Frank Lampard shares Everton transfer news for January window
Frank Lampard says Everton do have money to spend in the January transfer window, but they must work within their own financial parameters.
The Toffees were linked with a move for Brazil forward Matheus Cunha, but he has since been confirmed to be joining Premier League rivals Wolves on loan until the end of the season with an obligation to make the deal permanent for over £40m.
And Lampard has admitted that Everton were interested in a deal for the player but it was simply too expensive for them, but they are still keen to add first-team quality players to the side in January within their own means – even if that means a loan deal.
“I think we can do loans and buys – we will look at both,” he said, as quoted by Liverpool ECHO (26 December).
“But I want players to help improve us now, not just to come in and be squad players. They have to come and help us.
“It is a very interesting market now. We were very aware of the player [Cunha], he’s a really interesting player, but the number is big and Wolves to be fair have made the decision to go for him and everyone has to work in different parameters and it wasn’t a parameter for us to work in.
“As a club – even though now league position and results are always the most important thing – we also have to make sure that what we are trying to do keeps working in the right direction and with the right type of players and these things.
“It is the spirit of our group and the fighting and the working and the improving because I have a lot of belief in the group. But do we need help at the top end of the pitch? Yes, and we are fully aware of that. But it is not easy to do because it is a hard market in January.”
Sensible
The past few years at Goodison have been a wild ride of managers spending money that the club didn’t have, or not being allowed to spend anything and struggling.
Lampard seems to have found the right blend of the two so far, operating well in the market and with relative success too, albeit with some that simply didn’t work out.
There is clearly no ignorance at Everton either, with a public admission that the squad still needs to be strengthened, but it’s also clear that they have learnt from past mistakes of just throwing money at big names in the hope of getting out of trouble.
For once there seems to be a plan of some sort in place, but now it needs to be executed so that we can put relegation battles behind us and get back to competing for European places where we belong, and that starts in the January window.