David Moyes hopes to have his Everton future sorted within days

Apr 5 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

EVERTON manager David Moyes has revealed his hopes on having a clear idea about his future before the end of this month.

Moyes’s current contract expires at the end of next season and the Scot, who has been in charge at Goodison Park since March 2002, has been outlining his plans for Everton’s future to the club’s owners having already submitted a new five-year plan earlier this season.

The former Preston North End manager is on the verge of leading Everton to their first two successive top half finishes since the Premier League began in 1992 and remains in a good position to secure European football for the club in consecutive campaigns.

Moyes has indicated that he would like to remain at Everton and is already drawing up a shortlist of potential purchases to boost his squad for next season.

But his own Goodison future depends on guarantees from the board as to how Everton’s progress during recent years can be taken on further.

He said: “I’m still waiting for that (his future) to be sorted.

“I’ve had a conversation with Bill (Kenwright) and we’ll know more in the next couple of weeks probably.

“We’ll probably not get down to any contracts until after the season.

“The club know what I want, I’ve had an opportunity to tell them what I want to do and I’m waiting now on their response back.”

Moyes, who has already confirmed that he is trying to tie up a permanent deal for on-loan South African midfielder Steven Pienaar for an agreed price with Borussia Dortmund, has identified a number of transfer targets which varies depending on how much of a summer war chest he is given.

Moyes said: “We’ve got to make sure that the higher we stay in the league, the more (cash) it makes available in the summer.

“I think I know what I’d be after. Whether they’d be available and whether we could get them would be a different thing.

“I’ve got people in mind.

“We’ll know soon which ones we’ll be able to attempt to go for.”

Moyes is focusing on faces coming into Goodison Park and one player who he insists does not want to leave Everton is Mikel Arteta.

Arteta’s agent Inaki Ibanez declared earlier this week that the midfielder’s continued absence from the Spanish national squad is down to him not playing for a top four team in either the Premier League or his homeland.

However, Moyes is refusing to give any credence to these remarks.

He said: “It was a load of rubbish. I’ve spoken to Mikel and I’m comfortable with him. He’s happy here as far as I know.

“He apologised to me this morning (Friday) and I told him that I don’t think anything of it anyway.”

In order to be guaranteed a UEFA Cup spot, Everton will have to hold on for at least fifth place as they will not be able to rely on Portsmouth winning the FA Cup if Harry Redknapp’s side overhaul them in the Premier League table.

There had been suggestions that Everton could afford to finish sixth and still receive an automatic European slot if Pompey, who face Championship West Brom in today’s Wembley semi-final, win the cup but this has been discredited.

A Premier League spokesman told the Daily Post: “If Portsmouth were to win the FA Cup and finish fifth and Everton came sixth then they would not automatically qualify for the UEFA Cup. The place would go to the FA Cup runners-up.

“However, there are also opportunities to qualify through the Fair Play League plus Everton have applied for an Intertoto Cup place.”

Moyes must decide whether striking pair Andrew Johnson and Victor Anichebe are fit enough to be considered for tomorrow’s visit of already-relegated Derby.

Both players have been sidelined for most of the week but trained on Friday.

Right-back Tony Hibbert has a hip problem but has trained all week while midfielder Pienaar hasn’t figured at all due to a calf injury picked up in last Sunday’s 1-0 derby defeat at Anfield.