Everton Chief Marcel Brands Confirms Toffees Will Not Look for Quick Fix in January Market
Everton's new transfer guru Marcel Brands insists that the club will not go on a January spending spree like they did under Sam Allardyce last season, adding that winter signings are usually made by teams at the wrong end of the table.
The 56-year-old took over at Goodison Park during the summer following an eight-year spell as the director of football at PSV Eindhoven, where he oversaw deals for the likes of Dries Mertens, Hirving Lozano, Georginio Wijnaldum and Kevin Strootman.
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Since 2010, Brands has spent just €2.2m during the January transfer window, while another six signings were made either as free agents or on loan. Despite now enjoying the riches of the Premier League with Everton, the Dutchman insists his approach won't change.
"It's not only in England but most of the time you see clubs doing things because they are in trouble," Brands told the Liverpool Echo.
"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 [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."
Whilst at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Brands only ever spent money on Swedish midfielder Oscar Hiljemark - now at Serie A outfit Genoa - for a little over €2m.
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Ibrahim Rabiu and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink were brought in as free agents at PSV during his first and second year respectively, while four loan deals (including Chelsea's Marco van Ginkel twice) were also made before he eventually left the club this year.
