Roberto Martinez has reiterated Everton's stance that John Stones is not for sale ahead of his side's match against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
The club issues a statement confirming that they have rejected a transfer request from the defender, who is the subject of interest from Chelsea.
The manager also insisted that he is happy with his side's start to the season, but is expecting a tough match at White Hart Lane tomorrow.
Read what else the Spaniard discussed below.
Good morning! Roberto Martinez will be speaking to the media shortly as he prepares his side for a trip to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow evening.
It's been a busy week for the Everton manager. His side were taken to extra time by League One side Barnsley in the League Cup, coming from two goals down to secure a 5-3 win. Just a day later, the club released a statement confirming that they had rejected a transfer request from John Stones, who is the subject of interest from Chelsea. Martinez will surely be asked about both of those issues today.
The Toffees have made a mixed start to the new Premier League season, securing a win, a draw and one loss in their opening three fixtures. This will be Everton's final outing before the international break, but they face a tricky test against Chelsea when the league returns, so Martinez will be keen to get points on the board.
That Chelsea fixture could also be spoken about. If the Premier League champions do manage to snatch John Stones away from Goodison Park before Tuesday's transfer deadline, he could be making his debut at the Everton ground against his old club after the international break.
With the manager due to speak in the next couple of minutes, there's just time for me to remind you that you will be able to follow live updates from this fixture with Sports Mole tomorrow afternoon. We'll also bring you all the team news, post-match reaction, player ratings and loads more, so make sure you're with us tomorrow to see if Everton can avoid a second straight league defeat.
While we wait for the manager, don't forget to check out all the latest transfer stories relating to Everton. It's not all John Stones, as a number of players are still being linked with moves to Everton.
In case you missed it yesterday, here's the club's announcement about Stones's transfer request:
— Everton (@Everton) August 27, 2015
It looks like Martinez is running a few minutes later than expected. It could be that he's getting some last minute injury updates. The oft-injured Bryan Oviedo put in a big shift against Barnsley earlier this week, so it will be interesting to hear if he's come through that match without any problems.
Right, he's ready to go, so let's see what's on his mind...
On Oviedo, Martinez admits: "Clearly we can see now that Bryan has got that match fitness and is ready for a very interesting season. Everyone else is fit and available, we have the same squad we've had for the last two games."
On the Stones transfer request, Martinez tells reporters: "It's disrespectful to the fans to have that instability around the team. Every dressing room up and down the country has the same issues. There are certain ways to do this and do that, and there are certain timings."
Asked if Stones will be in the right frame of mind for this match, Martinez replies: "What's clear now, the chairman was really strong yesterday. John knows where he is. The fans are going to play an important role. We have the perfect envirminment and the perfect place for John. The fans will be an incredible part of that process. That's the game that we're involved in, now the way to protect each other is to concentrate on the next game and to see our players perform and enjoy their football. Forget about the speculation, forget about the transfer. Nothing is going to happen, so everyone can relax."
Martinez insists that Stones is in the right place: "He's in the perfect envirmonment. We understand what we are. We are a big, big club. At the moment, I know it's your job to try to find the next headline, but the quicker that we get a little bit of normality the better for everyone, with the transfer window closing."
Martinez admits that he is hoping to complete a deal for Argentina international Ramiro Funes Mori later today: "Ramiro was in the building yesterday. We hope that we're going to complete the deal sometime today. We're really excited about having him with us either later today or in the coming days. That's the word, that's always been the ambition and probably the hope in terms of having the squad completed and having the squad as strong as we can. It's not just a squad to try to get us through to January. Ramiro is a phenomenal, phenomenal addition, he's a fantastic centre-half, speaks proper English, he's desperate to settle in. Everything is being conducted in the right manner."
On the start of the season, Martinez says: "I've been very impressed with the level of the team as a whole. I think the game against Manchester City in the first half, in the first 10 minutes we were very, very strong. We're going to get better, but as a starting point, it's been very exciting. We all know how strong we can be."
Turning his attention to tomorrow's match, Martinez says: "What they've got is quality all over the park. We know what to expect, we know they're going to be a real strong team. Spurs away is going to be another measurement of how strong we can be when you play a team like Spurs, who we admire."
Returning to the Stones situation, Martinez adds: "It's vitally important to show we have our own ambitions and our own projects and we don't rely on big bids coming in. We've got an incredible chairman, and all he wants is the best for the football club and he doesn't get the credit he deserves. It's important because nowadays money can buy everything and what we stand for at Everton is more important values, in football and in life. I just think that it's wrong throughout the window, because footballers are human beings. The pressure they're being put under is unfair."
Martinez thinks that the transfer window needs looking at: "It's happening at every football club around the league. We'll always be available to give our views. We just help our players to become better footballers. There has to be a way that you can get the balance right. What's not right is that you're concentrating to try to get to Wembley or win silverware, but all the talk is about transfers."
Having lost to Spurs twice last year, the manager insists: "The scoreline was against us, but the performance was very much a positive one. [The performance against Southampton earlier this month] was very good. When you go away from home you have to be very complete. It's a real challenge to be as good as you can."
That's all from Martinez this week. As expected, John Stones's transfer request was very much the main topic of conversation, but it was also interesting to hear his thoughts on Spurs. So, join us again tomorrow to see if Everton can secure their second away win of the campaign. Until then, thanks for joining me this morning. Goodbye.
