Everton's Transfer Window Disappointments: Balogun Deal Falls Through
David Moyes knows the feeling by now. The window shuts, the phone stops buzzing, and the Everton manager is left counting the deals that got away as much as the ones that landed.
This time, the one that stung most was Folarin Balogun.
Balogun deal unravels late
Everton thought they had their striker. A £40m agreement with Monaco was in place, the United States international had gone through his medical at Finch Farm, and both clubs even filed a deal sheet before the 23:00 BST deadline to buy themselves extra minutes to finish it off.
Then it collapsed.
Issues flagged during the medical forced Everton and Monaco back to the table to renegotiate. As talks dragged and the clock ticked, Balogun changed his mind and walked away.
"It wasn't anyone's fault and ultimately it happens in football as the player had a problem in his medical and that was simply it," Moyes said. "There are no other stories behind it. That is exactly what happened."
The manager didn’t hide his frustration at how the day played out.
"I am disappointed that we didn't do more business and things didn't go our way in the end," he admitted. "Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointments and move on, and we will."
Big name in, star man out
Everton did manage one headline arrival, securing Jack Grealish on a season-long loan from Manchester City. The playmaker brings pedigree and profile, but his arrival came on a day when the club also lost one of their key attacking threats.
Iliman Ndiaye, a driving force for the Toffees with 15 goals and four assists in 67 Premier League games, joined City in a £65m move. For Moyes, it was a sacrifice made with the wider squad in mind.
"We were looking to get some money in," he said. "We lost Iliman Ndiaye, which is someone who we definitely didn't want to lose, but sometimes it is difficult when the likes of Man City come along."
The Ndiaye fee was intended to unlock a flurry of signings. It never quite materialised that way.
Missed targets and a late defensive addition
Balogun was not the only forward Everton chased. The club explored moves for Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee and Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham, only to be rebuffed by both.
The pressure for reinforcements spread across the pitch. At right-back, Everton pushed to bring in Kenny Tete, but Fulham refused to sell after failing to secure a replacement of their own.
That stand-off forced Moyes to look elsewhere. Ainsley Maitland-Niles arrived from Lyon in a £3m deal, adding versatility and Premier League experience to a squad that suddenly feels lighter than the manager had hoped.
"Some things went against us and some things we could have done better," Moyes reflected. "Ultimately we didn't want to lose a lot of the different players but for reasons that had to happen."
Everton emerge from the window with Grealish in, Ndiaye out, a right-back signed, and a centre-forward still missing. Moyes says he has to live with the disappointments. The question now is whether his squad can.
