It hasn’t been a quiet day at Everton, even with the transfer window now firmly closed.
The fallout from Deadline Day continued on Thursday, but attention also began to turn towards what comes next for Everton – both on the pitch and behind the scenes.
From fresh questions over The Friedkin Group’s search for investment to Jack Grealish’s possible return against Manchester United, here are the main Everton stories and talking points from September 3.
TFG investment report raises questions
The biggest development of the afternoon came away from the pitch.
The Financial Times reported that TFG are working with advisers to bring new investors into Everton, with the process potentially resulting in a significant stake in the club changing hands.
There is no suggestion that the Friedkins are putting Everton up for sale, and the process may ultimately come to nothing.
But after the way the transfer window ended, we argued that Everton supporters are entitled to ask why TFG are seeking new investment now.
The club’s financial position has improved significantly under the new owners. Supporters will now want to know what the next stage of their plan looks like.
What did Everton’s summer actually cost?
That investment story arrived on the same day we took a deeper look at Everton’s finances.
The club’s recent history means almost any discussion of spending still ends up involving PSR, but the Premier League’s financial rules have changed for 2026/27.
Our Everton summer finances explainer looked at the reported transfer fees, the accounting effect of the Ndiaye and Beto sales and the new Squad Cost Ratio and Sustainability and Systemic Resilience rules.
Using the disclosed fees in that piece, around £78m of permanent incoming expenditure was covered by the £80.4m received for Ndiaye and Beto alone, before the undisclosed sales of Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson are considered.
That is only one way of looking at the summer, however.
The £25m figure that won’t improve the mood
Earlier in the day, another calculation had already added to the questions surrounding Everton’s recruitment.
BBC Sport put the club’s overall summer transfer business at a £25.35million net profit.
As we discussed in our look at the £25m Everton figure that only adds to the Deadline Day questions, net spend does not tell the entire story.
But with Moyes left short in obvious areas, supporters are hardly likely to look at a sizeable transfer surplus and feel reassured.
Everton’s £37m move for Abde emerges
More details also emerged about just how frantic the final hours of the window became.
Everton reportedly made a late offer worth up to €43million – around £37million – for Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli.
Betis rejected it.
Our look at Everton’s failed £37m Deadline Day move for Abde showed that the club were still attempting to spend heavily late in the window.
Unfortunately for Moyes, it was another move that ended without a player arriving.
Everton decide against free-agent striker move
There was also an update on the obvious question left by the collapse of the Balogun deal.
Despite selling Beto and failing to bring in another centre-forward, Everton are not currently expected to turn to the free-agent market simply to add another body.
That leaves Thierno Barry as the club’s only recognised senior centre-forward.
Our piece on Everton’s striker decision after the disastrous end to the window looked at the situation and why Moyes may instead have to find solutions from within his squad until January.
Who actually won and lost from the window?
The end of the transfer window has changed the picture for several players already at the club.
Barry suddenly has a huge opportunity. Harrison Armstrong remains at Everton after his proposed move to Nottingham Forest was abandoned. Vitalii Mykolenko has little specialist competition at left-back.
Others face a harder battle for minutes.
We broke down Everton’s new pecking order and the winners and losers from the summer window, including the positions of James Garner, Charly Alcaraz and Tyrique George.
Two league games is far too soon to establish a fixed hierarchy, but the picture has certainly changed.
Grealish could return against Manchester United
At least one Deadline Day arrival could be involved very quickly.
Jack Grealish is back for a second successive loan spell and Sunday’s meeting with Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium offers an immediate opportunity for his first appearance since returning.
George has started both Premier League games so far and has done nothing to deserve being casually pushed aside.
That leaves Moyes with a decision, as we looked at in our piece on whether Grealish could make his Everton return against Manchester United.
Start him or use him from the bench?
Either way, Evertonians should get their first sight of Grealish in blue this season on Sunday.
A new Everton player stats tracker
Finally, with the transfer trackers now put to bed, we’ve started building our season-long reference pages for 2026/27.
The new Everton player stats tracker will be updated throughout the campaign with Premier League appearances, starts, minutes, goals, assists and clean sheets.
After two league games, Barry, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Tarkowski have one goal each, while Jordan Pickford has one clean sheet.
It gives us a running record to follow as the season develops.
Next up: Manchester United
After several days spent picking over the transfer window, attention can finally begin to move towards football again.
Manchester United visit Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.
Everton have four points from their opening two Premier League games and remain unbeaten.
The squad isn’t as deep as Moyes wanted, but Grealish is back, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has arrived and there is a game to prepare for.
After the week Everton have had, a Sunday afternoon at the Hill Dickinson might be a welcome change.
For updates on the Toffees throughout the season, take a look at our LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments page.
Everton need another investor? After deadline day, fans are entitled to ask why
Everton need another investor? After deadline day, fans are entitled to ask why
Everton had huge £37m deadline-day bid rejected for Real Betis winger
Everton had huge £37m deadline-day bid rejected for Real Betis winger