Everton transfer ‘risk’ on deadline day leaves Sean Dyche short vs Sheffield United after Alex Iwobi, Neal Maupay, Tom Cannon leave
Everton are thought to have “just a dozen fit, senior outfield players” for the trip to face Sheffield United after taking a “risk” on deadline day, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The local paper reported on their website Saturday morning (2 September) that Sean Dyche had been left with a “threadbare” squad to face the Blades after allowing Alex Iwobi, Neal Maupay and Tom Cannon to all leave before the window shut without bringing in reinforcements.
The trio of exits are said to be down to “a desire on Everton’s part not to gamble on players they were unsure of”, but amid an injury crisis has left the manager short.
Iwobi made a late £22million switch to Fulham after deciding he wouldn’t extend his contract at Goodison, Maupay returned to Brentford on loan for the rest of the season, while Cannon made a permanent exit to Leicester City.
The Toffees had been tipped to be the “busiest” club in the Premier League on deadline day with “plates spinning” on incoming moves, but a late push for Willy Gnonto again failed and nobody else came in.
Back to reality
There were some positive elements from another difficult transfer window, in that Beto became the senior striker that had long been sought, and Youssef Chermiti is another option at the problem position.
Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma are both sound options out wide as well, so four attacking arrivals is a boost, but the Leeds man is not yet fit, and ex-Sporting youngster Chermiti may be a development project.
And while in isolation it makes sense to take a good fee for Iwobi if he was in line to leave for free next year, and Maupay is better off somewhere else, a thin squad in certain areas to end last season has ended up with similar numbers at the end of the summer.
Beto and Chermiti will need to be an upgrade on Ellis Simms and Cannon, while Demarai Gray is going to have to be reintegrated at the last minute thanks to Iwobi leaving and nobody else arriving.
That might all be fine if injuries hadn’t struck so heavily already, and if the two home defeats so far had brought in the points they really should have done.
Everton fans will be grimly familiar with concern about developments at the club, and an odd deadline day won’t have done much to help, but a result at Bramall Lane and getting some players fit again could quickly change that.
In other Everton news, a surprise late double-deal fell through on deadline day.