Everton boss Sean Dyche sets record straight on Isco transfer interest

Sean Dyche has hinted Everton are prepared to explore the free agent market and namely a deal for Isco after ending the January transfer window without a single new signing. The new Toffees boss had to front up unavoidable questions regarding Everton’s worrying lack of activity in the market in his first Finch Farm press conference as they battle to beat the Premier League drop.

The Merseyside club have already held initial talks with former Swansea and West Ham forward Andre Ayew over a potential transfer but the 33-year-old Ghana international, who recently left Qatari club Al Sadd, is now in advanced negotiations with Nottingham Forest.

When asked whether Everton could turn to fellow free agent Isco, whose deadline day move to Union Berlin collapsed over wages in the final stages of completion, Dyche hinted the door was still open for potential new arrivals.

He said when quizzed on interest in Isco: “There’s a list of players we’ll be looking through and seeing if they fit what we’re trying to do, do they fit what we need to achieve going forward and can they also do it pretty quickly. You can sign players for the future but that’s different.

“We need players that can affect things now so the first port of call is in-house.

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“You do also get the odd bit of gold like I said. We’re looking at the market and the players out there but yet again, they’ve got to impact what we do.

“You’ve got to bring in players that affect what you do – otherwise there is no point.”

Dyche also talked passionately about Everton’s recruitment drive in the final days of the window when he revealed he was leaving Finch Farm late at night every evening.

“I’m not just going to sign players for the sake of it, they’ve got to affect what we’re trying to do,” he added.

“We worked very, very hard I can assure you. I was here watching it, I was involved in it, I was ringing agents, we were doing all of the crunch stuff, analytics – everything we could do to define the players that could help.”

Despite offloading Anthony Gordon to Newcastle in a deal worth up to £45million with add-ons, Everton were unsuccessful in their attempts to bring in attacking reinforcements.

A loan bid for Danny Ings was knocked back earlier in the window while a loan with an obligation to buy offer for Ismaila Sarr was also turned away on transfer deadline day.

Everton also had an audacious crack at landing Olivier Giroud from AC Milan but the approach was rebuffed.

Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu also opted to join relegation dogfight rivals Southampton over Everton.

Lyon’s Moussa Dembele, Udinese frontman Beto and Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace were two of the other names linked late in the window but it was all considered too little, too late for the Toffees.