The biggest controversy of the summer transfer window happened on Deadline Day, involving three clubs and two players. Chelsea, Everton and Monaco ended up very frustrated as Folarin Balogun opted against joining Everton at the last minute after Monaco had earlier pulled out of a deal to sell Lamine Camara to Chelsea, who wanted the midfielder as their Enzo Fernandez replacement. The two Premier League sides were particularly left fuming about the situation.
Here, Sky Sports News takes you inside why both deals collapsed on a dramatic end to Deadline Day… Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Monaco needed to make a sale to help resolve a debt issue, while Everton needed a striker. Balogun became a solution for both parties, and a £40m agreement was reached - but then came the first issue with the deal. There was a problem with the USA international's medical after Everton found evidence of an injury, which Monaco and the player refuted, claiming he was fit to play immediately.
With the 11pm deadline approaching, Everton decided to proceed with the transfer but attempted to renegotiate the deal on cheaper terms in case the injury left him unable to play. The club-to-club deal became much more performance-related, with clauses inserted that meant Monaco would get less money if Balogun could not play. Crucially, it is understood nothing changed with Balogun's personal terms.
Amid a renegotiation of the Balogun deal, Chelsea reached an agreement with Monaco to sign midfielder Camara as a replacement for Fernandez, who was set to join Manchester City in a joint-British record £125m deal. Meanwhile, Everton made a loan offer for Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee, which was rejected. Sky Sports News understands Everton offered to pay a total fee of around £10m for Zirkzee, which included his wages for the season and a loan fee.
But the feeling at Old Trafford was that Everton's approach came too late and was not of value. The Toffees' pursuit of Zirkzee is what upset Balogun, who felt the club were going behind his back to sign someone else. Balogun's unhappiness with Everton was revealed by Monaco chief Thiago Scuro at a press conference on Wednesday.
He said: "Balogun's allegation is that I'm not feeling well because of the way the club treated me. "I'm not feeling well because Everton's medical department brought doubts about my future or my health. "I have nothing (no medical problem), so I'm not comfortable to sign a long contract here." Everton are understood to be surprised at the allegation that Balogun was made to feel unwanted, given they never renegotiated his personal terms and clearly wanted to get the deal done.
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