What The Papers Say - 25 August

The views on this page are taken from the local and national media and do not necessarily reflect the views of Everton.

THE Joleon Lescott transfer saga hit an 11th-hour snag last night – leaving Manchester City embarrassed and Everton furious.

Defender Lescott passed a medical and the clubs had already agreed the £22m deal that Goodison boss David Moyes never wanted.

But a hitch in negotiations between the player and City left Mark Hughes unable to announce he had finally got his man.

And Moyes, whose team is bottom of the Premier League after two defeats, was in limbo as he tried to push on with plans to spend the money on new signings.

City said on Sunday that they had agreed the fee with Everton and they expected to complete the deal yesterday afternoon. But at least the Eastlands outfit were able to reveal that Brazilian left back Sylvinho has joined the club on a year-long contract.

The 35-year-old left-back was released at the end of last season by Barcelona, after helping them to victory against Manchester United in the Champions League.

Sylvinho, who made 55 appearances for Arsenal from 1999-2001, is seen as top-quality back-up for Wayne Bridge.

David Moyes has put Middlesbrough’s Robert Huth top of his hit list as he targets a replacement for Joleon Lescott.

Moyes plans to splash Lescott’s £24million fee from Manchester City on Huth and three other players as he races against the clock to strengthen his squad before the transfer window closes at 5pm on Tuesday.

German international Huth is Moyes’ priority and the Everton boss is preparing a £5million bid for the Boro stopper.

The Everton boss also likes Huth’s Boro defensive partner David Wheater and scouted the pair personally earlier this month.

Moyes, who is battling to turn around Everton’s poor start to the season, is determined to buy two central defenders and Bolton’s Gary Cahill is also high up on his shopping list.

Moyes is also considering Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross, but the Potters want a staggering £12 million for their young defender.

Moyes could even look at a deal for Portsmouth's Slyvain Distin, although the hard-up outfit are reluctant to sell and his wages are also very high.

Everton have one week to reinforce squad as defender finally joins City for £24m

It will be of no consolation for David Moyes that as he prepares to spend the final week of the transfer window scrambling around for new signings he was in a similar position just 12 months ago.

The Everton manager will never be thought of in similar terms to renowned wheeler-dealers Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce but for the second year running has been forced into a position where he has to push through late deals, following Joleon Lescott's £24m move to Manchester City.

At least the England defender's departure has brought an end to part of the uncertainty that has surrounded Goodison Park, which has not been helped by a 6-1 defeat to Arsenal and a 1-0 reverse at Burnley in their opening two Premier League matches.

Although it remains unclear whether Moyes will see all of the Lescott money, with a week remaining before the transfer deadline, he is finally making some progress in adding players to his squad, which is still without Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Yakubu and Victor Anichebe through long-term injuries.

The Russian midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov looks set to arrive in a £9m deal from Lokomotiv Moscow in the next 48 hours after talks between the two clubs in Hamburg last night and Moyes is also closing on a season-long loan deal for Valencia's Ever Banega after receiving a work permit for the Argentine midfielder.

But, having sold Lescott, and with Jagielka out until November with a knee injury, it is defensively where Moyes desperately needs new recruits. Phil Neville had to fill in at centre-back at Turf Moor on Sunday and Moyes will acknowledge that rapidly bringing in quality at the right price will prove much harder.

The City captain Richard Dunne, who started his career at Goodison Park, is unlikely to be happy with his prospects of regular football at Eastlands following the arrivals of Lescott and Kolo Touré and could be available, while Moyes is also considering a number of others.

He has enquired about Newcastle's Steven Taylor and although the player wants to stay in the North-east, he accepts that the Championship club's financial position may mean he is forced to leave. Bolton's Gary Cahill and Middlesbrough's David Wheater could be out of Everton's price range and Moyes' interest in Philippe Senderos has cooled since talks with Arsenal earlier this month. Another Boro defender, Robert Huth, may also be on the move, while West Ham's Matthew Upson and Stoke's Ryan Shawcross are other possible targets.

Although he would never admit it, it must all be enormously frustrating for Moyes, who guided Everton to fifth place last season despite a summer of turmoil the previous year. After finishing fifth in 2007-08, Everton were ready to challenge for the Champions League once again despite key men struggling with long-term injuries.

But the late release of funds meant that Moyes was restricted to the £15m purchase of Marouane Fellaini and short-term deals or loans for Louis Saha, Lars Jacobsen, Carlo Nash and Segundo Castillo in the final week before the deadline.

To make matters worse this time around, in Lescott, Moyes is having to replace a player who has been key to establishing Everton in the Premier League's top five.

Having beaten Sigma Olomouc 4-0 in the first leg of their Europa League play-off, Thursday's trip to the Czech Republic should offer some respite and Tony Hibbert is also looking forward to some new additions.

The defender said: "Seeing new faces gives everyone a lift and it keeps us all on our toes and I'm sure the manager is working hard to do that. We will miss Joleon. He is a good lad and on the pitch he is a brilliant footballer; he has shown that in his displays for us but players come and players go and we'll move on." There is no doubt that Moyes will do the same, but it will not be easy.

Hughes hopes international clearance will arrive in time for his seventh summer signing to go into the squad for the Carling Cup tie at Crystal Palace on Thursday.

“Sylvinho has a wealth of experience at the very top level, having represented Brazil and played for some of the top clubs in Europe,”Hughes said.

“When the chance presented itself to bring him to Manchester City as a free agent I saw it as representing excellent business for us.

“Sylvinho won the European Cup last season at Barcelona and he will strengthen our defensive options.”

DAVID MOYES moved swiftly last night to set up a deal for Portsmouth’s Sylvain Distin to replace Joleon Lescott at Everton.

Everton boss Moyes is on the brink of landing Distin, 32, after he capitalising on the financial uncertainty at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth had been asking for around £8million for Distin, who has just nine months left on his contract, but it is understood that Everton will pay nearer £5m.

Sunderland and Aston Villa had also been keen on Distin, but Moyes has moved in quickly to beat off the competition.

Everton are also hopeful of finalising deals for £10m Russian winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Argentine midfielder Ever Banega in the next 48 hours.