Moyes lands Lescott as defender search ends

Defender Joleon Lescott should complete his move to Everton tomorrow as David Moyes signalled his desire for strong competition in what was a paper-thin Goodison Park squad.

The Everton boss broke the club record yesterday by signing Andrew Johnson for £8.6m (€12.5m) from Crystal Palace.

Today, Wolves’ former England U21 centre-back Lescott travelled to Merseyside for his medical and talks over what is believed is a five-year deal, after the club’s agreed a fee of around £5.5m (€8m).

Everton will not have the final results of the 23-year-old’s medical until lunchtime tomorrow, and then he will put pen to paper on his move to the Barclays Premiership.

Moyes, who has also signed Manchester United’s American goalkeeper Tim Howard on a season-long loan, is demanding competition in all departments.

He has that in midfield, but at the back and up front he has lacked the alternatives to really put pressure on players.

Now that is clearly changing and Moyes said: “I hope all our strikers, and defenders, will be competing now.

“We lacked that last season but we now have more than a few players who can score goals, youngsters as well as James Beattie, Andy Johnson and James McFadden.

“And I am looking for that competition too at the back. We have needed to sign a central defender.”

With Everton insisting that they have no intention of allowing Joseph Yobo to leave, despite suggestions to the contrary and with his contract still unsigned, and veteran David Weir still undecided about his offer of a new deal, the Toffees needed to reinforce that department.

Moyes backed away from the race for Chelsea’s Robert Huth because of the high wages being offered by Middlesbrough, and turned to Lescott.

Moyes added: “We are bringing in one more big signing, we always try to make progress and Andy Johnson has been made aware of that.

“He is here for the long term and we will bring in players that will make sure we compete at the very top like we did a season or so ago to get us into the Champions League.”

Johnson has revealed that Moyes discussed with him the possibility of new signings and his plans for the future and that had a major influence of his decision to move north.

Moyes said of Johnson’s arrival: “It’s a rare commodity to find a player who can get 20 Premiership goals in a side that gets relegated.

“If you were doing that in the lower leagues it would be an achievement, but he has done it at the very top. I just hope he can score one in two next season for us like he has been for the last four years.

“It’s a big signing, but put it into context. Wigan and Bolton were also bidding £8.6m (€12.5m) so you can see the money that clubs are prepared and able to spend.

“I hope that we will have a lot more players like this in the future. The price is relative to what everyone else can pay.

“We have lacked pace up front since Tomasz Radzinski and Wayne Rooney were here. James Beattie is hard working and honest but now we have great pace to go with that.”

Everton will have spent over £14m (€20.4m) in a week when the Lescott deal is completed, and Moyes said: “The chairman Bill Kenwright and the board have been great in their support. If there is any money around they will always give it to me.

“But it’s for the supporters. They mean an awful lot to the club, the board and to me. We needed to show them we mean business. This shows the ambition of the club, the chairman and the board.”

Lescott had been linked with a number of clubs in recent weeks including Aston Villa, Newcastle and Spanish side Sevilla.

New Premiership side Reading also registered an interest in the defender but their bid was rejected by the Wolves board earlier this month, allowing Moyes to step in and secure the services of one of the brightest young defensive talents in the UK.

A product of the club’s youth system, Lescott missed out on the chance of Premiership football in 2003 when Wolves were in the top-flight due to injury, but in total he has made 235 appearances and scored 13 league goals for the Championship outfit.