Sold off their best players too cheaply, snubbed by their dream striker at the last minute: Everton’s transfer window has left fans stunned—and the coach facing an unbelievable shortage.
Fans who create elaborate choreographed displays and support their team in the style of the Ultras are still the exception in the Premier League. But they do exist—at champions Arsenal, for example, and for some time now at Everton FC as well. And the club is so enthusiastic about the “1878s” that it now even donates a portion of the stadium’s beer sales to them.
But for now, the Toffees will have to do without that passionate support. On Wednesday, the “1878s” decided to suspend their activities for the time being. “Just like the rest of our fan base, we are deeply disappointed and outraged by how this transfer window has played out, especially toward the end,” the group wrote after Deadline Day, which both The Guardian and the local Liverpool Echo described as “chaotic.”
Manager David Moyes had publicly called for reinforcements, and club management had made announcements to that effect; instead, the squad—centered around former Freiburg player Merlin Röhl—found itself in a much worse position on Wednesday than it had been on Tuesday morning. Five players left, and only two arrived.
Balogun suddenly changed his mind
The signing of Folarin Balogun, who had gained worldwide fame at the World Cup “thanks” to Donald Trump, was intended to calm the already nervous fans, but fell through at the last moment. According to English media reports, a problem initially arose during the U.S. national team striker’s physical examination.
While they quickly had to scrap ad hoc alternative plans involving Joshua Zirkzee (Manchester United) and Tammy Abraham (Aston Villa), Everton officials renegotiated with Monaco and, around midnight, actually secured more performance-based transfer terms for Balogun —only to then learn that the player had changed his mind and no longer wanted to make the move.
The result: Moyes heads into the first half of the season with just one natural striker—Frenchman Thierno Barry, who scored eight goals in 38 appearances last season. Just earlier that evening, the club had sold forward Beto to Fiorentina. A few hours earlier, Iliman Ndiaye, Moyes’ best offensive player, had moved to Manchester City for around 75 million euros—a deal the title contender, which had just signed two players for more than 130 million euros and cashed in on substitute Savio for nearly 90 million euros, could confidently consider a bargain.
“Self-destructive transfer” narrowly averted
Everton nearly sold off its biggest gem, fan favorite Harrison Armstrong, to Nottingham this summer as well. Following an outcry from the fan base, the club’s leadership narrowly averted this “self-destructive transfer” (Guardian), though the mere idea cast a shadow over the atmosphere. “We thought the potential sale of our greatest young talent was bad enough, but the last 24 hours have topped that,” wrote the “1878s,” who also remained unimpressed by Jack Grealish’s last-minute return.
As of Tuesday, Everton has only 18 professionals on its roster, even though Moyes had said as recently as Saturday that the club “couldn’t afford to lose players.” Yet fans have wanted to compete in Europe long before the move to the modern Hill Dickinson Stadium. Instead, last season’s 13th-place finisher—which got off to a strong start with four points—now faces the prospect of slipping down the table.
Their next Premier League opponents: Manchester United, which spent around 170, Tottenham, which spent around 370, and promoted Ipswich, which invested around 220 million euros. Fans have been waiting in vain for such sums ever since the controversial U.S.-based Friedkin Group took over the club in December 2024.
“The ambitions of the fans and the club are currently out of sync,” the “1878s” noted on behalf of the fanbase. Perhaps the pent-up frustration is at least driving up their donations.
