DAVID MOYES will wait until after the January transfer window before opening talks over a new contract at Everton FC.
Moyes, who has been in charge at Goodison since March 2002, is in the final year of his present agreement with the club.
The Scot has previously stated there is no rush to sit down and talk terms over a fresh deal with Everton chairman Bill Kenwright.
And now Moyes – whose team entertain Arsenal in the Premier League this evening – will give himself the opportunity to assess the Goodison landscape following any New Year business before committing himself to a further contract extension.
“I would probably wait until we have got over January and see how things go,” said the Scot.
“I want to see what we're going to do, where the club are looking to move to in the future.
“And that's what I'm really looking for as well. It's probably going to be after the New Year before we speak.”
Moyes added: “I think most people would look and say the Everton job looks as though it is a good job.
“We've got a good team, it's taken a long time to get to this sort of point but what we're looking to do at Everton is see if we can get to the point where it's easy to keep all your good players.
“That obviously means getting to the summit or getting around the summit.”
Everton will this evening aim to drag their season back on track after Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 home draw against Norwich City.
Having started the campaign in impressive form, the Goodison outfit have dropped out of the top four after winning only three of their last 11 Premier League games.
Nevertheless, they remain a point clear of tonight’s sixth-placed opponents, who were the last away team to win at Goodison back in March.
And Moyes believes Everton can still challenge the Gunners for Champions League qualification.
“I think most teams will find it hard to get ahead of the top three of Man United, Man City and Chelsea, but football changes very quickly,” he said.
“A couple of defeats for them and wins for someone else could completely alter things. It's the same every season.
“Four weeks ago everyone was asking whether Man United could catch Chelsea, they were so far away, but that's changed quickly. No-one is in or out at the moment.”
Moyes, meanwhile, has dismissed fears over the form of Nikica Jelavic with the Croatia international struggling to replicate his goal-laden second half to last season.
Jelavic has scored five goals in 12 Premier League appearances, compared to nine in 13 having arrived in January from Rangers.
But Moyes said: “We've maybe not given him as quite as good service as we did earlier in the season. I don't think we're playing any differently, we're just not scoring the goals from the good play.
“We're probably as attacking and open as we were. We maybe just haven't got the goals that have gone with the play.
“In the end we haven't defended well enough just to get us a 1-0 win or a 2-1 win. It's left us a bit nervy and a bit anxious when we've not done it.”
Seamus Coleman, Victor Anichebe, Phil Neville and Kevin Mirallas were all unavailable at the weekend and Moyes expects to pick from a similar squad tonight.
Marouane Fellaini returns having served a one-match suspension, but Darron Gibson will not be considered as he continues his recover from the thigh problem that has sidelined him for almost three months.
