EVERTON legend Neville Southall says new boss Roberto Martinez will need to recruit at least four new faces as he prepares for his first season in charge.

Southall, who won two league titles in the 80s with the Blues and also holds FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup medals won as a Goodison keeper, insists new recruits this summer are key if the side is to drive on ambitiously in the post David Moyes era.

The 54-year-old, who made a record 751 appearances for the club between 1981 and 1998, believes Everton are “about four players” short of being a side capable of securing the Champions League football which Martinez set as a goal when he was unveiled last week.

Said former Welsh international Southall: “I think it’s clear.

“They need a centre-back, they need somebody in midfield, and they need a striker, maybe two. There are some decent kids coming through at the club, but a little bit of depth would make a real difference.

“We may see (Marouane) Fellaini leave, we may see (Leighton) Baines leave, but if they do, then so be it. If they don’t want to play for the club then let them go.

“They are four players short, for me.

“You look at January, when some of the older players clearly needed a rest, but who was there to come in?”

Southall, speaking a a public meeting of fans group The Blue Union in Liverpool, said his preferred choice as new boss would have been Watford’s former Italian star Gianfranco Zola.

He said: “I’ve said I would have liked to have seen Zola given a chance.

“He’s got Watford playing good football, and I think if you have someone with a worldwide name like his, it can make a big difference, especially when you are signing players.

“Would players want to play for someone like him? I think so.”

He added: “The thing for me, though, is the negative attitude that seems to be around the club. A winner does not want to finish fourth or sixth, he wants to finish first.

“There is nothing wrong with the players at Everton. They can beat any team from sixth place down, and they should be capable of beating the sides above them too.”

Many observers credit Everton for punching well above their financial weight in recent years, consistently challenging for European football despite the greater wealth of others around them.

But Southall insists even second place should still not be considered good enough for a club of Everton’s history, stature and past glories.

He said: “This club can’t aspire to be second best. The motto is about only the best being good enough.”

Asked about the efforts of chairman Bill Kenwright to sell the club, and whether he felt the asking price was too high, Southall also backed supporters’ calls for a specialist company to be brought in to oversee and accelerate the sale.

He said: “Somebody should be able to sell this club, a club with the best fans in the world, with great history, great players and in a great league. Bill Kenwright could make himself the most popular man around, if he can find a buyer for the club. He can make a massive difference to the club.”

Around 150 people were present at the meeting to hear Southall speak.

Subjects such as Everton’s finances, and in particular the club’s £46m debt, were discussed at length, as was the controversial new badge – withdrawn by the club on Kenwright’s instructions last month after a number of complaints from supporters.

The group also resolved to campaign for an elected Fans Forum accountable to all sections of supporters – one ‘that is free from interference and influence, by the club, its owners and agents’.

Blue Union spokesman Dave Kelly said: “The message is clear; we will not be gagged.

“Our support for Roberto Martinez and the players is unequivocal. That will never change.

“We have grave concerns that the club look upon us as a threat. But we are here for the long haul. We are not just going to go away.”

Kelly said he intends to encourage a “peaceful protest” at the general meeting of Everton shareholders later this month, and added that the group will continue to lobby for “improved dialogue with the club”.