A general view of the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Photo by Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Everton find themselves with a very small squad at the moment, with plenty still frustrated about how transfer deadline day went down.
The Toffees sold the likes of Nathan Patterson, Beto, Iliman Ndiaye and Tim Iroegbunam, but only brought in two players in the end. One was Jack Grealish returning for a second loan spell, and the other was Ainsley Maitland-Niles to fill the right-back position.
Everton had hoped to bring in Folarin Balogun to replace Beto, but he walked away at the last second after Toffees officials expressed concern about his condition.
Fans were left very disgruntled. Thankfully, Everton have still made a decent start to the new season, but people have not forgotten what a poor showing it was from the recruitment team.
So this update is bound to have a few people asking questions.
What is your message to The Friedkin Group as they put the club up for sale? 😳
Well said Terry how's the golf Going
The problem is if you are the owners of a football club you have to keep a eye on your bank account
Just wonder if any of them could break into one of the top spots this season. Would really love to see that. 👍
Nick Hammond commits to new Everton deal
Everton insider The Bobble has reported on X that Nick Hammond, the club’s Head of Player Trading, is being retained by the club. He has committed to a new contract that will keep him at the club until at least the end of next summer.
It is a move that is going to have Evertonians asking questions.
Hammond plays a key role in recruitment at Everton, and works closely with Angus Kinnear to get players in and out of the club.
He would have been extremely involved in what Everton were doing in the summer, so plenty of fans will wonder why he has been given a new contract given how things turned out. Yes, some good things happened in the last window. The deals for Tyrique George and Hayden Hackney, which both included pretty reasonable initial payments with more money to be paid through add-ons, are already looking like astute business.
But the current size of Everton’s squad is not really acceptable, and neither was business being left as late as it was. There is always a chance that a deal can fall through when left until the last day, and that is what happened with Balogun.
Everton have retained Head of Player Trading Nick Hammond, who has committed to a new deal that will keep him at the club until at least the end of next summer 🔵 https://t.co/DM8WjF493f
— The Bobble (@ElBobble) October 14, 2026
Maitland-Niles has started well so far, but some still question whether Everton could have done a better job in their right-back search than spending £4 million on the position on deadline day.
The Friedkin Group put Everton up for full sale last week, which was news that a lot of supporters welcomed. But many have also wanted to see changes at leadership level after seeing what transpired at the end of the summer window.
That Hammond looks to be staying at the club will not go down well with many. However, if he and the others can rectify the situation in January, he can get himself back onside with the doubters.