Everton endured a chastening transfer window, which has sparked anger and question marks, with the Folarin Balogun debacle coming to a head
Folarin Balogun was on the verge of joining Everton before a change of heart
Folarin Balogun was on the verge of joining Everton before a change of heart
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Everton's summer of promise ended with a whimper when their move for marquee signing Folarin Balogun collapsed at the eleventh hour on transfer deadline day. The high-profile pursuit of a right-back eventually concluded with Ainsley Maitland-Niles arriving from Lyon and with the finishing touches of Balogun's switch from Monaco, the Blues were looking to end the 79-day transfer window with a bang.
But David Moyes' side are now left reeling with one senior striker in the building after the 25-year-old American international felt compelled to rip up his contract. AS Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro, one of the key figures in negotiating the deal to bring the former Arsenal trainee to Hill Dickinson Stadium, has since come out swinging, alleging that Balogun had complaints over his treatment by the Blues and their medical staff.
An initial £40million move for the USMNT talisman was on, then off, and then back on again during the final hours of the transfer window. Everton looked set to land the proven goalscorer, who had the hopes of America on his shoulders at this summer's World Cup, but were left stunned when he opted to remain in the French Riviera over Merseyside.
Plenty happened before the USA international decided Everton were not the club for him, though.
Going into deadline day, Monaco faced interest from Everton for Balogun as well as Premier League clubs such as Chelsea circling to sign Lamine Camara.
For Filipe Luis' side, they had to balance the finances and were open to selling Balogun but wanted to keep Camara amid interest from the likes of Chelsea.
And it soon transpired that Everton and Monaco hadagreed a £40million deal to bring the 25-year-old to the Premier League.
Things appeared to be running smoothly for Monaco, with their ambition to help their financial position with the French regulator, DNCG.
Balogun arrived at Finch Farm later than scheduled, and a delay from the French club in providing the Blues with medical records added strain to an already immediate push to get the move over the line.
As Balogun was put through his paces in completing the required medical tests, sources say a significant issue was identified by Everton. Around the same time, Beto completed his £17m move to Fiorentina, leaving Moyes and Everton recruitment figures scrambling to enquire about alternatives. with the Balogun deal looking likely to collapse. Manchester United blocked an approach for Joshua Zirkzee while Tammy Abraham rejected a move from Aston Villa, in favour of remaining as one of Unai Emery's options.
Calls were exchanged with their Ligue 1 counterparts and sporting director Scuro, with Everton relaying their findings. The Brazilian laid out the timeline in an extraordinary press conference on Wednesday. He said: "Around 7pm, we had a call from Everton raising questions on the medicals of Balo, which for our medical staff, the personnel staff of the player, made totally no sense.
"The explanations were not enough to justify or bring concerns for the future of the player, this discussion started for medical departments, it took Everton two to three hours to check through the assessment, this is a normal situation."
The Everton hierarchy were forced to re-enter negotiations with Monaco to lower the base fee from £40million. The revised deal meant that the French outfit would receive a much lower fee and there would be an appearance-related trigger for additional payments due to the issues that rose to the surface during the medical.
Shortly after the conversation between the two clubs was held, news of uncertainty emerged in the media, with the risk of the deal collapsing spreading. Chelsea's interests were piqued once again, hours after a phone call at 4pm between Xabi Alonso and Chelsea, where they enquired over Camara.
Balogun's move being at risk meant that Monaco's opportunity for millions to hit the bank and subsequently ease financial pressure from France's regulator was diminishing.
As a result, the Principality club's stance on Camara had softened, allowing Chelsea to enter negotiations and reach an agreement. Stamford Bridge suggested that a club-to-club agreement was reached, and their Enzo Fernandez replacement was close to being sourced.
So when Monaco and Balogun agreed with the Everton changes, Chelsea's prospects of signing the Senegalese were off the table, leaving Alonso and the London club angered at the sudden decision to U-turn on their agreement.
With the agreement of Scuro, Balogun and Everton, the deal sheet was submitted to the Premier League five minutes before the window shut, allowing the formalities and intricacies to be finalised.
However, after midnight, the forward had a change of heart and made it clear that he wanted to return to Monaco and not sign a long-term contract with the Blues.
"I signed the contract, Everton signed the contract, at the last moment the player decided not to sign," the Monaco chief said.
"The allegation of Balogun is that, 'I'm not feeling well by the way the club treated me, the way the medical team brought doubts about my future or my health. I'm not comfortable to sign a long contract here'. That the way we finished the transfer window here."
Moyes now faces an exasperated fan base, but critically, a squad limited in numbers and attacking options. Brennan Johnson and deadline day arrival Jack Grealish can operate in attacking areas, but whatever hope there was of mounting a charge for European football this season, they will have to do it the hard way and, unless a free agent is sourced, rely upon Thierno Barry.