David Moyes Reflects on Disappointing Transfer Deadline Day
David Moyes knows this feeling too well. The window shuts, the phone stops buzzing, and the list of “almost” is longer than the one marked “done”.
The Everton manager cut a resigned figure as he reflected on a deadline day that promised a reshaped squad and instead delivered a jumble of setbacks, late twists and one marquee departure.
“I am disappointed that we didn't do more business and things didn't go our way in the end,” Moyes admitted. “Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointments and move on, and we will.”
Balogun deal collapses after medical
The most dramatic turn came with Folarin Balogun.
Everton thought they had their striker. A £40m agreement with Monaco was in place, the United States international had undergone a medical at Finch Farm, and both clubs even signed a deal sheet before the 23:00 BST deadline to buy extra time to finalise the move.
Then it fell apart.
Issues flagged during the medical forced Everton and Monaco back to the table to renegotiate the original fee. As the talks dragged on, Balogun changed his mind. Instead of leading the line at Goodison Park, he walked away.
“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,” Moyes said. “There are no other stories behind it. That is exactly what happened.”
For a club that had lined him up as a late target after Beto’s exit, it was a brutal swing. The Guinea-Bissau forward had already completed his permanent move to Fiorentina in Serie A, leaving Everton scrambling for attacking reinforcements.
Targets turn away
The pressure to replace that firepower pushed Everton towards other names. They explored a deal for Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee. They sounded out Aston Villa’s Tammy Abraham. Neither could be persuaded to join.
Each conversation ended the same way: interest, talks, then a dead end.
The club did manage one eye-catching arrival, securing Jack Grealish on a season-long loan from Manchester City. But any excitement around that move came with a sting.
On the same day, Everton lost their standout attacker.
Ndiaye sacrificed to fund rebuild
Iliman Ndiaye, a fans’ favourite and one of the side’s few consistent attacking threats, left for Manchester City in a £65m deal. He departs Goodison with 15 goals and four assists from 67 Premier League games, numbers that only tell part of his importance to Moyes’ system.
Moyes admitted the sale was as much about necessity as strategy.
“We were looking to get some money in,” he 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.”
The logic was clear: Ndiaye’s fee would help fund a mini-rebuild. The reality was harsher. The club moved aggressively but hit walls at crucial moments.
They pushed for defender Kenny Tete, only for Fulham to pull back when they failed to secure a replacement. That deal died late, leaving another gap unfilled.
Right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles did arrive from Lyon for £3m, a useful addition but hardly the transformative signing many supporters had hoped the Ndiaye money would unlock.
Regrets and realities
By the time the window closed, Everton’s ledger looked lopsided: a star attacker sold, a major striker target lost at the last moment, other forwards unconvinced, and just a handful of deals over the line.
“Some things went against us and some things we could have done better,” Moyes reflected. “Ultimately we didn't want to lose a lot of the different players but for reasons that had to happen.”
He knows there is no sympathy table in the Premier League. The season will not pause to let Everton fix what deadline day broke. The question now is stark: with Ndiaye gone and Balogun turning away, has this squad got enough to carry Moyes through the months ahead?
