Atalanta have completed the £25 million signing of Almeria striker El Bilal Toure after Everton missed out on the chance to bring the Serie A-bound forward to the Premier League.
Toffees boss Sean Dyche wasn’t lying when he said Everton were struggling to bring in new players during what he described as a ‘tough’ window.
“It’s a tough market,” Dyche told The Athletic over the weekend. “There’s only so much that we can do so we’re working very hard — I can assure everyone of that — to construct deals that can work.”
Everton still need a striker
Everton have not spent a penny so far; veteran Ashley Young arriving for free and Arnaut Danjuma joining on loan from Villarreal. And while Everton do at least have some money to spend – funds freed up by the big-money departures of Moise Kean and Anthony Gordon – years of near-constant underachievement do not exactly make Goodison Park a dream destination for budding youngsters looking to reach the next level.
Take El Bilal Toure, for instance.
According to i News, Everton agreed a fee with Almeria earlier this month. Sky Sports add that a medical had been scheduled too, while Almeria’s CEO also confirmed that an offer had arrived from the Merseyside outfit.
But the chance to join Atalanta instead – a club renowned for setting talented up-and-comers on their way to stardom – was one Toure could not turn down. It’s fitting that the 21-year-old replaces Rasmus Hojlund, the deadly Dane joining Manchester United after just one season in Bergamo.
“Now I’m here, I’ll do my best to sweat (for) this shirt,” Toure smiles. “Come on Atalanta!”
Everton have also missed out on Rodrigo Moreno, while the Spaniard’s former Leeds United team-mate Wilfried Gnonto looks likely to stay put at Elland Road after the Toffees saw a £19 million bid rejected.
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