Everton's Deadline Day Disappointments: Balogun Deal Falls Apart
David Moyes wore the look of a man who had stayed at the table until the lights came on and the cards were taken away.
Everton’s manager admitted he “has to live with disappointments” after a fraught deadline day that promised a major attacking reshuffle but ended with more exits than arrivals and one high-profile collapse at the last moment.
Balogun deal unravels after medical
The centrepiece of Everton’s late push was Folarin Balogun. A £40m agreement with Monaco was in place, the United States striker had undergone a medical at Finch Farm, and both clubs even signed a deal sheet before the 23:00 BST deadline to buy themselves extra time.
Then it fell apart.
Issues flagged during the medical forced Everton and Monaco back to the negotiating table to rework the original fee. As talks dragged on, the 25-year-old changed his mind and walked away from the move.
“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 collapse left Everton short of the extra striker Moyes had wanted to pair with their new arrival up front.
Beto in, Balogun out, other forwards say no
Balogun had only come into focus late in the window, once Guinea-Bissau forward Beto sealed a permanent transfer to Fiorentina in Serie A. Everton then scrambled for another option to bolster their attack.
They sounded out Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee. They explored a move for Aston Villa’s Tammy Abraham. Neither could be persuaded to join.
By the time the window shut, the Toffees had chased three centre-forwards and landed none of them.
“I am disappointed that we didn't do more business and things didn't go our way in the end,” Moyes admitted. “Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointments and move on, and we will.”
Grealish arrives, Ndiaye sacrificed
There was at least one marquee arrival. Everton secured Jack Grealish on a season-long loan from Manchester City, a move designed to inject creativity and control into Moyes’s front line.
But that came at a cost.
Star attacker Iliman Ndiaye left for City in a £65m deal, stripping Everton of one of their most dangerous and hard-working forwards. The 24-year-old, who scored 15 goals and provided four assists in 67 Premier League appearances for the club, had become a central figure at Goodison Park.
Moyes did not hide his reluctance over that sale.
“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 logic was clear: sell to buy. The reality was harsher. The marquee departure went through, the wider rebuild never fully materialised.
Defensive plans hit and miss
Everton’s attempts to reshape the back line told a similar story of near-misses and late compromises.
They pushed to bring in Kenny Tete from Fulham, only for that deal to stall when Fulham failed to secure a replacement. With time draining away, Moyes turned to Lyon right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who arrived in a £3m move.
It was business done, but not quite the business first imagined.
“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.”
When the window finally slammed shut, Everton were left with Grealish and Maitland-Niles through the door, Beto and Ndiaye gone, and Balogun just a what-if on a long, frustrating deadline day. The question now is whether Moyes has enough to turn that disappointment into a season that still moves forward.
