Everton manager Sean Dyche has urged fans to recognise the struggle of managing a club who have “no money” and have sold some of their best players.
The Toffees suffered a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham after losing 3-0 at home to Brighton on the opening day of the season.
When asked about whether his team lacks quality and faces a battle against relegation, Dyche said: “It is a never ending challenge since I’ve been here, but it is all I’ve known at Everton Football Club.”
The Toffees sold Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana to Aston Villa for £50m in July and brought in defender Jake O’Brien, forward Iliman Ndiaye and midfielder Tim Iroegbunam for around £40m combined, while Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison have joined on loan.
“We’ve sold a player who is growing, maturing, and becoming a very good player and we’ve got to start the process again and make others grow and mature and become good players,” added Dyche.
“It just keeps going and going and going, that’s just the reality of the club. I work on realities and it is difficult at Everton Football Club. There are plenty of myths about it. The latest was a myth about us being in Europe. What happened in the last three seasons? Were we not trying to be in Europe?
“There has to be reality and I’ve tried to bring that and I am still trying to bring that. The fact is, coming here with a tough squad is tough, but that doesn’t mean you accept it. Our responsibility is to take action when it is tough.”
Former Everton winger Pat Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live that Dyche’s side “looked miles away from it, not a lack of effort but a lack of quality”.
And ex-Toffees defender Martin Keown said their next Premier League game at home to Bournemouth is a “must-win”, adding: “Sean Dyche is under real pressure.”
Keown also questioned: “Can he buy players between now and then?”
But when asked, Dyche added: “It’s a weird thing in football when people say: ‘Why don’t you go out and buy someone?’ I’m like: ‘What do you mean? There is no money.’
“It’s as if, as a manager, I don’t want to buy anyone. It’s not that I am a manager wanting to keep the money here. Unless someone tells me something different, this is what we’ve got.”
Everton next face Doncaster in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before hosting Bournemouth.
Dyche said he was down to 14 first-team players before visiting Spurs and does not expect many of those to return before the September international break.
He has urged his team to fight on in difficult circumstances.
“People have been saying is it the ownership, the points [deduction], the injuries, this and that and all the rest of it but we’ve still found our way,” he said.
“And that’s why it is important to stay focused. There’s so much noise and stories every day around Everton and it is tough. It’s not very often about the football. We’ve done it since I’ve been here and we have got to start again.”