Everton are in crisis and it has been further highlighted with their inefficiency to get deals over the line on transfer deadline day. Everton made late loan bid for Ismaila Sarr which was rejected by Watford. The Toffees also made a mega bid to sign Iliman Ndiaye from Sheffield United but the Championship club have rejected the bid.
Everton desperately needed to sign one winger and one forward in the winter transfer window as goalscoring has been Everton’s Achilles’ heel this season. The Toffees needed a striker to bolster their frontline as Neal Maupay and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have misfired and failed on several occasions.
The sale of Anthony Gordon meant that the 21 year old also needed to be replaced as the flanks now had wafer thin depth. The Toffees were pushing to sign Kamaldeen Sulemana as Gordon’s replacement and also had their £22 million bid accepted but the player chose Southampton instead of coming to Merseyside.
On the striker front, more than a dozen names had been linked and Everton were also in negotiations with a few names but no deal materialized. On transfer deadline day, EFC launched an attempt to bring Sarr and Ndiaye to Goodison Park.
Everton made late attempts to sign Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye
According to Adam Leventhal of The Athletic, Everton made a late loan offer for Sarr but the proposal was rejected by the Hornets. The proposal was to bring the Senegalese on loan and have an obligation to buy at £30 million if Everton survived the relegation battle. EFC were ready to pay £2 million as loan fee and another £4 million in appearance bonus.
Sarr has played 24 Championship games, scoring seven goals and assisting another four. Perhaps, the Hornets rejected the offer because it would have been too late for them to sign a replacement and there is no surety that the Toffees would remain afloat in the Premier League.
According to The Star, the Merseysiders also submitted a mega bid for Sheffield United forward Ndiaye. The Blades rejected a £25 million offer including add-ons in the final hours of the transfer window, sending a bold message.
Everton had been linked to Ndiaye earlier in January but Sheffield United’s stance was to hold onto the Senegalese forward. Sheffield United rejected a bid as they aim to return to the Premier League next season and as things stand, it could come at the cost of Everton.
With both pursuits failed, it is looking increasingly likely that EFC will not be able to sign any player in the winter transfer window and will have a weak and incoherent squad.
Should Everton have made a move earlier for Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye?