David Moyes lifts the lid on his transfer due diligence

David Moyes has admitted he can’t do the due diligence he would like on incoming signings in the January transfer window saying he has been staying late to watch videos, make phone calls and look at information on Wyscout. He conceded he would rather have his own scouts and watch the players himself but time has not been on his side in this window.

The manager told reporters gathered at a Rush Green press conference yesterday: “I’ve got to say, even the boy we’re trying to sign now (Tomas Soucek), we’ve done as much as we honestly could. I’ve been here till 7 o’clock every night watching stuff, tapes, phone calls, trying to build up a picture of all the people who are getting put in. Somebody said it the other day, there might be 150 players put into me even since I’ve come here. Every agent thinks they’ve got a player you should sign and the media have got all the names. In truth, what do you normally sign? Two players, maybe a maximum of three. There’s so much you’re trying to filter. You’re trying to have a look at the players and while you might think you’ve got a really good knowledge of football, who’s to say that you know somebody in Slovakia or the French league? We just don’t know everybody. That’s the bit where it takes up the time. In truth my style would have always been to have my scouts and all the people there who’ve done it and had information. It’s been a whirlwind, this one, I’ve got to say.”