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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
Everton wanted to come out of the final night of the transfer window with an international centre-forward, a reshaped attack and a little breathing room around David Moyes. The English club ended up with one thing above all: enormous frustration: Folarin Balogun will not be joining. The deal with Monaco, revived right up until the final minutes, ultimately fell through, leaving the Toffees with Thierno Barry as the only genuine specialist in the position to face the coming months.
A deal reopened, then closed too late
The saga changed direction several times during the same evening, which sums up the nerves of deadline day rather well.
The saga changed direction several times during the same evening, which sums up the nerves of deadline day rather well. Everton had targeted Balogun to compensate for their attacking departures and give Moyes a more established focal point. A significant transfer agreement had been discussed with Monaco, but the medical introduced serious doubts on the English side.
The accounts agree on the essentials: Everton did not obtain the physical guarantees it wanted, while the player’s camp and Monaco maintained that the American striker was fit. The deal was not immediately buried, however. Faced with the urgency, Everton resumed talks with ASM, a deal sheet was discussed, and the move eventually collapsed after the English market had officially closed.
For Balogun, the return to Monaco is no mere administrative setback. At 25, after a World Cup that had strengthened his standing, he had the opportunity to return to the Premier League in a central role. He ultimately remains in the Principality, under contract until 2028, in a squad where his situation had already shaped several incoming and outgoing deals.
Everton pays the price for a high-risk evening
The problem for Everton is that Balogun’s failure to arrive comes after several moves that had already thinned the attack. Beto headed to Fiorentina, Iliman Ndiaye joined Manchester City, and the backup options did not come off. Joshua Zirkzee was approached too late to convince Manchester United to part with him, while other solutions that were discussed never went beyond the exploratory stage.
The result is brutal: Moyes is left with minimal room for manoeuvre in the most difficult position to patch up. Thierno Barry can buy time and take on more responsibility, but a Premier League season rarely swallows improvisation without leaving a mark. Everton did add Jack Grealish on loan and Ainsley Maitland-Niles to strengthen other areas, but those arrivals do not replace a number 9 capable of playing match after match.
The sporting question arrives quickly. Everton must now decide whether to adjust their attacking setup around Barry, move wide players into the centre or wait until January while limiting the damage. Each option comes at a cost: less presence in the box, a greater physical burden on a reduced squad, or increased reliance on transitions.
Monaco avoids a sale, but not the aftershocks
Monaco did not come through the evening unscathed either. The principality club had structured part of its end to the transfer window around a major sale, and the uncertainty surrounding the Balogun deal had a domino effect. Lamine Camara, who had at one point been close to Chelsea, saw his departure called into question when Everton’s move for Balogun was revived. The Senegalese midfielder therefore also remains in a peculiar climate, after finding himself at the centre of a rapid shift.
From a sporting perspective, keeping Balogun could strengthen ASM if the player quickly absorbs the disappointment. His numbers at Monaco and his international status give the attack added weight, especially in a season when the club must juggle domestic ambitions and European demands. But an aborted transfer for medical reasons always leaves a mark, even when the player’s camp disputes the buyer’s interpretation.
The future will show whether this night acts as a rupture or merely as a market anomaly. Everton, meanwhile, do not have that luxury: the next team sheet will quickly reveal the cost of being without a centre-forward.