Summary Demarai Gray is on the verge of moving to Saudi Arabia with Everton having missed out on a perfect replacement. They lodged several bid to sign a £25m winger during the transfer window. He's been described as "electric" and already boasts Premier League experience.
Everton’s summer business was largely quite astute given their financial woes, but there remains one failed target that Sean Dyche could live to rue given recent developments regarding Demarai Gray.
Why is Demarai Gray leaving Everton?
Gray’s proposed move to Saudi Arabia has been well-documented, with journalist Alan Myers having noted of interest even back in mid-July.
So, when Deadline Day came and went without the Toffees bringing in any wide reinforcements, it seemed like the Jamaica international was poised to be reintegrated back into the squad after days of training alone.
The winger had other ideas. A questionable Instagram story gave his feelings on the stuttering Saudi switch, as he seemingly aimed a dig at Dyche.
The former Burnley boss then responded with his views on the matter, in an interview with the club: “Demarai made it clear that he felt he was getting a move and he told us a move was done, which was interesting to hear from a player.
“We reminded him of the truth of the fact that no moves are done without this club’s say so. That’s the truth of it.”
Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Free
Arnaut Danjuma (Villarreal)
Loan
Youssef Chermiti (Sporting CP)
£15m
Jack Harrison (Leeds United)
Loan
Beto (Udinese)
£25.8m
All fees via Sky Sports
Despite that, it now seems like Gray will get his wish and finally depart Goodison Park, leaving them incredibly light on the wings and no transfer window to hand them some respite.
If only they had succeeded in their continued pursuit of Wilfried Gnonto.
Did Everton nearly sign Wilfried Gnonto?
In an effort to clearly replace the former Leicester City wantaway, Dyche put all his eggs in Gnonto’s basket.
The Merseyside outfit saw three bids rejected, the highest of which reached £25m (via Sky Sports live transfer blog), and despite the 19-year-old even handing in a transfer request, it was a failed venture in the end. He remained in Yorkshire, with Leeds United coming out on top.
His presence would have made for a sensational piece of business now, given Gray’s imminent exit, as not only would he offer the club some much-needed depth, but it could even be argued that the Italy international marked an upgrade on the 27-year-old.
After all, both battled well for relegation-threatened sides, and offered key goal contributions that helped in their pursuit of safety.
With two goals and four assists in the Premier League, Gnonto capped off a fine first year in England by capturing the attention of many. Journalist Phil Hay sought to outline him for praise: “Massive hit on Gnonto who is just electric every time he gets the ball.”
Meanwhile, not only was Gray’s tally of four goals and one assist lower, it must also be noted that two of his strikes came from the penalty spot; also, given his age, he is unlikely to improve at the rate that the Whites’ trickster likely will do.
After all, in his 75 appearances for Everton, he has managed just 18 goal contributions since joining for just £1.7m in 2021.
Despite all that, Dyche is set to be without either, still searching for that first Premier League win of the season. The hope will be that they can get to January still afloat in time to either return to this transfer saga or look elsewhere in the market to secure safety once again.