Late deadline day drama as Everton bring in Broja
It looked as though Everton were done with transfer deals in this window after the club confirmed yesterday evening the arrival of midfielder Orel Mangala from Lyon, also on loan.
However, as deadline day ticked towards it's conclusion, the Toffees made a late night bid to sign Broja, a player the club have long been linked to.
Albanian international Broja looked likely to go to East Anglia and join newly promoted Ipswich Town, but Everton's sudden move sealed the deal and the player instead has moved to Merseyside.
Broja though is currently injured and might not be fit again to play until sometime in October.
This means he will not be able to make any immediate impression and help the Blues overcome arguably their biggest single problem: scoring goals.
He joins Yousef Chermiti on the sidelines - who like Broja has a foot injury - and this means the Blues have two of their four senior first-team strikers out. That is not an ideal situation.
According to the reports though, Everton do not have to pay Chelsea anything until Broja is fit enough to join Sean Dyche's matchday squad.
The Toffees also have an option to buy the player outright next summer, but are not required to do so.
The Albanian has not exactly set the Premier League alight in his last two loan stints at Southampton and then Fulham last season, raising questions about whether he can step up and contribute to making the Toffees attack more potent.
He did score six times for the Saints in twenty-one starts but at Craven Cottage Broja failed to score, although he only made eight substitute appearances.
These are not hugely impressive numbers and while the 22-year-old certainly has talent and potential, Everton need goals now.
Alongside the signing of Broja, one other significant aspect of the just-finished transfer window in terms of the Blues attack, is the fact that Dominic Calvert-Lewin stayed at Goodison Park.
There had been repeated rumours and stories about Calvert-Lewin and it did seem as though he could well still leave the club at the last minute.
Calvert-Lewin did not depart and remains an Everton player, although he can start negotiating preliminary agreements with other clubs in January as he has only one year left on his current contract.
At any rate we now have to hope that these two together with Beto and Chermiti - with Neal Maupay having finally left the club - can improve the team's goal return and as quickly as possible.