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Marcel Brands says Everton will take a much-changed approach to the January transfer window this year.

The Blues spent close to £50m on Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott, as well as signing Eliaquim Mangala on loan, last winter as Sam Allardyce was given significant funds to propel the team up the table.

Brands has not completely ruled out any additions this year, and loans also remain an option, but the director of football is not planning to make signings at this stage.

Everton revamped their squad with six new faces in the summer and the director of football says the winter window is typically a market used by teams in “trouble”.

The Blues are ready to send Kieran Dowell and Mason Holgate on loan, with Rangers and Sheffield United battling it out for the former, but Brands is not bracing himself for wholesale squad changes next month.

“It's not only in England but most of the time you see clubs doing things because they are in trouble,” Brands told the ECHO.

(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

“They have problems – sometimes it can be because of injuries and is something you have to sort out – but most of the time it is clubs who are in trouble with their ranking in the table and they try to fix that in the January window.

“I don't believe in that.

“Especially not in England because there is no pre-season (winter break), the games go on and on and on.

“In Holland there is a short pre-season but when I was there I did not do many transfers in the winter, only when it was completely necessary.

“I don't like to sell in the winter, I don't like to buy in the winter.

“If you see, statistically, they are not the best transfers and you have to be careful.”

Richarlison, Lucas Digne and Yerry Mina were signed for around £80m in the summer, Everton paid loan fees for Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma and Bernard joined on a free.

But Brands was also charged with slashing the wage bill at Goodison - following the £150m summer splurge of 2017 – and says that remains a big part of his job.

“We spent a lot of money in the summer and the club have spent a lot of money in the past,” he explained.

“My responsibility is to not only to bring players in but my responsibility is also financial on the football side.

“So that means we have wages, transfer fees, the youth Academy and I also have to bring in some money.

“So the goal is not to look for new players in this January window.”

“It is not a secret, a few young players with great potential – Mason and Kieran – need to play,” he added.

(Image: Andrew Teebay)

“I spoke to them both and we are looking to see if there is a good possibility for them to go on loan, then we will consider it.

“For the rest, we are not looking to offload players. We have a squad of 27 still and so if those boys go, we have 25.

“The games that are now coming up, you don't know what is going to happen, it is almost impossible to get through it without injuries so we have to take care of that also but you never know what is going to happen.

“But if really serious things happen (offers) then we have to look at what we have to do consider if we sell or not.

“But it is not a goal to sell, it's not a goal to bring in new players in the January window.

“I think we have a good squad and I am aware that the fans are asking if we can find a new striker who can score 20 goals.....”

Brands says his long-term task is to not find one forward but help build a side with threat from several areas.

And the club's transfer chief was at pains to point out that Everton have to nurture the talent of three young attackers he believes are the envy of many other clubs.

“Look at the top scorers (in the league) we have two players there – Richarlison with nine and Sigurdsson with eight – and the thing you are looking for is other attackers who can score goals,” he explained.

“The strength of Liverpool is not only Salah, it's Salah, Mane, Firmino and they still have Shaqiri, Sturridge and Origi, so they have a lot of players.

“That is also the quality of the other top six teams, they have more players in attack who score.

“I think we are a very, very lucky club in England that we have three players with great potential who are just 21-years-old – we have Dominic, we have Richarlison and we have Ademola.

“And if I bring in a new player, a huge striker or a name, should I destroy one of them?

“It is also my goal to protect those boys. Everyone agrees with me that they have great potential and a great future.

“Ademola showed in half a year in the Bundesliga that he could score, he got six goals in 11 games. Dominic has shown already that he can score in the Premier League and I don't want to destroy those big talents.

“Ok, they need some time and we have to give them time and confidence for the future to show that potential and, for me, it will hurt me if we destroyed those talents because everyone is jealous of those type of talents.”

Everton's director of football also says formal discussions with Barcelona over the long-term future of Andre Gomes must wait until the summer.

Gomes joined on a season-long loan but the Blues want to make the switch permanent and though Brands has described the midfielder as the player who can help take Everton to the next level, he insists they must bide their time.

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“It is more depending on the player,” he said.

“After the January, we will talk, first, with the player and the key is with him.

“If he likes to stay at Everton, which is what I hope, then that helps us a lot so it is important that we do everything to make him feel comfortable so that he is happy to stay here – and then I will try to do my job.

“We are happy with him but you never know what is going to happen. The most important thing is that he wants to stay.

“We have a loan for the whole season without clauses for Barcelona to get him back, so we are covered.

“But the most important thing, if you look at the future, is that the player is happy and if the player is happy to stay at Everton then we proceed side by side because we need the player to move on.”