Deadline Day had already delivered its fair share of twists, but the extraordinary saga involving Folarin Balogun, Lamine Camara, Everton, Chelsea and Monaco took the chaos to another level. What began as a straightforward move for Balogun quickly spiralled into a series of late negotiations and reversals.
His medical put the Everton transfer in doubt; Chelsea then seized the opportunity to agree a deal for Camara, only for Everton’s decision to renegotiate with Monaco to prompt the French club to pull out of its agreement with Chelsea. Everton eventually revived the Balogun move, but the striker changed his mind and rejected the transfer, leaving both Premier League clubs empty-handed.
Everton had agreed a deal worth around 40 million pounds with Monaco on Monday night for Balogun, who was expected to replace Beto after the Brazilian completed his move to Fiorentina. Balogun travelled to Merseyside around lunchtime on Tuesday for his medical, but complications during the examination raised doubts over whether the transfer could be completed before the deadline.
With the clock ticking, Everton began exploring alternatives and approached Manchester United about taking Joshua Zirkzee on loan with an option to buy. United rejected the proposal, forcing Everton to return to Monaco and find a way to keep the Balogun transfer alive.
Chelsea had already made two unsuccessful bids for Camara and were considering other midfield options. The club had also agreed to sell Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for 125 million pounds and had initially been prepared to begin the season without another midfielder.
The uncertainty around Balogun changed Monaco’s position and gave Chelsea an opening. The Blues moved quickly and reached an agreement with Monaco for the 22-year-old Senegal international, who was set to sign a six-year contract with the option of another year.
After weeks of negotiations, Chelsea believed they had finally secured Camara. A full written agreement was reached between the clubs and the midfielder appeared set to move to Stamford Bridge.
Everton, however, were still working to rescue their own deal. They returned to Monaco, renegotiated the terms of Balogun’s transfer and reached fresh agreement. A deal sheet was then submitted to the Premier League, giving the clubs additional time to complete the move.
With Balogun’s transfer back on, Monaco reconsidered its agreement with Chelsea and withdrew from the Camara deal. The decision left Chelsea furious, particularly because the club believed the agreement had already been settled in writing.
Chelsea had already allowed Fernandez to leave for Manchester City and were now without the midfield reinforcement they had expected to bring in. Their late move for Camara had looked like the answer, but the opportunity disappeared as quickly as it had emerged.
Everton appeared to have overcome the problems that had threatened Balogun’s transfer, with the medical concerns addressed and the deal sheet giving them extra time to complete the move. Yet the striker had the final say.
Just after midnight, Balogun changed his mind and decided against joining Everton. After a full day of negotiations, the proposed transfer collapsed, leaving Everton without the forward they had spent hours trying to sign and Monaco without the sale that had shaped its decision over Camara.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: THE DEADLINE DAY TIMELINE
- Monday night: Everton agree a deal worth around 40 million pounds with Monaco for Folarin Balogun.
- Tuesday, around lunchtime: Balogun arrives in Merseyside for his Everton medical.
- Tuesday afternoon: Complications during the medical put the transfer in doubt.
- Tuesday afternoon: Everton explore alternatives and approach Manchester United about Joshua Zirkzee on loan with an option to buy.
- Tuesday evening: Manchester United reject Everton’s proposal for Zirkzee.
- Tuesday evening: Chelsea reach an agreement with Monaco for Lamine Camara after two earlier bids had been rejected.
- Tuesday night: Everton return to Monaco to renegotiate Balogun’s transfer.
- Late Tuesday: Everton and Monaco agree fresh terms and submit a deal sheet to the Premier League to keep the transfer alive.
- Late Tuesday: Monaco withdraw from its agreement to sell Camara to Chelsea after the Balogun deal is revived.
- Just after midnight: Balogun changes his mind and decides against joining Everton.
- End of Deadline Day: Balogun and Camara remain Monaco players.
The consequences are particularly concerning for Everton. Beto has already departed for Fiorentina and Zirkzee remains at Manchester United after the late approach was rejected. Balogun was brought in to solve the problem up front, but his decision leaves Thierno Barry as Everton’s only recognised senior striker until January.
Everton also lost Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for a reported 65 million pounds, although David Moyes did bring in Jack Grealish on loan before the window closed.
Chelsea are left with a problem of their own. After agreeing to sell Fernandez to Manchester City for 125 million pounds, they had accepted that their midfield might not be strengthened further. Camara changed that calculation, but Monaco’s late decision left Chelsea without the player they had spent much of the summer trying to sign.
Monaco ended the night without completing either deal. Camara stayed, Balogun stayed and two transfers that had appeared close to completion had both fallen through.
By the time the window closed, Everton had gone from expecting Balogun to having no new senior striker, Chelsea had gone from believing Camara was theirs to watching the agreement disappear, and Monaco had somehow kept both players after negotiating their departures for much of the day.
That is what made this Deadline Day so difficult to predict. A medical problem changed one transfer, that opened the door for another, a late renegotiation closed that door, and then the player at the centre of the original deal walked away anyway. Everton, Chelsea and Monaco all thought they were close to getting what they wanted. None of them finished the night that way.
– Ends
