Everton manager David Moyes has said the club are now looking at the free agents’ market in a bid to solve their striker shortage, but hinted that finding the quality to help the squad compete near the top of the Premier League could prove challenging.The Merseyside club ended the summer window with just one senior No 9, Frenchman Thierno Barry, on their books, after the sale of Beto to Fiorentina and the late collapse of a deal for USMNT international Folarin Balogun. Moyes said that Balogun, 25, had a “problem in his medical” and that “it wasn’t anyone’s fault” that the move fell through.The Scot now has just 18 senior outfield players at his disposal until January and what he describes as a “really small” squad. His players will now be asked to show their versatility, while a move for a free agent striker has not been completely ruled out.“I’m disappointed we didn’t do more business and that things didn’t go our way in the end,” he said in a press conference on Friday. “But sometimes in football, you have to live with disappointments and we will move on.“We’re looking at the free agents’ market but I want a team that can be at the top end and can challenge. The disappointment would be that I want to keep pushing on and for the players to believe we’re going in the right direction.”Everton’s move for former Arsenal striker Balogun broke down at the last minute (Elysia Su/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)Everton brought in around £100million ($135m) in the final days of the window, with key forward Iliman Ndiaye joining Manchester City in a £65m deal and Tim Iroegbunam leaving for Hull City for an initial £15m plus £7m in add-ons. Moyes had been reluctant to lose players from an already thin squad, but is now asking his players to “muck in”.“We were looking to get some money in and we lost Ili (Ndiaye) who was someone we definitely didn’t want to lose. Sometimes it’s difficult when a club like Manchester City comes for your players. We liked Ili a lot.“I know what it looks like to build a squad for the Premier League and how many players you need. But some things went against us. Other things we could have done better. We didn’t want to lose players but for a lot of reasons that didn’t happen.“They are all going to have to muck in. We’ve got a really small squad but sometimes that people gives people opportunities. Let’s see if some of them can do that.“The players have made a really good start to the season so there’s a lot of positivity and confidence here in how we’ve started.”Moyes also suggested that academy players could now get their chance sooner than expected, with under-21 forward Braiden Graham one potential option. The Northern Irishman, 18, has been prolific in the Everton youth ranks and spent most of the summer training with the club’s first team.But Moyes does not see the diminutive teenager, who stands at 5ft 9in (176cm), as an option in a central role and believes it would be a tough ask for any young player to contribute regular goals in the Premier League.“He’s probably someone who will play off the sides,” Moyes said. “We like Braiden. He’s trained with us and was with us in pre-season. He’s certainly moving in the right direction.“But it would be a difficult ask for any young player to come into the Premier League and be a source of goals.”Moyes also said he is yet to speak to owners The Friedkin Group about its plans for the club.The Athletic reported on Thursday that the Houston-based company was looking for minority investment into Everton. Several prominent fan groups have criticised the club’s summer transfer business and requested meetings with the Everton hierarchy.Everton face Manchester United on Sunday after taking four points from their opening two games of the season.