David Moyes Reflects on Everton's Disappointing Transfer Window

David Moyes knows the feeling by now. The window slams shut, the phone stops buzzing, and the list of deals that got away suddenly looks longer than the ones that landed.

This time, the Everton manager admits the disappointments are heavy.

“I am disappointed that we didn't do more business and things didn't go our way in the end,” he said. “Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointments and move on, and we will.”

Balogun deal collapses late

The biggest frustration came in the shape of Folarin Balogun. Everton thought they had their man.

A £40m agreement with Monaco was in place, the United States striker had undergone a medical at Finch Farm, and both clubs even filed a deal sheet before the 23:00 BST deadline to buy extra time to complete the move.

Then it all unravelled.

Issues flagged during the medical forced Everton and Monaco back to the table to renegotiate. Just when it looked salvageable, Balogun changed his mind and walked away from the transfer.

“It wasn't anyone's fault and ultimately it happens in football as the player had a problem in his medical and that was simply it,” Moyes explained. “There are no other stories behind it. That is exactly what happened.”

Balogun had emerged as a late target after Beto, the Guinea-Bissau forward, sealed a permanent move to Fiorentina in Serie A. Everton needed another attacking option. For a few frantic hours, it seemed they had one. Then the door slammed shut.

Targets who slipped away

Balogun was not the only forward they chased.

Everton sounded out Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee and Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham. Both were serious options, both were explored, but neither could be convinced to come to Goodison Park.

The pressure for reinforcements only grew once Iliman Ndiaye left.

The Senegal international, a key attacker for the Toffees, joined Manchester City in a £65m deal. He departs having scored 15 goals and provided four assists in 67 Premier League appearances for Everton, a steady output that had made him a central figure in Moyes’ plans.

Moyes admitted that part of the rationale behind selling Ndiaye was to raise funds for new signings.

“We were looking to get some money in,” he said. “We lost Iliman Ndiaye, which is someone who we definitely didn't want to lose, but sometimes it is difficult when the likes of Man City come along.”

The money came. The replacements, at least in number, did not.

Grealish arrives, gaps remain

There was one headline arrival: Jack Grealish on a season-long loan from Manchester City.

On paper, it is a marquee signing. A proven Premier League creator, a player who can carry the ball, draw fouls, and shift the rhythm of a game. For Moyes, it is a welcome injection of craft after losing Ndiaye’s influence in the final third.

But the wider picture of the window feels incomplete.

Everton pushed for Fulham defender Kenny Tete, only for that deal to stall when Fulham failed to secure a replacement. The right-back they did get was Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Lyon, signed for £3m to bolster the defensive options.

“Some things went against us and some things we could have done better,” Moyes reflected. “Ultimately we didn't want to lose a lot of the different players but for reasons that had to happen.”

So Everton emerge from deadline day with Grealish in, Maitland-Niles added, Beto gone, and Ndiaye sold to City. Balogun, Zirkzee, Abraham and Tete are left in the column marked “what might have been.”

Moyes insists he will move on. The question now is whether this squad, shaped as much by near-misses as by completed deals, can do the same once the season’s pressure really bites.