Sean Dyche Burnley
Sean Dyche said Everton “did not get what we want” as the transfer window came to a close. Three players who have been involved with the first team so far this season departed and terminated the contract of Jean-Philippe Gbamin on the final day, but Everton did not secure any further incoming. Speaking on Saturday afternoon, Dyche acknowledged he had hoped his squad would be further strengthened and that he was disappointed to lose Iwobi, who was in the final year of his contract and left on a deal worth around £22m.
Sean Dyche said: “We were hoping to do more in the market but obviously we all know about the situation in the market, how we are trying to construct deals, we didn’t get what we want, and Alex Iwobi left us which is a shame because I think he is a top player. We wish him well beyond our situation. But anyway, with all of that being considered, when everyone is back fit I think we will see a group that is competitive again.”
One area Everton appeared to focus on through the summer was the right wing, with Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto and Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana among those on the club’s radar. The pursuit of Gnonto led to the teenager missing games, training away from the first team and Leeds issuing a statement expressing the club’s intent to keep him. He was reintegrated into the squad but Everton are thought to have enquired again about him on Friday.
Asked how close he felt the club got to Gnonto,
Sean Dyche said: “We weren’t close enough to any situation. The truth is that certain parameters and guidelines is where we are at. The club is not where it was two or three years ago, that is apparent. I always thought, manage what you can, manage the realities. The transfer window makes news, when everyone is fit and you look at our group there are still some very good players here, and a number of them. Sometimes that gets overlooked. I believe in what is here and I believe in the players we have got here. So far this season I think we have delivered way better than what we got back but you cannot rely on that. We have to keep delivering big performances.”
