David Moyes: Europe campaign will make it easier to attract top players

Dec 8 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

DAVID MOYES believes Everton’s UEFA Cup exploits will make it easier to attract top players to Goodison.

But the manager admits the club must achieve European qualification on a regular basis to become a major lure in the transfer market.

Everton secured their place in the last 32 of this season’s UEFA Cup with a group game to spare with a 1-0 home win over Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday night.

The ninth-placed Goodison outfit return to domestic matters this afternoon with the visit of Fulham looking to close the three-point gap on the top six.

And Moyes acknowledges his future spending plans can only be realised with continued achievement in the Premier League.

“I have to somehow find a way of bridging the gap of not having the funds that might be available to some other clubs,” said the Goodison manager. “At the moment we cannot give players Champions League football.

“The footballers I would want to bring to Everton are Champions League players. I need to find out how I can get scenarios like that to happen.

“We are looking hard to see what players in the future can add to what we have got. We’ve got a real continuity among the squad but we will continue to add to that and improve on it because that’s what we’ve been doing in the past four or five years and we need to keep doing that.”

Moyes added: “But we are beginning to get better known. Because of the stability of the group of players here, that can help attract players here.

“It will make it more attractive to players if they can see we have European football. But the players that we would want to come here wouldn’t want to just have European football for one year, but every year, they would want it to be a consistent thing.

“That’s why I always say it is important to win the games in the Premier League to keep yourselves up near the top and qualify for Europe again.”

Despite the gradual shift in emphasis on future incomings, Moyes is likely to make only one move during January’s transfer window with a midfielder a priority.

“Because of the African Cup of Nations, we may be in a position where we are without our full squad for a possible League Cup semi-final and maybe even the next round of the UEFA Cup,” he said. “So we have to be ready for that and see that we cope with it.

“We’re a little bit short in midfield. But I haven’t decided on a name yet.”

Everton can today record their longest unbeaten run under Moyes. The win over Zenit matched the previous best of nine games without defeat, which was first set during the winter of the 2005-06 season.

Moyes will ring the changes today, with Yakubu, Leon Osman and the fit-again Joseph Yobo pressing for a recall.

However, there are doubts over Nuno Valente (hamstring) and Tony Hibbert (back), while Alan Stubbs (calf) is definitely out.

“Tony Hibbert had a back spasm which kept him out in midweek,” said Moyes. “Joseph Yobo has done some training after twisting his ankle against Portsmouth last week, but I hope that he will be okay.”

Meanwhile, Moyes won’t let his FA charge overshadow Everton’s progress on the field.

The Scot this week denied a charge of improper conduct in the aftermath of the derby defeat to Liverpool in October and will appear in person at a later date to present his case.

But he said: “It’s not going to get in the way of the way the players are performing.

“But when it gets nearer the time, I’ve got a few things to say and we will see who is willing to listen.

“It’s a small matter and we don’t want it to get in the way.”