Everton have had a disastrous January transfer window with the hijacking of their deal for Arnaut Danjuma alongside Anthony Gordon’s exit but on deadline day, a reliable source delivered another blow to the Toffees.
What’s the latest?
According to The Athletic’s football correspondent David Ornstein, Everton were rejected by Fenerbahçe striker Michy Batshuayi after exploring a potential move for the player.
Ornstein tweeted: “Everton explored #DeadlineDay move for Michy Batshuayi from Fenerbahce – but 28yo Belgium striker happy at Turkish club having found stability & good coach in Jorge Jesus. He would only have switched for a stable project.”
Deadline Day blunder
Considering the fact that signing a striker has been a matter of extreme urgency even before they lost Gordon, Farhad Moshiri has had a huge blunder by leaving it until Deadline Day to make an approach for Michy Batshuayi, limiting their chances of exploring other potential options due to the time sensitivity.
The disruptive yet unproductive month that has unfolded at Goodison Park this month has been a testament to the dire situation the side have found themselves in with another relegation fight looming over their remaining 18 fixtures.
The Toffees are currently 19th in the Premier League table after their first 20 outings due to a string of inconsistent performances and a lack of goal contributions hindering their opportunities to pick up crucial points so far.
As a result, the signing of a player like Batshuayi would have been a great piece of business for Everton and one that was previously explored in the summer by his former Chelsea boss and recently departed Toffees manager Frank Lampard.
Can Sean Dyche save Everton’s season?
Yes
No
Over 412 career appearances so far, the £90k-per-week striker – who was dubbed a “real goal-scorer” by Peter Stoger – has scored 157 goals and registered 40 assists with a goal contribution every 121 minutes.
They are impressive numbers, but what would also have been even more appealing for the Toffees is his experience of English football already, scoring 15 Premier League goals at Chelsea.
He is a consistent and reliable goal threat who could have been a very valuable asset for Dyche if the club could’ve struck a deal today.
Unfortunately, the newly-appointed manager will have to work with what he already has in the Everton squad over the second half of the season and the Goodison Park faithful will be hoping Dyche’s experience can carry the team out of trouble by the end of the season.
