News

Another difficult transfer window for Everton ended with a whimper.

In recent seasons, deadline day has become renowned for the lesser clubs scrabbling around for last-minute deals. It’s fair to say 2023 was different.

It wasn’t only the relegation fodder or the mid-table aspirers in the Premier League looking to do late business; Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United and several other higher flyers were all involved in the action this time around.

Yet one club who are definitely not flying high, but were definitely in need of reinforcements, were Everton. But in spite of allowing three attackers to leave, the Toffees ended deadline day without any incomings; they committed the cardinal sin when it comes to recruitment — ending the day weaker than they had started it.

Everton had little choice but to sell Alex Iwobi. The 27-year-old had turned down the offer of a new contract, which More Than A Game understands was worth a six-figure weekly salary, and had a wish to return to London. Fulham came forward, and a deal of up to £22million was struck.

Iwobi will be missed by Everton; he has been the creative fulcrum of the side for the past 18 months, though whether he would ever have been played in his preferred central or left roles, given Sean Dyche’s preference for a 4-4-1-1/4-4-2 shape, is up for debate. And, frankly, it made little sense to turn down such an offer. But, he created 64 chances last season in the league, providing 11 assists, albeit his open-play expected assists (xA) was a modest 0.1 per 90.

Tom Cannon, the young striker, joined Ellis Simms in leaving the club permanently. Everton might have preferred a loan, but at £7.5m, that offer from Leicester City was deemed too good to turn down. Neal Maupay, meanwhile, left on loan to Brentford, one of his former clubs.

While Cannon and Maupay have been replaced in Dyche’s squad by Youssef Chermiti and Beto, who delivered on his debut against Doncaster Rovers last week and impressed against Sheffield United on Saturday, respectively, Iwobi had to be replaced; if not by an attacking midfielder, then a versatile wide player — the type that Everton had been chasing all summer.

There was also a vital need for a centre-back to back-up James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite, while a midfielder was on the wishlist.

Yet as deadline day went on, it became increasingly apparent that Everton were not going to get any of these deals done. For a club to head into the final day wanting up to three players, yet to come out completely empty handed, is a damning indictment of all those involved. At Brammal Lane, just over 12 hours after the window had closed, Dyche named a seven-man bench that included two goalkeepers. Everton are only four games into the season.

The deals that Everton did get done should be credited. Operating under extremely tight financial constraints, Director of Football Kevin Thelwell has brought in five players.

Thelwell has had to get creative. The deal for Chermiti included a nominal downpayment to Sporting CP, while there will be no money sent Udinese’s way for Beto — who is exactly the profile of striker Everton have required — until the next financial year. Everton activated a release clause in Jack Harrison’s contract with Leeds United, while Arnaut Danjuma’s loan move from Villarreal has cost a fee of around £3m.

While those deals can be applauded, especially in the circumstances, Everton needed more. And for the third window running, their recruitment team has failed to deliver.

It is clear that money is tight, but were there really no alternatives available to Wilfried Gnonto? Everton returned with a bid of over £25m for the youngster on Thursday, but Leeds stuck to their stance that the winger was not for sale. Behind the scenes, More Than A Game understands the Championship club’s valuation of Gnonto was circa £30m. Everton will have been well aware of that, yet despite chasing a priority target all summer, with the player even handing in a transfer request, the Toffees ultimately fell short of that valuation and then, to compound matters, did not move on to other targets to fill a huge need in the squad.

In defence, was there really no option at centre-back? It would not be hard to improve on Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey, based on the duo’s performances as of late. The full-back options are also a huge concern.

But by late afternoon on Friday, the briefings to the press were out; when it came to incomings, Everton were shutting up shot.

Dyche confirmed on Saturday that Everton had wanted more but could not get the deals done. But were there really no options available to improve on such a threadbare squad? One that has picked up just one point from the first 12 on offer, having played Fulham, Aston Villa, Wolves and Sheffield United; hardly the toughest of starts.

Meanwhile, Demarai Gray — who has been left out of first-team training all summer — did not get a move. On Sunday, the winger posted an apparent dig to Dyche on his Instagram story, amid reports that Everton had turned down an offer from Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq, despite having been keen to move Gray on for the entire window. It’s desperate times, and should Gray stay (the Saudi window remains open for some time yet), then Dyche will have to find a way to reintegrate a player who now feels alienated.

Andre Gomes was another one who stayed put. Reports in France claimed that Everton were hoping to tie up a deal for Leander Dendoncker from Aston Villa in order to move Gomes on; if those rumours are true, there again has to be a questioning of the reasoning, given Gomes’ huge wages. Even a deal where Everton cover part of the midfielder’s contract would have been a benefit, surely, and opened up room in the budget to get in a player who is better suited.

Everton’s Fan Advisory Board (FAB) were promised an interview with Thelwell at the end of last season. That interview has either not yet happened, or has not seen the light of day — and if it had occurred, whatever the Director of Football said will now be out of date.

It is high time Directors of Football in England were to follow the example of their peers over in Germany, Italy and other European nations, where the Sporting Directors regularly speak to the media. It cannot always be on the manager, and should not be, to discuss recruitment. For one, it should in no way be their remit.

And, let’s not put this all on the recruitment team. Dyche will have had his say, and More Than A Game understands the manager did turn down proposed deals. Were those players good enough? Clearly, not in Dyche’s mind, but Everton’s squad is so thin in so many areas, it’s hard to believe that more options would not improve Everton’s chances, especially given the Toffees’ woeful injury record.

And, of course, the biggest issues of all remain at the top of the club. A ‘transitionary Board’ that includes both Bill Kenwright and Farhad Moshiri appears set to be in situ for a while yet, given the collapse of the proposed investment by MSP Sports Capital. Until the people at the very top change, how can the culture that is rotting away at the club be expected to change?

MSP are still due to loan £100m to Everton’s stadium build, but that deposit has not been made at the time of publication. Will the funds from the sales of Iwobi, Cannon and Co. actually be available to spend in January?

That remains to be seen. But as another cruel summer comes to an end, it’s now on Dyche and the players to ensure that a winter of discontent doesn’t follow.

Read more articles like this on mtag.substack.com

Patric Ridge