David Moyes said Everton were left short of what they wanted on deadline day after a collapsed move for Folarin Balogun and a mixed finish to the window. He said the club “didn’t go our way in the end”, after a deal sheet was signed with Monaco before the window closed at 23:00 BST.
Balogun's move fell apart late
The detail that stands out is the medical. Balogun changed his mind after a medical at Finch Farm training base, and the initial £40m agreement was renegotiated because of issues with his medical. Moyes was clear that no one was being singled out for blame.
“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,” he said. On the pitch, Balogun's record explains why Everton pushed for him anyway. He has 4 World Cup appearances and 3 goals in those games.
A window that still left Everton wanting more
Moyes also admitted the club were trying to bring money in, while Iliman Ndiaye left in a £65m deal to Manchester City. That sale mattered to the window as much as the arrivals, especially with Jack Grealish coming in on a season-long loan from City.
“We were looking to get some money in,” Moyes 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.” Ndiaye has made 2 Premier League appearances for Everton this season and has 1 assist, while Grealish has already made 1 Premier League appearance and played 8 minutes.
Everton finished 13th in the 2025 Premier League, so this window was always going to be judged against whether it moved them on. Moyes did not sound like a manager satisfied with the final outcome, and the club still ended deadline day missing one of their main targets.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
