Ronald Koeman is still looking to add a striker and a left-sided defender to his Everton squad before the transfer window closes on Thursday evening.
After his side's dismal performance away at Chelsea, Koeman again reiterated his desire to sign at least two more players before the summer window slams shut for Premier League clubs.
The Blues boss said: “We need at least two more players. We need to get numbers in. But the most important is to have a striker in, and one more player. That's what we need.”
Everton have already broken their club record transfer fee three times this summer but Koeman is desperate to add more to his squad.
He added: “If you look to all the squads on the big teams they have so many options and if we get everybody back like [Seamus] Coleman, [Morgan] Schneiderlin, [Yannick] Bolasie, [Davy] Klaassen, [James] McCarthy, [Ross] Barkley, you are talking about six or seven first-team players.
“If we had them, of course, injuries are part of football and we had too many and that makes it more difficult,” the Dutchman explained.
Everton missing Romelu Lukaku
Despite investing this summer in players who could replace the overall goal tally of Romelu Lukaku, Everton clearly miss the bruising forward’s ability to break down defences with his speed and power.
Wayne Rooney and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have interchanged as Everton’s main striker due to the injury that Sandro Ramirez sustained against Stoke City on the opening weekend.
Calvert-Lewin, in particular, has been impressive when he’s been allowed to play centrally but Koeman’s persistence to play him out wide has meant the 20-year-old has been unable to showcase his ability on a consistent basis.
His two stand-out performances came against Manchester City and in the second-leg against Hajduk Split prior to the Chelsea defeat, but he’s unlikely to be able to replicate the Belgian’s goalscoring and match-winning exploits on a regular basis this season.
The Blues have been linked with a sensational move for Diego Costa and have been linked regularly with Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud during this window but neither player looks set to move anytime soon.
Possible targets for a late move
With Koeman nigh on begging the Everton board to sign a striker, it’s likely the Blues higher officials will do all they can before Thursday to grant the manager his wishes.
Everton scouts reportedly watched Benfica’s Raul Jimenez during their draw with Rio Ave on Saturday with the Mexican forward apparently looking to move to England after a difficult spell with the Portuguese giants following his 2015 move from Atletico Madrid.
The Blues are also still interested in another Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck but are unlikely to be able to bring the Manchester-born forward back to the North West next week.