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Marco Silva says Everton may need to sign five more players before deadline day if the club are to do “better than last season”.

The Blues boss is trying to convince Idrissa Gueye to ignore Paris Saint Germain and stay at Goodison but reiterated that a direct replacement must be found if the midfielder is sold.

And following Saturday's double defeat at the Opel Cup – to Sevilla and Mainz – in which the Blues scored only once, Silva says it is vital the club secure their attacking targets in the next 12 days.

Silva wants a centre-back, winger, striker and a new right-back and admits they were forced to “risk” playing Seamus Coleman in both friendly games in Germany.

Asked if he thought it possible for Everton to complete their business in less than two weeks, the manager said: “It should be if you really want to be competitive and to do better than last season.

“Because at the end of the day, it is what we want to do: do better than last season.

“Of course, we don't know what will happen with Gana and there is a lot of speculation but let's see what will happen in the next few days.

Read all the action from Everton's games against Sevilla and Mainz HERE

“If Gana goes then we have to replace him directly and one player has to come in with that profile and, I said to you, one clear No6 to come and to play.

“They are playing well and trying to know each other but Andre and Delph are similar players and we need a different profile as a football player.

“All the other positions you know. Today we played with Callum Connolly (at right-back). We took a little bit of a risk with Coleman playing in the second game because we don't have another right-back. Leighton is injured and so it was the same with Lucas also.

“We are looking at other positions too. We have played five games and in this moment and it clear for everybody that today we didn't create enough chances and in the five games we scored three times – one direct free-kick from Joe (Williams), today from a corner and the other was from our right-back.

“So it is clear we should put more quality and competition inside.”

(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

Silva has already spoken to Gueye and plans more talks in the hope of keeping hold of the in-demand midfielder.

The Everton boss also cooled talk that a deal to take him to PSG was already done.

“I have spoken to him,” he said.

“Now he is on holiday and resting, and he should rest, and after let's see what will happen. There is nothing new about the situation, nothing sure about the situation. Let's see. We as a club, we hope to keep him because he is a really important player for us but the market is open and like we are trying to buy some players, some clubs can be interested in our players also.”

Silva failed to hide his disappointment at the Opel Arena today, especially during the opening game defeat to Sevilla in which he named his strongest available XI.

The Spanish scored the only goal of the game from a penalty conceded by Mason Holgate while Dominic Calvert-Lewin failed to take the Blues' two best chances.

And asked about his feelings following the two defeats, the Everton boss laid bare his concerns and hopes for between now and the first game of the season at Crystal Palace.

“First, I am pleased with the work our boys have been doing since we started at Finch Farm on July 1,” he said.

“This is the first thing and I have nothing to say about their behaviour, their capacity work and always giving their best.

“But you know our ambition is to win, pre-season or not. I cannot see one football game without the aim and goal to win.

“And so when we play two hours of football and we lose the two matches then I am unhappy, as is normal.

“We have to look at both games in a different way because it is clear there is more responsibility in our first match.

“It was not easy for Morgan and Tom, it is not easy when they want to show the coach they are ready to play, to be with a lot of young kids around them, they don't know each other really well and so that is why I say we have to look at both games differently.

“The most responsibility was in the first match even if it was Everton Football Club there in the second and it is always a big responsibility that comes with that.

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“It was a tough test for us, a good test, against a team at a different level in their preparations because they had two XI s ready to play and we finished the second game with Tom and Jonas and all of the others (on the pitch) will not be part of our squad and it is not easy, with 14 days to go before Crystal Palace, but we have to start preparing. It is not the best thing to do in this way, but it is what it is, and the club are trying to give me the conditions we need because, until now, we need some important players to sign, you are talking about five players in 12 days.

“It is too many and, of course, I would prefer to be with all of them in our squad at this moment but we don't have that and we are preparing for the first game.

“There were some good things (today), not during all of the 60 minutes but some good things, when we created two, three big chances to score, we should score.

“In our first pressure we didn't do well but there were some good things. In the end they scored from a penalty after a silly foul, we cannot do that type of foul when we are almost four against one in that moment and before that we should be more aggressive.

“But, like I say to you, the players are playing tired. Mina just started this week, Dominic came just this week also and I know it is more or less the same for our opponents because they have players in many of the same conditions. The second game was a little bit different, of course, many, many changes. Theo as a striker, Gordon as a striker and it will not be our image and so you have to look more at the first game and understand what has happened in the second game.”