Deadline day ends with late drama

UPDATE - 12:37am BST

Of course this deadline day wasn’t going to go quietly into the night was it? Long after the window closed, reports are coming through that the Arouna Kone loan deal to Crystal Palace has fallen through. Click below for more details.

While it was widely expected that there would be no more additions to the Everton senior squad today, there was a sense of hope likely instilled from idle chatter that there could be a surprise move today. Unfortunately, there were no more signings today, just more players shown the door.

Ronald Koeman had warned the fans multiple times during the January transfer window that he would not bring in players for the sake of it, and was only looking for certain qualities that would improve the side.

So, despite Jim White’s best attempts at drumming up interest (and the ratings), whatever Farhad Moshiri had told him about there likely being one or two signings on deadline day, proved to be unfounded.

The only activity Everton were engaged in during the transfer window was of the outgoing variety, as a lot of the players from the Roberto Martinez regime were either sold or went out on loan.

Fondly known as the ‘deadwood’, here’s all the players that Koeman cleared out in January -

· January 12, 2017 – Tom Cleverley, to Watford FC (loan)

· January 13, 2017 – Oumar Niasse, to Hull City (loan)

· January 23, 2017 – Gerard Deulofeu, to AC Milan (loan)

· January 30, 2017 – Bryan Oviedo, to Sunderland

· January 30, 2017 – Darron Gibson, to Sunderland

· January 31, 2017 – Arouna Koné, to Crystal Palace (loan)

In an interesting change of policy, Everton also made a determined effort to send out members of the Under-23 squad out on loan to get more playing time.

· January 1, 2017 – Delial Brewster, to Southport

· January 2, 2017 – Conor Grant, to Doncaster Rovers

· January 14, 2017 – Callum Connolly, to Wigan Athletic

· January 18, 2017 – Gethin Jones, to Barnsley

· January 27, 2017 – Russell Griffiths, to Motherwell

· January 30, 2017 – Tyias Browning, to Preston North End

· January 31, 2017 – Conor McAleny, to Oxford United

· January 31, 2017 – Calum Dyson, to Grimsby Town

· January 31, 2017 – Leandro Rodriguez, to Waasland Beveren

Everton have certainly cleared out the cupboards at USM Finch Farm and look well-poised to make some significant signings in the upcoming transfer window. A number of players have been linked with the Toffees for moves this summer, and after leaving the squad as thin as it is now, you can expect Koeman to reinforce at every position.

We’ll have more analysis in the coming days, but for now the squad Koeman has is what he’s going to have to work with until the end of the season in the battle for a spot in European football.