David Moyes has warned Everton will not be dictated to by out-of-contract players.
Eight members of Moyes’ squad are set to see their current deals expire at the end of the season with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Seamus Coleman among them.
Abdoulaye Doucoure made a pointed reference to his own impending free-agent status when celebrating last weekend’s late victory against Nottingham Forest.
The Mali international incorporated a handwriting gesture into his celebration in front of supporters after scoring a stoppage-time late winner at the City Ground.
But Moyes insists that the Blues are not prepared to bow to pressure from any members of his side looking to extend their stays with the club beyond the summer.
He said: “I think we’ve got a few, as you all know, that are coming out of contract.
“We’re still in a situation where we want to make sure we keep everybody right. We’ll not leave it until the last minute. We’ll certainly do it when we’re ready.
“It won’t be dictated by the players, they are under contract at the moment and the club will decide when to make decisions on the players.”
Moyes also revealed that he is set to assess homegrown midfielder Harrison Armstrong’s senior prospects upon his return from a loan spell with Derby County.
The Everton manager checked on Armstrong’s progress with the Rams, where he has made eight consecutive starts and completed 90 minutes in his last six outings.
“Walking into the first team’s a big statement. Being part of the squad and being around it is probably something which is more likely,” admitted Moyes.
“So that’s where the decision comes: Will we need him to get more games so he has more experience coming in? I’ll assess that in pre-season
“I’ll bring him back in and hopefully he’ll get some playing time and we’ll see how he does. We’ll decided then if we think that he needs another loan or we need to keep him.
“We like him so we’re not selling him or anything like that – we want him around but we might look at it and think about him getting a 30, 40 games [on loan].
“To get a young player games in the Championship is not as easy as you think.
“It’s a tough league and it’s credit to him that he’s gone in there and got himself into a steady position.”