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Everton failed to persuade Manchester United to sanction Anthony Elanga transfer on deadline day - Sky Sports reporter
Vinny O’Connor has reported that Everton wanted to sign Anthony Elanga on loan on transfer deadline day but couldn’t persuade Manchester United to sanction his exit.
The Toffees were the only club in the Premier League who failed to bring any fresh faces through the door during the winter window, despite freeing up funds through the sale of Anthony Gordon to Newcastle.
Sean Dyche was looking to bolster his attack in the closing days of the window, and the Everton board had made 20-year-old Elanga their “highest-profile” target. [The Mirror, 31 January]
Sky Sports reporter O’Connor confirmed via his Twitter account (Wednesday 1 February) that the winger was yet another target who the Toffees missed out on during transfer deadline day.
He said: “Anthony Elanga was another target Everton missed out on.
“They wanted him on loan but couldn’t persuade Manchester United to let him go.”
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Dire state of affairs
Although the Everton board promised Dyche he would be given the funds to improve his squad in the dying stages of the transfer window, they simply left it too late.
Leaving just two days for a new manager to fill numerous holes in his squad is pure madness, and the spree of targets the clubs were linked with highlights this point.
From Conor Gallagher to Andre Ayew and all the way to Elanga, it felt like the club was linked with every single ostracised attacker across Europe – but they still failed to lure any Goodison Park.
Simply put, Everton is not a very desirable place to play football at the moment.
Taking out of the equation the brilliant fanbase and the loyal support the club has, why would a young player want to move to a club who are embroiled in battles both on and off the pitch?
Does a 20-year-old Elanga really want to witness fans chasing players’ cars down the streets and the board not being able to turn up to matches because of security risks? It just seemed to be an odd fit.
But with Dyche at the helm, the club have a man who won’t shy away from a fight and has the characteristics to rebuild Everton from the ground up.