Everton Turns to Free-Agent Market After Transfer Deadline Exodus
David Moyes has admitted Everton are scouring the free-agent market after a bruising end to the transfer window left his squad short in key areas.
The club lost Iliman Ndiaye, Beto, Tim Iroegbunam, Adam Aznou and Nathan Patterson late in the window, stripping depth from a group already walking a tightrope with injuries and form. Both full-back positions are now down to a single senior option, and centre-forward is just as exposed.
For a manager who has talked up pushing Everton towards the “top end” of the table, the margin for error suddenly looks thin.
Everton gamble on post-window fixes
Players without a club can still be signed despite the deadline passing, and Everton intend to use that escape hatch. Any new arrivals, though, must be registered before a secondary cut-off date understood to fall roughly a week after the window closed. The clock is still ticking, just a little quieter.
Speaking before Sunday’s clash with Manchester United, Moyes made no attempt to hide where Everton are shopping.
“We are looking at the free agents market,” he said. “I am trying to get a team that is going to be at the top end and challenge. I want the players to believe that we are moving forward – for me, that is really important.”
The message was clear: the window may be shut, but the rebuild cannot stop.
Balogun collapse leaves a sting
The mood around Finch Farm took a further hit on deadline day when a move for Folarin Balogun fell apart at the final hurdle. It was the kind of deal that could have changed the tone of Everton’s season overnight. Instead, it became another ‘what if’.
Moyes, though, refused to point fingers.
“Disappointed we didn’t do more business and disappointed things didn’t go our way in the end,” he admitted. “Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointment and we will move on.
“It wasn’t anybody’s fault [the failed Balogun deal]. It happens in football a lot. The player had a problem in his medical and that was simply it. There’s no other story behind it.”
No conspiracy, no late hijack. Just a medical issue and a deal gone cold.
Thin squad, heavy fixtures
Now comes the hard part. Manchester United arrive on Sunday, and Everton go into that game knowing they are one injury away from a full-blown crisis in several positions. One recognised senior full-back on each flank. One senior centre-forward. A long season ahead.
Moyes has chosen to lean into optimism, talking about challenging at the top rather than simply surviving the schedule. The recruitment team, meanwhile, trawl through the list of out-of-contract players, looking for experience, fitness and value in a market that rarely offers all three at once.
Everton have already lost the luxury of choice. What they find in the coming days will say a lot about how bold that “top end” ambition really is.
