Brazilian striker Jo has been included in Everton's squad for the opening-day fixture at home to Arsenal after recovering sufficiently from an ankle injury.

The Toffees are without long-term injured players Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta, Ayegbeni Yakubu and Victor Anichebe.

Anichebe has suffered a setback in his recovery from an ankle injury that has put him back a month, while Yakubu has had a private run out in the reserves and is close to being fit.

Steven Pienaar has a knee injury and is doubtful, but Joleon Lescott, despite his persistent links with Manchester City, will play.

David Moyes' belief that he has total power at Everton produced an astonishing outburst of defiance aimed at Manchester City boss Mark Hughes over the long-running Lescott saga.

The Scot has condemned City's transfer tactics over the defender as "disgusting", and would clearly be angered by any attempt to sell the player over his head.

Manager Moyes is furious that Hughes has suggested that City "are talking to the people at Everton that ultimately make the decisions".

Two bids, #15million and #18million, plus a written transfer demand from Lescott, have not shifted Moyes from his stance despite claims that a further #22million bid could be on the way.

If Everton do sell Lescott now, Moyes' position may become untenable and chairman Bill Kenwright surely would not dare to risk such upheaval with a manager who is revered among the Goodison faithful.

Moyes launched a bitter attack on Hughes and City.

He said: "There is no dialogue between us and Manchester City as far as I know. Maybe City are having dialogue with somebody else, but it is not between me and City.

"He (Hughes) said they were talking to people who make the decisions here. Well he knows who makes the decisions at Everton and it is me.

"He has never once picked up the phone and given me a call, so he is not going to get the answer. I am the one who makes the decisions here, not like other clubs.

"It has disrupted us. They have been talking about it and we have not been talking about the start of the season, that has been disruptive. So maybe that is what the overall plan was."

Moyes added: "I look back and see how Real Madrid did their business with Manchester United (over Ronaldo). It was done at the tail end of the season, and it was done quickly to allow United to buy if they wanted to do so.

"We cannot be getting offers a week or two to go before the end of the deadline. And the offers they made shows that we value Joleon Lescott far higher than they do.

"Joleon is a massive player for us, we think so much of him and do not want to lose him. The players here think so much of him, and as a (coaching) staff we do.

"His head has been twisted and I cannot say the way things have been done is right, it is not how we do things at this club.

"But maybe their football club is different, I control things here, maybe it is not quite the same there."

Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen is expected to make his Arsenal debut after recovering from a groin problem.

Midfielder Abou Diaby (groin), England forward Theo Walcott (back) and defender Johan Djourou (knee) have all been ruled out.

Reserve goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (knee), Czech international Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and France winger Samir Nasri (broken leg) are all sidelined.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger insists there is "no chance" of Cesc Fabregas being sold to Barcelona - and maintains his young Arsenal team can compete with the best this season.

The Gunners captain has once again been strongly linked with a big-money summer move away from Emirates Stadium - his boyhood club Barcelona the latest side said to be weighing up a formal bid.

However, with Arsenal about to embark on what could well be a defining campaign in the quest for a first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup, Wenger insists all such speculation is wide of the mark.

"Do you really think we sell now our players one day before the championship starts, players who are basic players of the team? There is no chance," declared the Gunners boss.

"You cannot stop people from having a lot of creative imagination during their sleepless nights, but that does not mean we will do it."