David Moyes has confirmed Everton have received an offer for Harrison Armstrong, but the manager could not say whether the 19-year-old midfielder will remain at the club amid reported interest from Nottingham Forest.
Armstrong has made a strong impression for Everton this season and is regarded as one of the club’s most promising young players. He started Saturday’s Premier League match against Bournemouth and played 87 minutes as the Toffees recovered to draw 1-1 at Goodison Park.
James Tarkowski scored a late equaliser for Everton after Alex Scott had put Bournemouth ahead before half-time.
News of a reported £40m bid from Nottingham Forest emerged before the match, prompting a negative reaction from Everton supporters. Fans made their feelings about a possible sale clear during the game, but Moyes said the decision over Armstrong’s future rested with the club.
“There’s been an offer. Apart from that, I don’t think there’s much else I can say, it’s a club decision,” he said.
“We don’t want to lose anybody and we still need to add players to what we’ve got. I’ve been saying it for a while.”
Moyes was also asked about the concern among Everton’s supporters, with the club potentially facing the loss of one of its emerging talents.
“I think you always have to consider supporters. There’s times at clubs when people who are really powerful make difficult decisions,” he added.
“Not all decisions are popular. Sometimes they have to do it for different reasons.”
Armstrong is not the only Everton player attracting interest before the transfer deadline. Forward Iliman Ndiaye has also been linked with a move, with Manchester City and Tottenham reported to be monitoring his situation.
Everton have taken four points from their opening two Premier League matches, while Bournemouth are still waiting for their first victory under manager Marco Rose.
Bournemouth were fortunate to lead at the interval, with Everton creating several opportunities. The hosts registered five shots on target in the first half, their highest total in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match since they had six against Tottenham in January 2025.
Everton’s non-penalty expected goals figure of 1.06 was also their best first-half total in a league game since September last year, when they recorded 1.17 against Aston Villa.
Despite that pressure, Bournemouth improved after the break and took control of the contest. Rayan and Evanilson both missed excellent chances to extend the visitors’ advantage, before Everton levelled when poor defending from a corner allowed Tarkowski to score.
Rose said Bournemouth had been encouraged by their performance but accepted that missed chances and the late concession had cost them victory.
“We have to deal with this,” Rose told BBC Sport. “I really appreciate the warm welcome, it was a pleasure to coach this game, it was quite open.
“We had the chance to score a second goal, but we suffered some good chances from Everton as well and conceded an unlucky goal. It doesn’t feel nice, but we just have to continue our work.
“Everyone put the effort in, then it was a bit unlucky, a bit slapstick. We work hard, then we’ll get our points.”
