Sunderland will visit San Siro in Europa League while Carlos Baleba must wait for his Manchester United debut
David Moyes has responded to Manchester City’s interest in Iliman Ndiaye by insisting Everton do not have enough time to reinvest money raised through player sales before the transfer deadline. The Everton manager is determined to add to his squad before Tuesday’s deadline, not lose one of his better players like Ndiaye, with the club still attempting to end their lengthy search for a new right-back.
In contrast to the Everton chief executive, Angus Kinnear, who recently claimed the club was planning to challenge for Europe this season, Moyes insisted the squad needs “a lot of work” before it can achieve that target.
City have yet to bid for Ndiaye, who has three years remaining on his Everton contract but declined several offers of an extension last season as they did not include a release clause for a Champions League club. “I think it would be very difficult to get it reinvested if anything came in, we are getting into a really late period now,” said Moyes, speaking of player sales in general.
On Ndiaye, he added: “I’m certainly not encouraging a bid. I’m not encouraging that in a million years. I don’t know if it would be too tight for time. Deals and contracts are taking much longer now. There seems to be a lot more involved.”
Everton remain interested in City’s Jack Grealish, who spent last season on loan at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but a right back and centre forward are more of a priority. Moyes added: “I’m saying there’s not much time but I’ll still try to see what we can do. I think we need to do much more if possible. We’re 100% trying to get a right back and we will try and do that right up until the end of the window.”
Everton’s positive start has been tainted by tensions created by Kinnear’s claims that The Friedkin Group, the club’s owners, viewed last season as “a failure” by missing out on European football and that Europe is achievable this term despite only modest investment in Moyes’s team.
In response to the latter claim, Moyes said: “There would be a lot of work to do to put us in that category, but nobody put us in that category last year and for most of the season we ran close. You never know. We have started the season well and players have started the games good so that gives me hope that it could be a possibility.” Andy Hunter
Regis Le Bris has said Sunderland’s forthcoming trip to Milan in the Europa League is “a symbol” of the club’s upward trajectory. For many years Newcastle fans have taunted their local rivals with chants of “You’ll never see a Mackem in Milan” and, after arriving from Brittany two years ago, Le Bris swiftly learned that St James’ Park regulars regarded themselves as distinctly superior to Sunderland supporters.
Now, though, the tables have turned and Le Bris is enjoying the moment. Sunderland’s manager agreed that it seemed somehow appropriate that the first fixture involving his team to be drawn in Monaco on Friday featured a trip to San Siro.
“To get back in Europe with this fixture, it’s a symbol,” said Le Bris, whose side finished seventh in the Premier League last season after beating Newcastle home and away. “It’s iconic. Milan is a massive club and it’s a massive story.
“I’m aware of it [the Newcastle fans’ Milan jibes], but I want to speak more about us. We are proud to be in Sunderland and our fans deserve to be in this position. It’s [going to be] a huge experience and we are very proud to be part of it but we want to be efficient. We want to be competitive in the Europa League.”
As Sunderland fans began ordering T-shirts and sweatshirts emblazoned with the message “Mackem in Milan” to wear in northern Italy, Le Bris seemed delighted that three players, goalkeeper Robin Roefs, winger Romaine Mundle and the forward Wilson Isidor have signed new long term contracts at the Stadium of Light.
“They see their future in Sunderland because they trust the club and like the environment and they trust the ambition of the club,” said a manager whose side will also face AZ, Dinamo Zagreb, Levski Sofia and Jagiellonia at the Stadium of Light and Anderlecht, Lech Poznan and Torreense away in the Europa League.
Le Bris, whose team are at home to Fulham on Sunday, declined to comment on Sunderland’s attempt to sign Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City but it is believed the former England winger is now most likely to re-join Everton.
