Everton perhaps didn’t have the January window many imagined.
The Toffees made just one addition, with Carlos Alcaraz joining from Flamengo on an initial loan deal which will become permanent if certain clauses are met.
David Moyes wanted a striker after injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Armando Broja, but despite Hamza Igamane’s links to Goodison Park, they decided to keep their powder dry.
The Friedkin Group also pulled out of a late deal to sign Tom Fellows, having tabled a £10m bid, so naturally, there was a sense of disappointment among supporters when the window slammed shut last week.
With that said, in a rare interview, Everton sporting director Kevin Thelwell has given his honest assessment of the winter window.
Kevin Thelwell very pleased with Carlos Alcaraz and Harrison Armstrong deals
Asked about how he feels the January transfer window went, Thelwell told EvertonTV that he was really pleased with the addition of Alcaraz and noted that Harrison Armstrong’s loan was equally as important.
“We always knew it was going to be tough and we always knew it was going to be difficult to bring in new bodies.
“Really pleased to get Charly (Alcaraz) in. (He’s) a player we watched for some time, obviously Argentina international.
“We liked him before when he played at Southampton and followed him and tracked him when he went to Flamengo.
“And yeah, good to get him in the building and I think he’ll provide us with a lot of intensity, a lot of energy and he’s always a very good football, so really pleased with that.
“But probably just as pleasing is Harrison Armstrong out, in particular, because he’s a young player that’s been with the first team a lot this season, but unfortunately because of our circumstances, he’s not managed to get so many minutes and so he needs to go and play, hopefully get a load of experience data very, very good level.”
Thelwell says Everton essentially saved money for a ‘big summer’
Thelwell also shared that Everton very much had one eye on the summer window – which is expected to be a very transformative period for the squad – so they only wanted to recruit if it made financial sense.
Speaking about the club’s mindset going into the window, the chief said: “If there was opportunity in the marketplace, we should try and do it, but if there wasn’t, we should keep out powder dry for what is going to be a very big summer for all of us to make sure we get it exactly right and that’s where we go to in the end really.”
With the move from Goodison to Bramley-Moore Dock on the horizon, there’s certainly a lot to be excited about as an Everton fan.
And, it sounds as though there could be some blockbuster signings to come.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
