Everton's Transfer Window Strategy: Targeting Key Positions
Everton’s window is speeding up, not winding down.
The 2-0 win over Crystal Palace has underlined the progress made under David Moyes, but it has not dulled the club’s sense of urgency. If anything, the early form has sharpened the focus. Behind the scenes, Goodison Park is braced for a frantic finish to the window, with multiple deals being pushed hard.
TeamTalk report that Everton are lining up late moves in four positions: striker, right-back, left-back and centre-back. That is not a light touch-up. That is a manager trying to remodel the spine and the flanks of his squad in one hit.
Franculino at the heart of attacking rethink
Front and centre of that plan sits Franculino.
Everton have tracked the Midtjylland forward for a long time and, crucially, this is no last-minute punt. Fresh talks have been held with the 22-year-old’s representatives, with the club having already scouted him extensively. The groundwork is done; this is a live target, not a name plucked from a spreadsheet in panic.
His numbers jump off the page: 58 goals in 115 games for Midtjylland. That is a serious return for a player still in the early stages of his career. A move earlier this year stalled after injury, but he is now fully fit and, according to the report, open to a switch to the Premier League.
TeamTalk suggest that a fee of around €25m (£21.4m / $29.2m) could be enough to get him out of Denmark. Newcastle are also credited with interest, which only adds to the tension around any late bid.
Everton’s pursuit of a striker is tied directly to Beto. The club are said to be anticipating offers for the forward before the deadline, but the stance is firm: he will not be allowed to leave unless a replacement is lined up first. Franculino fits that brief. So does Burnley’s Zian Flemming, who has also been considered.
Then there is the familiar name. Richarlison. The report claims the Brazilian “would jump at the chance” to return to his former club, with Tottenham weighing up a sale. That prospect alone will stir Everton supporters, but any move would still have to make financial and tactical sense in a squad Moyes is trying to refresh, not simply rewind.
Right-back hunt drags on as targets weigh options
If the striker situation is fluid, right-back is simply non-negotiable.
Inside the club, that position has been viewed as one of the most pressing priorities for months, and nothing has changed. TeamTalk are clear: signing a new right-back remains at the top of Everton’s to-do list.
Strasbourg’s Guela Doue has long been the preferred option. Everton have made multiple approaches for the Ivorian international, but the player has been holding out for a Champions League move. Now Paris Saint-Germain are being mentioned as a possible destination. That changes the dynamic.
If Doue waits for Europe’s elite, Everton cannot afford to sit on their hands. The risk of being dragged along into the final days, only to be left short, is obvious.
Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz is the main alternative and “remains under serious consideration”. Palace are thought to be open to offers, with a valuation around £25m. That is a substantial outlay, but Munoz arrives with Premier League experience and a more predictable adaptation curve. With the clock ticking, certainty has value.
Full-back balance and centre-back contingency
On the opposite flank, Everton are also working.
Nice left-back Melvin Bard is among the players being assessed as the club look for competition for Vitaliy Mykolenko. The logic is straightforward: over a long, demanding season, Everton cannot afford to be one injury away from imbalance in a key defensive area. Depth at left-back has been an issue before; they do not want to relive it.
At centre-back, the situation is more reactive. Movement there hinges on outgoings, specifically Jake O’Brien. TeamTalk report that Everton look set to make a late move for a new central defender if, as expected, O’Brien leaves before the deadline. Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Sunderland are all mentioned as possible destinations for him.
The stance mirrors the Beto scenario. Everton will not sanction O’Brien’s exit without a replacement ready to come in. It is a clear attempt to avoid the familiar trap of weakening the squad late in the window without the means to fix it.
A window with a clear plan
Strip away the noise and a pattern emerges.
This is not a club thrashing around in the final week. The targets – a striker, two full-backs and a centre-back – line up neatly with obvious needs. The profile Moyes is chasing is equally clear: more reliability, more athleticism, more competition in every line of the team.
Franculino is the standout swing. A 22-year-old with 58 goals in 115 games, potentially available for around £21.4m, is exactly the sort of upwardly mobile forward Everton have too often watched from afar. If Beto goes, replacing him with a player whose trajectory points up, not sideways, would send a strong message.
Right-back, though, feels like the tipping point of this window. If Guela Doue continues to wait on the Champions League, Everton will have to decide how long they are prepared to hold their nerve before turning fully to Daniel Munoz or another alternative. Get that call wrong, and an obvious weakness lingers into the autumn.
Everton have started the season well. The opportunity now is to turn a promising opening into something more durable by backing the manager’s plan in the final days of the market. The question is simple: can they turn intent into signatures before the window slams shut?
