Koeman promises Everton will spend

Everton have spent much of the summer trying to hang onto their players, with Romelu Lukaku and John Stones the targets of Chelsea and Man City respectively.

But with billionaire Iranian Farhad Moshiri having bought the club midway through last season, Ronald Koeman insists the Toffees are doing everything in their power to not only keep their current players, but also bring in reinforcements.

The first sign of that was when Everton were mooted as serious rivals to bring in Julian Draxler, although Wolfsburg appeared to pour cold water on that move.

Having joined from Southampton, Koeman has remained coy over his transfer targets, but the Dutchman was keen to reassure fans that he is planning to use the funds at his disposal.

“We are working hard to bring in other players but it’s not respectful to talk about other players who aren’t playing for Everton,” he said.

“As soon as possible we hope to bring some new players in.”

Everton have already brought in Idrissa Gueye from Aston Villa, while Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg joined earlier in the summer.

But if Everton are really to compete for European football next season, it will take a great deal more investment on Merseyside.