The summer transfer window is over, and Everton have completed their business – but David Moyes has been left with a squad containing two glaring areas of concern.
The Toffees added seven senior players, including the return of Jack Grealish, Brennan Johnson and highly-rated midfielder Hayden Hackney.
There were also some major departures.
Iliman Ndiaye joined Manchester City in a deal worth up to £65m, Beto moved to Fiorentina and Dwight McNeil left for Crystal Palace as part of the agreement which brought Johnson to Merseyside.
But the biggest story came after the window had effectively finished.
Everton had agreed a £40m deal with Monaco for Folarin Balogun, only for the transfer to collapse following an issue during his medical and subsequent renegotiations between the clubs.
A deal sheet was submitted before the 11pm deadline, but Balogun ultimately decided not to proceed.
It leaves Moyes with Thierno Barry as his only recognised senior centre-forward until at least January, and Vitalii Mykolenko as the only left back.
Last updated: 2 September 2026 – Everton’s summer transfer window is now closed. This page is the definitive record of the club’s confirmed arrivals and departures.
Everton summer transfers at a glance
| Player | From | Deal |
|---|---|---|
| Merlin Röhl | Freiburg | Permanent, reported £19m |
| Hayden Hackney | Middlesbrough | Permanent, initial fee with add-ons |
| Tyrique George | Chelsea | Permanent, £20m+ reported |
| Christian Nørgaard | Arsenal | Permanent, around £7m |
| Brennan Johnson | Crystal Palace | Swap deal |
| Jack Grealish | Manchester City | Season-long loan |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles | Lyon | Permanent, around £4m |
Every Everton signing
Merlin Röhl – Freiburg
Everton made Röhl’s move from Freiburg permanent after the midfielder had spent the previous season on loan at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Germany international had already become a useful member of Moyes’ squad and the permanent deal, reportedly worth around £19m, removed one piece of uncertainty early in the summer.
Hayden Hackney – Middlesbrough
One of Everton’s most interesting additions.
Hackney arrived from Middlesbrough after an outstanding season in the Championship, where his performances established him as one of the division’s leading midfielders.
The structure of the fee has been reported differently, with an initial payment and potential add-ons taking the overall package higher.
At 24, Hackney should also have plenty of room to develop further.
Tyrique George – Chelsea
Everton turned George’s loan into a permanent move after his first season on Merseyside.
The England youth international gives Moyes another young attacking option and represents an investment for the longer term as well as the immediate squad.
The deal has been widely reported as worth more than £20m.
Christian Nørgaard – Arsenal
Everton paid around £7m for the experienced Denmark midfielder.
Nørgaard’s arrival added leadership and Premier League experience following the departure of Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Having previously spent six years with Brentford before joining Arsenal, the 32-year-old gives Moyes an experienced defensive midfield option.
Brennan Johnson – Crystal Palace
One of the more unusual deals of Everton’s summer.
Johnson arrived from Crystal Palace in a straight swap which saw Dwight McNeil move in the opposite direction.
The Wales international brings pace and versatility to Everton’s attack and can play across the forward line.
Jack Grealish – Manchester City
Jack is back.
After his successful first loan spell was curtailed by a foot injury in January, Grealish returned from Manchester City on another season-long loan on Deadline Day.
The 30-year-old had made clear his affection for Everton following his first spell and his return provides Moyes with another established creative player following the sale of Ndiaye.
Grealish contributed two goals and six assists during his injury-shortened first season with the club.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Lyon
The final permanent arrival of Everton’s summer.
Maitland-Niles joined from Lyon in a deal worth around £4m after Everton’s long-running search for another right-back went all the way to Deadline Day.
The former Arsenal player can operate in several positions but, following the departures of Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson, his ability to play at right-back is particularly important.
Every major Everton departure
| Player | Destination | Deal |
|---|---|---|
| Iliman Ndiaye | Manchester City | Up to £65m |
| Beto | Fiorentina | £15.4m |
| Tim Iroegbunam | Hull City | Undisclosed |
| Nathan Patterson | Torino | Undisclosed |
| Dwight McNeil | Crystal Palace | Swap deal |
| Adam Aznou | Malaga | Loan |
| Elijah Campbell | MK Dons | Loan |
| Joel Catesby | Accrington Stanley | Loan |
| Seamus Coleman | — | Released |
| Idrissa Gana Gueye | — | Contract expired |
| Tyler Onyango | Sheffield Wednesday | Free transfer |
| Reece Welch | Bradford City | Free transfer |
| Isaac Heath | Cambridge United | Free transfer |
| Francis Okoronkwo | Doncaster Rovers | Free transfer |
Iliman Ndiaye – Manchester City
The biggest departure of the window.
Ndiaye joined Manchester City on Deadline Day for £60m plus a further £5m in potential add-ons.
Losing one of Everton’s best attacking players was always going to be controversial, although the size of the fee represented a substantial return on a player signed from Marseille for a fraction of that amount two years earlier.
Grealish’s return from City was a separate transaction.
Beto – Fiorentina
Beto completed his move to Fiorentina on Deadline Day for around £15.4m.
The striker’s departure became far more significant when Everton failed to complete a replacement.
