The Toffees had a Transfer Deadline Day to forget, as they failed to seal last-gasp deals for half a dozen players
The 2026/27 summer transfer window was a frustrating one for Everton to say the least. While there were real highs in the signing of midfield gem Hayden Hackney and sealing the return of £100m man Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City, it was largely a period of real missed opportunities for the Toffees, who must now go on until January with some notable holes in their squad.
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Deadline Day was truly chaotic across the board, with Sunderland and Crystal Palace having a back-and-forth transfer hijack saga for the ages over Malick Fofana - greed was the real winner there - and Chelsea making a complete pig’s ear of trying to replace Enzo Fernandez, who ended up finally getting his mega-money move to Man City.
Everton went in to the final day of player trading with a clear objective: strengthen on the defensive flanks, and bag a new striker. They managed to sign just one player: right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Lyon, for a £4m fee. The club now have just one out-and-out left-back, and it’s the same case in the striker department, with the misfiring Beto the only recognised centre-forward at David Moyes’ disposal.
As the dust settles on a bruising day of transfer drama at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, we’ve taken a look at the six deals the Toffees failed to complete.
Why didn’t Everton sign Folarin Balogun?
A chaotic end to deadline day saw Everton miss out on top target Folarin Balogun from Monacoplaceholder image
A chaotic end to deadline day saw Everton miss out on top target Folarin Balogun from Monaco | Getty Images
Folarin Balogun - Monaco: What an absolute mess this deal turned out to be. It all started so well - the news broke early in the day that Everton were making their move, and the player was at the club by lunchtime after a £40m deal was agreed with Monaco. An unspecified issue than arose in the USA international’s medical.
Assuming the deal was now dead, Monaco - who needed to make a big sale for financial reasons - reopened talks with Chelsea to sell them midfielder Lamine Camara. Everton then went back to Monaco, renegotiating their original deal to try and push it through. This saw the Ligue 1 side pull the plug on Camara’s exit, sending Chelsea into meltdown. After all that, Balogun then turned down Everton at the last minute, completely obliterating the deal.
Jamie Leweling - Stuttgart: Despite already having two right wingers in Brennan Johnson and Tyler Dibling on the books, Everton made a move to sign the Bundesliga wide man early on Deadline Day. It was said to be a hefty bid, too, worth around £37m. It’s unclear whether the club accepted the offer, but it has been stated that the player himself expressed his desire not to join Everton.
Tammy Abraham - Aston Villa: After the Balogun disaster, Everton were in panic mode. Abraham almost joined Ipswich Town on loan earlier in the window, but the club opted to keep him after Ollie Watkins moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. Once again, the Toffees saw a player reject them, as Abraham opted to remain at Villa Park and battle the likes of Nicolas Jackson and rising star Brian Madjo for regular minutes.
Everton’s other failed Deadline Day transfer attempts
Everton failed with a late loan move to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester Unitedplaceholder image
Everton failed with a late loan move to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United | AFP via Getty Images
Richarlison - Tottenham Hotspur: Late last week, it looked like Iliman Ndiaye would be heading to Spurs, with Richarlison coming back the other way. Man City then stuck their meaty oar in and hijacked Tottenham’s move for Ndiaye, making things rather complicated. Richarlison made it clear in a statement that he wanted to re-join Everton, but the move fell apart due to negotiation issues between the two clubs.
Kevin Tete - Fulham: Before Everton landed ex-Arsenal man Maitland-Niles, they made a move for Tete. The Cottagers had been open to letting the 30-year-old go, with Real Vallecano’s Andrei Ratiu set to arrive as his replacement. Once that deal fell through, Fulham were no longer willing to sell Tete to Everton, with no time left to find a suitable replacement.
Joshua Zirkzee - Manchester United: Another last gasp loan attempt failed to come through. Zirkzee, who has struggled to getting regular playing time at Old Trafford, was believed to be up for the move, but United ultimately rejected the bid after it became clear they wouldn’t be able to - yes, you guessed it - find a replacement in time. Next summer, or indeed in January, you’d imagine Everton may be a little quicker out the blocks when it comes to getting their transfer business done.