Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that AS Roma, owned by the Friedkin Group, have completed a loan move for Evan Ferguson from Brighton. Everton were reportedly working on a similar deal but backed away when Roma began showing interest.
It seems like Everton were certainly looking at striker options early in the transfer window, including Liam Delap, Ferguson, and Thierno Barry, the last of which ended up signing with the Toffees. There's a possibility that, due to Roma's and Everton's connection through the Friedkin Group, the Irish international could one day find himself with Everton.
Realistically speaking, with Barry officially signing with the Toffees, that door was shut.
Ferguson could have been a more financially viable option, but from the looks of it, Barry is more of an investment than he is a must-start. If Ferguson was brought in, I think that would have spelled the end of Beto's time at the club, but with the Guinea-Bissau international getting consistent minutes this preseason, Barry will most likely not win the starting role out of the gate.
This transfer also highlights another development that's worth mentioning. Are the Friedkin Group prioritizing AS Roma over Everton? Roma will be playing in the Europa League, so it would be plausible to believe that the owners will try to make it as far as possible in that competition for the prize money.
An earlier report from Romano also said that Wesley was close to joining AS Roma as well. If you recall, there were rumors that Everton were going to sign Wesley and loan him out to Roma.
Everton will hopefully bring in the players they need to get before the season starts, but after the signing of Barry, fans are desperate to see the front office address the positions of need.