Everton transfer news: Two attacker priority but alarm bells ring after £12m Aston Villa deal failed before £45m Newcastle windfall
Kevin Thelwell couldn’t come up with £12million to sign Danny Ings for Everton in January before the club banked a £45million windfall to sell Anthony Gordon, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The Toffees are still looking to sign forwards this summer after just escaping relegation on the final day of the season, as Sean Dyche looks to improve a squad that is lacking.
But there have to be concerns over the club’s ability to deliver on that aim this time around after the failure to land anyone before or after the cash arrived for Gordon.
Along with a new full-back the Everton priority in this window is “a couple of new attackers”, but it is noted as by no means a new problem.
According to the Monday (26 June) report: “The ECHO understands that Thelwell was looking to bring in a brace of forward-thinking players in January but the Blues failed to come up with the £12million Aston Villa wanted for Danny Ings – who went to West Ham United instead – while even after the £45million sale of Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United, uncertainty over funds prevented the club from bringing in any new faces despite the “hard work” Dyche said he saw from colleagues who were “on the phone constantly” in the latter days of the winter window.”
Concerning
Once again Dyche is facing his options getting thinner before there is even the possibility of them getting stronger with the expected departure of Demarai Gray.
He immediately saw Gordon removed from his ranks as he came through the doors but the cash was not reinvested in anyone.
There was supposed to have been a major bid tabled during the January window at Udinese for Beto but after not having cash available to complete a deal that was there to be done Everton missed out again on one that wasn’t once they had funds.
There should be less pressure during the current window than the previous one, with more time, no managerial change, and no relegation battle to scare off potential targets.
But with sales again tipped to be required to fund business, it isn’t especially uplifting for the last major sale wasn’t able to fund anything in return, and the coffers were so empty before a relative bargain for a Premier League striker was impossible.
While the MSP Sports Capital money is now coming in, that is seemingly very much geared towards the new stadium, so it sounds like it might be another tricky one based on the latest insight into January.
In other Everton news, the Saudi transfer boom has been tipped as a potential opportunity to save the Toffees.