Everton manager David Moyes is grappling with disappointment following a challenging transfer deadline day, where he had hoped to strengthen his squad but ultimately fell short. The club's pursuit of Monaco striker Folarin Balogun ended abruptly after the 25-year-old reportedly changed his mind after undergoing a medical examination at Everton's Finch Farm training facility.
Balogun emerged as a late target for the Toffees after the departure of Guinea-Bissau forward Beto, who secured a permanent transfer to Serie A side Fiorentina. Everton had also explored potential signings for Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee and Aston Villa's Tammy Abraham, but were unable to finalize deals for either player before the window closed.
While Everton did manage to secure Jack Grealish on a season-long loan from Manchester City, the club faced a significant setback with the sale of star attacker Iliman Ndiaye, who moved to City for a reported fee of £65 million. Moyes expressed his disappointment, stating, "I am disappointed that we didn't do more business and things didn't go our way in the end." He acknowledged the necessity of moving on from these setbacks, saying, "Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointments and move on, and we will."
The situation with Balogun was complicated by issues that arose during his medical, prompting Everton and Monaco to renegotiate the initial £40 million agreement. Both clubs had submitted a deal sheet before the transfer window's closure at 23:00 BST, allowing for additional time to finalize the transfer. However, Balogun's last-minute change of heart led to the collapse of the deal.
Moyes clarified that there were no hidden factors contributing to the failed transfer, emphasizing that the medical issue was the sole reason for the breakdown. He remarked, "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. There are no other stories behind it. That is exactly what happened."
Part of the rationale behind selling Ndiaye, who had contributed 15 goals and four assists in 67 Premier League appearances for Everton, was to generate funds for new signings. The club also attempted to secure defender Kenny Tete from Fulham, but negotiations fell through when Fulham could not find a suitable replacement. Nonetheless, Everton did manage to bring in right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Lyon for a fee of £3 million.
Moyes acknowledged the challenges of the transfer window, stating, "We were looking to get some money in. 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. Some things went against us and some things we could have done better. Ultimately we didn’t want to lose a lot of the different players but for reasons that had to happen."
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