Deadline Farce Leaves Everton Short-Handed
Everton supporters have every right to feel sick this week. What started as a summer of cautious optimism under The Friedkin Group has ended in familiar chaos, with the collapse of Folarin Balogun’s move from Monaco leaving David Moyes staring at a squad that looks thinner than it did in July.
The United States striker arrived at Finch Farm on deadline day after a £40 million agreement was reached the night before. Hours later he walked away. Issues flagged in his medical prompted Everton to restructure the deal, reducing the upfront payment and loading more onto add-ons. Both clubs signed a deal sheet to buy extra time after the 11pm deadline. Balogun still refused to put pen to paper. Monaco’s chief executive later said the player felt the club had raised unnecessary doubts about his health. Everton maintain they were simply doing due diligence. Either way, the Toffees are now left with Thierno Barry as their only senior striker until January at the earliest.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7561775/2026/09/03/inside-everton-transfer-window-balogun-ndiaye/)
That blow landed after they had already sanctioned Beto’s £15.5 million departure to Fiorentina, believing the Balogun deal was as good as done. Iliman Ndiaye’s £65 million move to Manchester City went through the same day. Jack Grealish’s season-long loan return from City and Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ arrival from Lyon offered some late cheer, but they cannot paper over the holes.
Moyes now has just 18 outfield players. Vitalii Mykolenko is the only recognised left-back. The right-back search that dragged on all summer ended with Maitland-Niles, a versatile but not specialist option. Christian Norgaard is injured. The squad Moyes described as needing more quality and numbers before the window even closed is now weaker in key areas.
Fan Anger Meets Ownership Questions
This is not just about one failed signing. It is about a pattern. Everton came close to selling Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest for around £35-40 million until supporters made their feelings clear at Bournemouth, chanting about a riot. The board pulled the plug. Then they sold two forwards without replacements lined up. The Fans’ Forum issued a statement questioning planning and decision-making. The 1878s group, responsible for the displays at Hill Dickinson Stadium, have stood down in protest, saying the club’s ambitions no longer match the supporters’. A petition targeting chief executive Angus Kinnear has circulated.[[2]](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c9861n79kepo)
The Friedkin Group, who completed their takeover in December 2024 and refinanced the club’s debt, are now seeking new investors less than two years in. Reports from The Athletic and the Financial Times describe an early-stage process that could see a minority stake sold. Sources suggest they view the club’s enterprise value at around £1 billion. Liverpool’s recent minority sale may have concentrated minds. For Everton fans who hoped American ownership would bring stability and ambition after the Moshiri years, this feels like another chapter of uncertainty.
Moyes has kept his public comments relatively measured, but his pre-deadline remarks about needing more players now look prophetic. Barry showed his quality with a hat-trick against Preston in the cup, yet relying on a 21-year-old as the sole centre-forward through a long Premier League winter is a gamble. Tyrique George or Brennan Johnson could be asked to fill in, but that is not a sustainable plan.
Everton sit seventh after two games with four points. The new stadium was supposed to mark a fresh start. Instead the window has left the club looking amateurish at the exact moment they needed to look professional. Kinnear’s recent comments that the squad was “in a good place” now ring hollow. The owners have some fences to mend, and quickly. Results will determine how loud the discontent becomes, but the damage from this window is already done.
Many experts are not sure how Everton will benefit from adding James to their team. Of course, it would excite the fan base if such a reunion takes place. The Toffees do need creative players in attacking positions. Currently, Abdoulaye Doucoure is one such player who mans an advanced position in the midfield. Of course, when James had started his previous season with the club, it had been in a brilliant style. At that time he had joined Goodison Park with Carlo Ancelotti as manager. 
Additionally, the versatile attacker has also been linked with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in recent weeks, meaning Everton faces a tricky task in attracting him to the club. Therefore, if the club wants to bring the striker to Goodison Park, they might have to hurry up in their plans. 
That ruthlessness Everton shown against Crystal Palace, can they keep it going? They’ve got Fulham away next, against an Everton manager who will want to do as well as he can. But they’ve got to make it difficult for them. The Toffees have been difficult to break down away, which Frank has done fantastically well at this season. It was so easy last season, they were so soft. The question mark over Lampard is, Everton have been solid at the back but are the players asking enough of the opposition going forward? 
Fleetwood recorded a victory away at Peterborough despite having less possession of the ball and fewer shots on goal (SofaScore), with Warrington the player who inspired his team to all three points. The central midfielder won no fewer than seven of his duels in total, the joint-third most out of his teammates, while he also recorded a team-high five tackles and made one clearance (SofaScore). 
Cornet would undoubtedly be a terrific addition for Everton this summer and they must do all they can to get Burnley to reduce their asking rate. However, they now need to be aware of Newcastle’s interest in the player as they’ve got super deep pockets. They’re also a club on the rise, unlike Everton who were fighting a relegation battle last season. The financial situation of the club also means that they cannot really match up with the Magpies’ spending power and it’s going to be extremely difficult if Newcastle as seriously pursuing his services. 
Everton have financial constraints and they would need to receive permission from the Premier League to press ahead with their pursuit of Walker-Peters and Broja. The Toffees have not been able to back manager Frank Lampard in this summer’s transfer window till date. The only major arrival this summer is James Tarkowski who has joined on a free transfer after his contract at Burnley ended. The one-cap England international was a regular for the Clarets for several years, but he was unable to stop their relegation from the English top flight at the end of last season. Burnley were relegated to the English Championship from the Premier League alongside Norwich City and Watford. 
