The final straw for fans was the bungled final day before the window closed, which saw Folarin Balogun's proposed £40m move from AS Monaco descend into high farce. The United States striker decided to walk away from Everton's Finch Farm training base without signing after issues arose with his medical.
Everton had scheduled an 8am flight to bring Balogun to Merseyside, but he was unable to arrive until later in the day. The club were also frustrated at a delay in receiving documents related to the deal from Monaco. When the problem with his medical cropped up, it prompted Everton to pursue a loan deal for Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee, who was happy to sign but was not allowed to leave Old Trafford.