterday in anticipation of a £30m switch.
‘I can’t talk about him now as there is nothing official,’ said the Goodison boss. ‘Let us see what we can do.’
Silva, though, has made it clear he wants another four players to arrive before Thursday’s deadline. Everton are interested in Southampton’s Mario Lemina and they could spend more than £100m this week if they land all their targets.
‘We have to be busy,’ said Silva, whose side have scored only three goals in seven pre-season games. ‘In this moment, as you know, our number is not really big. We need some more players.
‘We lost one central defender [Kurt Zouma, back to Chelsea]. He was not our player but we lost him. We lost [Idrissa] Gana Gueye, [Ademola] Lookman also. So we have to look for one winger. We have to look for
one central defender. Let’s see in the middle zone if we do something more or not. Then a possible striker and right back. It has to be a really busy week.
‘Of course, it is not the best things but our board and our football structure, they are trying to do their best to give us the conditions to be more competitive and be a better team.’
Everton, who welcomed back Brazil forward Richarlison from his summer break, really should have won comfortably in Germany but wasted a succession of chances in the second half.
There were aspects of the performance which pleased Silva but the worry around Delph put a negative on the day. Asked whether Ivorian Gbamin could come straight in for his debut at Palace, Silva replied: ‘He started training this morning but he hasn’t done anything for the last three or four weeks. It looks impossible but we will see.’
Everton director of football Marcel Brands is also looking to move out squad players such as James McCarthy, Kevin Mirallas, Yannick Bolasie and Cenk Tosun. The club will also listen to offers for striker Henry Onyekuru, who has been unable to play for Everton because of work permit problems.