Everton director of football Marcel Brands has said that he is not expecting any major incoming or outgoing activity in the January transfer window.

The Toffees were among the busier teams during the same period 12 months ago, bringing in Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott on permanent deals, as well as landing Eliaquim Mangala on loan.

Abdoulaye Doucoure and Reece Oxford have been linked with midseason moves to Goodison Park in recent days, while James McCarthy and Oumar Niasse have been tipped to move out on loan, but Brands is not anticipating wholesale changes either way.

"It's not only in England but most of the time you see clubs doing things because they are in trouble," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"They have problems - sometimes it can be because of injuries and is something you have to sort out – but most of the time it is clubs who are in trouble with their ranking in the table and they try to fix that in the January window.

"I don't believe in that. Especially not in England because there is no pre-season (winter break), the games go on and on and on. In Holland there is a short pre-season but when I was there I did not do many transfers in the winter, only when it was completely necessary.

"I don't like to sell in the winter, I don't like to buy in the winter. If you see, statistically, they are not the best transfers and you have to be careful."

Everton are eighth in the Premier League ahead of their trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.