Balogun had been expected to arrive from Monaco but, once that transfer collapsed, Beto’s exit left Barry as Moyes’ only recognised senior centre-forward.
Tim Iroegbunam – Hull City
Another Deadline Day departure.
Iroegbunam joined Hull City on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee, although reports have put the initial figure at around £15m.
His departure came after Everton had strengthened the central midfield area considerably during the summer.
Nathan Patterson – Torino
Patterson’s Everton career came to an end when the Scotland international joined Torino.
The right-back had struggled to establish himself as a regular during his time on Merseyside and his departure coincided with the arrival of Maitland-Niles.
Dwight McNeil – Crystal Palace
McNeil headed to Selhurst Park as part of the straight swap which brought Johnson to Everton.
After four seasons at the club, it represented a significant change on Everton’s flank and gave both players an opportunity for a fresh start.
Loans and other departures
Adam Aznou joined Malaga on loan in search of regular first-team football, while young defender Elijah Campbell moved to MK Dons and Joel Catesby joined Accrington Stanley.
There was also considerable change among players whose contracts had expired.
Club captain Seamus Coleman departed after an extraordinary Everton career, while Idrissa Gana Gueye also left at the end of his contract.
Tyler Onyango joined Sheffield Wednesday, Reece Welch moved to Bradford City, Isaac Heath signed for Cambridge United and Francis Okoronkwo joined Doncaster Rovers.
The £40m deal that didn’t happen
No summary of Everton’s transfer window can ignore Folarin Balogun.
Everton agreed a deal worth around £40m with Monaco and the United States international travelled to Merseyside on Deadline Day to complete the transfer.
Then things began to unravel.
An issue emerged during Balogun’s medical, prompting Everton and Monaco to restructure the proposed agreement.
With time running out, Everton explored alternatives.
Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee was targeted as a potential loan signing, while Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham was another option.
Neither moved to Everton.
The Balogun deal was then revived and Everton submitted a deal sheet before the 11pm deadline to give themselves additional time to complete it.
Ultimately, however, Balogun had a change of heart and decided not to proceed with the transfer.
The collapse left Everton in the extraordinary position of completing a 79-day summer transfer window with Barry as their only recognised senior centre-forward.
It is the obvious weakness in a squad which has otherwise undergone considerable change.
The other deals that didn’t happen
Balogun was far from Everton’s only target during a summer of almost constant speculation.
The Toffees were linked with numerous right-backs before eventually landing Maitland-Niles, with Fulham’s Kenny Tete among the most serious late possibilities.
Everton also considered bringing Richarlison back to Merseyside, while Gabriel Jesus, Franculino, Jean-Mattéo Bahoya and Zian Flemming were among the attacking players linked with moves at various stages.
There was also significant speculation surrounding Harrison Armstrong. A proposed departure did not ultimately happen, leaving the highly-rated academy graduate at Everton beyond the deadline.
As ever, there was a considerable difference between players Everton were merely linked with and deals which progressed far enough to have a realistic chance of happening.
Balogun was emphatically in the latter category.
So, was Everton’s window a success?
No.
There were good individual deals and players have arrived who should improve David Moyes’ squad.
But a transfer window ultimately has to be judged on the squad it leaves behind, not simply the names who came through the door.
On that basis, Everton have fallen short.
The most glaring problem is at centre-forward.
Beto was allowed to leave for Fiorentina with Everton expecting Folarin Balogun to replace him. When that £40million move collapsed after the deadline, there was no safety net.
Moyes has been left with Thierno Barry as his only recognised senior centre-forward.
One injury, suspension or loss of form and Everton have a serious problem.
There is a similar concern on the other side of the pitch.
Vitalii Mykolenko is effectively the only established specialist senior left-back available to Moyes. Adam Aznou was allowed to leave on loan for Malaga in search of regular football, further reducing the cover available in that position.
Players can be moved around and systems can be changed, of course. Moyes has footballers capable of filling gaps if required.
But that isn’t the same as properly constructing a squad.
And after a 79-day transfer window, Everton shouldn’t be relying on emergency solutions in two such obvious positions.
There are positives.
Hayden Hackney looks an excellent addition, Brennan Johnson adds pace, Jack Grealish’s return should bring creativity and Tyrique George remains an exciting young talent.
But those deals cannot disguise the imbalance left behind.
Everton generated substantial income from departures, most notably Iliman Ndiaye and Beto, yet somehow reached the end of the window without adequate specialist cover at left-back or centre-forward.
The Balogun collapse was undoubtedly unfortunate.
Allowing themselves to be so vulnerable to one transfer falling apart was not.
That distinction is important.
Transfers fail. Medicals cause problems. Players change their minds. Everton could not control everything that happened during those extraordinary final hours.
What they could control was ensuring their squad wasn’t dependent upon everything going right on Deadline Day.
It didn’t.
And now Moyes has to live with the consequences until January.
There are good players in this Everton squad, and there were good signings made this summer.
But judged as a complete piece of squad building, this was not a good transfer window.
The weaknesses are simply too obvious.
For updates on the Toffees throughout the season, take a look at our LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments page.
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