Marco Silva wants more quality players in the squad

Everton manager Marco Silva has highlighted that he is on the search for quality players before the transfer window concludes next month. The Toffees have remained relatively quiet with no signings yet for the summer but that should soon change with Richarlison expected to arrive from Watford for a reported fee of around £45m.

In a report covered by Liverpool Echo, Silva admitted that he would want to sign more players during the transfer window but the emphasis is rather than quality than quantity for the summer, he said: “The most important thing is not the number. For us to sign players, we must be sure about [their] quality. We must be sure they can improve our squad. In some positions, we are clearly looking to improve because we have to. [I]t is not the most important thing to talk about what are the positions because I need to be fair to our players, but I can tell you four or five or maybe one more, six, players we have to sign.”

Silva has got a clear view on the current first-team squad after analysing them for three pre-season friendlies and he appears to have now made the decision to spend after admitting that the current squad cannot compete with the elite. Richarlison was one player who particularly impressed under Silva at Watford last season and the Portuguese has taken the gamble to spend a significant chunk of the budget to lure him to Goodison Park.

Aside from Richarlison, there could be a couple of defensive-minded signings with the long-term futures of Ashley Williams and Leighton Baines under question. Of late, Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson and Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson have been earmarked as possible options to strengthen the centre-back department with Celtic’s Kieran Tierney a probable target to solve the left-back spot.