Walsh revealed: “I work my scouts really hard. They go to three games per week minimum and have to write three lines about every player on the pitch, so you’re getting a database on maybe 28 players per game, and not far off 100 reports from one scout per week.”
He said he had informed Hoyland and his team to “go away and find me the best five or six players where they’re at an age I can invest.”
There have certainly been some significant teenaged signings since Walsh arrived at Everton.
Forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 19, joined from Sheffield United for £1.5million and Ademola Lookman from Charlton (where Matthew retained strong links) for £7.5million (potentially rising to £11million) on a four-and-a-half year contract.
Hoyland was pivotal in the loan signing of 19-year-old forward Anton Donkor from Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.
Walsh added: “If we can buy those kids and integrate them with our own youngsters of quality, it’s a potent mix. You get their energy and vitality and then you put Gana in there, Schneiderlin, Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley, Ash.
“Putting Mola and Tom (Davies) in the team sends the right signals. Even the best talents are interested in Everton: we might not pay top dollar but we have a pathway to the first team.
“Ademola’s the future. He was on my radar at Leicester. I saw him against Oldham Athletic for Charlton, and never changed my mind on him. He’s got two feet. He’s not one who shifts it to his ‘stronger’ foot to finish. He does things that are unusual.
“There are things to add to his game, but I’ve real hope for him making it into the England team, if I’m honest. You just need a few more pieces and then you’ve got a top-four side.”
