David Moyes Reflects on Frustrating Deadline Day

David Moyes knows this feeling too well. The window shuts, the phone stops buzzing, and the list of what might have been is longer than the list of what actually arrived.

The Everton manager admitted he wanted far more from deadline day and walked away with a sense of frustration that cut through his usual pragmatism.

“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.”

This one will sting.

Balogun deal collapses late

For a few frantic hours, Everton thought they had their striker. A £40m agreement with Monaco for Folarin Balogun was in place, the United States international had undergone a medical at Finch Farm, and both clubs had even signed a deal sheet before the 23:00 BST deadline to buy themselves extra time.

Then it fell apart.

Issues flagged in Balogun’s medical forced Everton and Monaco back to the table to renegotiate the terms. As talks dragged, the 25-year-old had a change of heart and walked away from the move entirely.

“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.”

Everton had turned to Balogun late in the window after Guinea-Bissau striker Beto completed a permanent move to Fiorentina, leaving a hole in Moyes’ attacking options. The club’s hierarchy believed Balogun would be the answer. Instead, his U-turn left them scrambling.

Missed forwards, mixed emotions

The pressure to land a forward didn’t end with Balogun. Everton explored moves for Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee and Aston Villa’s Tammy Abraham, two very different profiles but both seen as potential solutions to a thin front line.

Neither could be convinced to come.

There was at least one marquee arrival. Jack Grealish joined on a season-long loan from Manchester City, a headline signing that would usually dominate the narrative of any Everton window.

Not this time.

Because to make room for business, the club sanctioned the sale of star attacker Iliman Ndiaye to City in a £65m deal. Ndiaye, who produced 15 goals and four assists in 67 Premier League appearances for the Toffees, had grown into a central figure in their attack. Letting him go cut deep.

“We were looking to get some money in,” Moyes 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.”

Defensive plans disrupted

The turbulence was not limited to the forward line. Everton also moved for Fulham defender Kenny Tete, targeting the right-back to reinforce their back four. That move collapsed when Fulham failed to secure a replacement in time.

At least one defensive deal did get over the line. Ainsley Maitland-Niles arrived from Lyon for £3m, adding versatility and energy on the right.

Some deals edged close, some drifted away, some simply never had the chance.

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

So Everton emerge from another chaotic deadline day with Grealish in, Ndiaye out, Balogun gone, and a manager left to knit together a squad shaped as much by missed chances as completed transfers. The question now is simple: has this window armed Moyes for a fight at the right end of the table, or just made the climb even steeper?