David Moyes has admitted his frustration after Everton emerged from the summer transfer window with just 18 senior outfield players and only one recognised striker following a bruising deadline day.
The Toffees failed to complete a £40 million move for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun after concerns emerged during his medical, while Iliman Ndiaye completed a switch to Manchester City. The departures and failed deal have left Thierno Barry as Moyes’ only recognised senior centre-forward.
“Disappointed we didn’t do more business, disappointed things didn’t go our way in the end,” Moyes said. “But sometimes in football you have to live with disappointments and we will and we’ll move on.”
Balogun deal unravels after medical concerns
Everton had agreed a deal with Monaco for United States international Balogun before his medical raised concerns on deadline day. The structure of the proposed transfer was subsequently renegotiated, with Monaco accepting less money up front and more in appearance-related add-ons.
However, the 25-year-old ultimately walked away from the transfer.
Monaco chief executive Thiago Scuro said Balogun was uncomfortable with the doubts Everton had raised about his health and decided not to proceed. Moyes, however, insisted there was nothing more sinister behind the collapse of the deal.
“There were lots of different bits to it. It wasn’t anybody’s fault,” Moyes said. “Ultimately it happens in football a lot. The player had a problem in his medical and that was simply it. There’s no other stories behind it, really. That’s exactly what happened.”
Ndiaye departure adds to Everton’s problems
Everton’s difficulties were compounded by the loss of Ndiaye to Manchester City in a deal worth £60 million plus a potential £5 million in add-ons. The club also sold striker Beto to Fiorentina, contributing to the shortage of attacking options available to Moyes.
Moyes made clear that Ndiaye was not a player he had wanted to lose, but acknowledged the difficulty of keeping key players when clubs such as City come calling.
Everton’s Fans’ Forum has also criticised the club’s planning and recruitment following the closure of the window, questioning another period of late transfer activity and unsuccessful pursuits of important targets.
The depleted squad could now force Moyes to turn towards Everton’s academy, although the manager acknowledged that some of the club’s youngsters may not yet be ready for Premier League football.
Moyes refuses to lower Everton ambitions
Despite the setback, Moyes remains determined to push Everton towards the upper reaches of the Premier League after they challenged for European qualification for part of last season before eventually finishing 13th.
Asked how he had personally handled the disappointment of deadline day, the 63-year-old replied: “Not very well. I’m getting too old now to be sitting around at the bottom end.
“I’ve said that to the players here when I came in. The job is that we challenge as close to the top end of the league as we can.
“I’ve got to hope that we can do that again. There might not be a great expectation on us at this moment in time, but behind the scenes I’m rallying them.”
