Everton manager David Moyes has admitted he may be forced to enter the transfer market in January.
The window is set to reopen for a month and the timing could well be perfect for the Toffees.
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Good form had seen Moyes’ men climb the Premier League table.
Overcomes FulhamManchester United, Bournemouth And Nottingham Forest had boosted the Toffees’ confidence after a mixed start to the season.
But despite a strong performance, they lost 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
And while the performance gave them courage, they lose the star man Kiernan Dewsbury Hall What seemed like a hamstring problem in the first half could cause them problems in the coming weeks.
The Senegalese stars Ilman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye will be absent from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, James Garner is just one yellow card away from a yellow card and Jack Grealish I also had a little pain at the end of the Chelsea duel.
This combination of events has made Moyes a little nervous.
He said after the game: “The result is obviously disappointing. The performance is not.”
“The disappointment is that two players are going to the AFCON today. Another is injured.”
“Jack [Grealish] He also felt his hamstring a little at the end as he tried to score at the back post.
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“Before you know it, you know you can’t find yourself in any situation.
“But look, we’re at a time of year when there are so many games coming up. You know, WeatherIt changes and all sorts of things. It’s part of football.
Asked whether this combination of events would lead to his squad moving in the transfer window, he told The Pitch Prospect: “I think January is always important.”
“I don’t know if it’s always an easy month to really do your business, but look, we’ll try if we think there’s something that can help us.”
“Numbers could become a problem, but we just hope everything is OK. You know, it was important.”
I thought Jimmy Garner could have been as good as anyone on the pitch today. But with ten minutes to go I knew I couldn’t afford to book him. So I had to take him out of the game in case we lost him by five bookings.
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“So look, we’ll see what happens in January.
“There is no guarantee that we will do business, but of course we will look like everyone else.”
Dewsbury-Hall’s injury may be the most pressing issue and appeared to derail their chances of victory.
He added: “It looked like we controlled a lot of the game. Kiernan did it and we just never quite got control of the next 10, 15 minutes.”
“We were probably half the better team, but after 15 minutes we just couldn’t quite get it under control.”
“Even the time we have the sub on and all that just bothers you for the two or three minutes you don’t have them.”