Everton made two late moves on transfer deadline day, bringing in Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen on loan from Roma while allowing Sandro Ramirez to leave for Huesca.
After what had been one of the most successful transfer windows in recent memory with the arrivals of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, the Toffees got to work early on Monday, confirming the £20m-signing of centre-back Ben Godfrey from Norwich City.
Later in the day, Theo Walcott confirmed his return to Southampton on a season-long loan and for a while, that seemed like the final piece of business the Royal Blues would conduct on deadline day.
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However, there was still time for two more transactions as Carlo Ancelotti first completed his search for a goalkeeper to provide competition for Jordan Pickford.
Throughout Monday, the Toffees were linked with the likes of Sergio Romero from Manchester United and Tottenham’s Paulo Gazzaniga, but in the end, it was Sweden international Olsen who became the club’s sixth signing of the summer window, joining on a season-long loan from Roma.
Robin Olsen’s Roma stats:
- Appearances: 35
- Goals conceded: 58
- Clean sheets: 7
And late in the evening, Everton even managed to offload Spanish striker Sandro, allowing the former Barcelona man to leave the club on a free in order to secure a permanent move to La Liga outfit, Huesca.
Sandro’s time at Goodison Park can best be described as a disaster, with the 25-year-old netting just one goal in 16 appearances for the Blues following a £5.2m move from Malaga in July 2017 — when Everton were under the tutelage of Ronald Koeman — and spent most of his time out on loan.
By releasing Sandro from the club, the Toffees have also been able to remove a reported £86,000 per week from their wage bill, which could become a valuable sum with another transfer window due to open in less than two months.