Moyes Says Sorry for Absence of New Faces

David Moyes has revealed his anguish over Everton's failure to make one signing this summer, admitting he feels he has "let the players down" and that the club has missed the opportunity to build on last season's fifth-place finish.

Everton enter the new season against Blackburn Rovers today six players down on the squad that began the last campaign, with five players out injured and needing to call on academy players to fill their seven-man substitutes' bench.

There have also been serious problems off the field at Goodison Park this summer, with Keith Wyness resigning as chief executive and the club's proposed stadium move to Kirkby now subject to a public inquiry and in danger of failure.

This week a proposed loan deal for the Brazilian striker Vagner Love was called off after it emerged an agent organizing the transfer had not informed the player's club, CSKA Moscow, of his departure. However, the chairman, Bill Kenwright, remains in talks to buy Joao Moutinho of Sporting Lisbon, Newcastle United's Alan Smith, the Rennes midfielder Stéphane M'Bia and now the Juventus midfielder Tiago.

The final weeks of the transfer window will, according to Moyes, "show where we are as a football club and a group". But opening the new season without one new face is, the manager admitted, a betrayal of his players' ambitions.

Moyes said: "I feel loyal to the supporters and everyone at the club but even more so to my players. We have a relationship here. You've heard them talk about the spirit we have here and I want them to succeed. For that to happen I'm the one that has to bring new players in and at the moment I feel I am letting them down." He added: "We had a great opportunity from where we were to try and kick on at the end of last season.

"I understand the reasons why we couldn't and the next bit now is to get on with it and not moan about it. Not every football manager is lucky enough to be gifted with a lot of cash. But I am concerned. We need full houses at Goodison, and what does that? The team. People have watched Everton recently because we've been doing well."

Moyes would not be drawn on the reasons for Everton's current predicament or where he believes the fault lies, though he stood by his assertion it "would be criminal" for the club to waste the chance to press the top four and distanced himself from a club statement claiming money has been available for transfers all summer.

"Well, that's the club statement," he said. "The market is harder to buy in now, there aren't as many players. I felt the best time to increase the squad was at the end of last season or at least to start then. We've started a little bit later than that."