With time running out, Everton and David Moyes had no choice but to pivot when West Ham United refused to let Tomas Soucek leave the London Stadium for a direct Premier League rival.
While Hammers News can confirm that West Ham did consider cashing in on the long-serving Czech Republic international earlier in the window, the transfer deadline came and went at 7pm on Monday evening with Tomas Soucek still wearing his beloved claret and blue jersey.
The goal he scored against Wolves in last week’s Carabao Cup first round might not have sparked a West Ham United comeback, but it might have worked wonders when it came to extending his career in East London.
Despite initially seeming to have serious doubts about his suitability, Graham Potter spoke in glowing terms about Soucek’s goalscoring record and his ‘fantastic’ personality just days after powering home a back post header at Molineux.
And, what’s more, after Everton’s opening bid was tossed aside.
Having come to accept that the Hammers would not countenance the sale of such a key player so late in the window – at least, not for the sums Everton were offering – the Toffees pivoted like Ross Geller dragging a sofa up a stairwell.
Merlin Rohl, to quote The Athletic, was chosen not only as a player to reinforce David Moyes’ midfield, but also to be ‘a late alternative to Tomas Soucek’.
David Moyes during Everton FC v Aston Villa FC - Premier League
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David Moyes explains why Everton signed Merlin Rohl after West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek call
Germany Under-21 international Rohl moved to Merseyside in the final hours of the window.
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He joins on an initial loan deal from Bundesliga overachievers SC Freiburg, albeit with a £17 million obligation-to-buy clause which will be triggered if Everton avoid relegation to the Championship.
“We’re really pleased to bring Merlin to Everton,” Moyes told the official Everton website. “He’s a Germany Under-21 international who will add different qualities to our existing midfield options.
“He’s an exciting prospect who we’ve followed at the club for some time, and we’re all looking forward to working with him as we continue to build a squad and team at Everton.”
As for why Everton shifted their focus to Rohl, the similarities between he and Soucek are pretty obvious.
The former is only one centremetre shorter than the latter, at 6ft 3ins.
Furthermore, Rohl has made the majority of his Bundesliga appearances in the same sort of number eight role in which Soucek excelled on Moyes’ watch at West Ham.
He clearly lacks Soucek’s fine goalscoring record, but that is something Moyes will be keen to change. The creativity and set-piece threat provided by Jack Grealish and Dwight McNeil, in particular, should make the giant German a pretty imperious threat in the penalty area.
Tomas Soucek celebrates scoring in West Ham's defeat to Wolves
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Details of Everton’s Soucek bid revealed as Graham Potter praises evergreen midfielder
According to Czech publication InFotbal, Everton offered an initial £15 million, plus £2 million in add-ons, for West Ham’s number 28.
At a time where reliable goalscorers are at something of a premium in Potter’s squad, selling Soucek with no guarantee of a readymade replacement would have appeared a risk with potentially embarrassing results.
Especially before that morale-boosting 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
Soucek did not play in his favoured box-crashing role at the City Ground, but he did an excellent job shielding a defence which had conceded 11 goals in their previous three matches.
“If you look at his goals record when he’s on the pitch, as a starter…,” Potter said in his pre-match press conference. “And then as a person, once you work with Tomas [you discover] he is a fantastic individual.
“He sacrifices himself for the team, plays in loads of different roles. He’s contributed a lot to the success West Ham have had over the years.
“Great person. He’s got the ability to defend and attack both boxes and to score, obviously [that] is an important part of the game.”