Everton told not to rule out Jamie Vardy transfer after Folarin Balogun fiasco
Everton may pivot to Jamie Vardy after missing out on Folarin Balogun.
The US international had looked set to join the Toffees for around £40million from Monaco on deadline day.
He was ready to be the marquee signing for David Moyes after a frustrating window at times.
The 25-year-old was at Finch Farm waiting to seal a deal, but his medical clearly didn't go to plan.
Everton stalled for too long, Balogun walked out and they now are in a position where Vardy may be their only option.
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Could Everton sign Jamie Vardy?
There is no doubting that the Blues are in desperate need of a striker.
Beto was let go on deadline day, but the failure to bring in a replacement has left the L3 outfit with just one striker in the shape of Thierno Barry.
That is a crazy situation to be in, especially after Moyes had already moaned about the size of the squad at his disposal.
With the window now shut, the only option is to bring in a free agent if the Scot wants to solve the problem he has on his hands.
Alan Brazil questioned Alan Stubbs on Tuesday via talkSPORT whether Vardy could be the striker that the Toffees move for.
He asked: "Jamie Vardy on a free, would he not be an answer?"
The ex-Everton man was quick to reply: "To be honest, I can't rule anything out at the moment. David will be scratching his head wondering how we've finished this window in the position we're in."
That sums up what has gone wrong for the Blues this summer as the free agent market becomes their only option at this stage.
What free agent strikers are available to Everton right now?
This says a lot about the mess that the Merseysiders have got themselves into.
Unfortunately, Moyes and Co. aren't in a position to complain, they just have to act.
Vardy is an free agent option with great experience in English having won the Premier League with Leicester City.
He is coming off the back of a single season in Italy with Cremonese.
There are other options available for nothing right now, with Karim Benzema, Mauro Icardi and Edinson Cavani without a club.
If Premier League expertise is a desired quality, Anthony Martial, Danny Ings, Jordan Ayew and Michail Antonio are also waiting for a contract.
It's not exactly the best list of names and Vardy may prove to be one of the better options that Everton could move for at this stage.
What a mess.