The 2-0 win over Crystal Palace has not lulled Everton into complacency. It has done the opposite. A strong start has sharpened the club’s focus, not softened it, and behind the scenes David Moyes is driving one of the most aggressive late-window pushes Goodison Park has seen in years.
A striker. A right-back. A left-back. A centre-back. Four positions, all live, all being worked hard. This is not a club admiring its early-season reflection. It is one trying to remodel the squad while the points are still flowing.
Franculino at the heart of the plan
The headline name is clear enough: Franculino.
Everton have not just stumbled across the Midtjylland forward in a late-window panic. They have tracked the 22-year-old for a long time and, crucially, have now held fresh talks with his representatives after extensive scouting. That signals intent. Groundwork is done, dossiers are written, the risk is calculated.
The numbers are compelling. Franculino has 58 goals in 115 games for Midtjylland, a return that jumps off the page for a player still only 22. A move earlier in the year was derailed by injury, but he is now fully fit and, importantly, open to a Premier League switch.
TeamTalk report that around €25 million (£21.4m / $29.2m) could be enough to get him out of Denmark this summer. Newcastle United are also credited with interest, which adds an edge to Everton’s pursuit. This is not a free run.
Everton’s urgency in that position is tied directly to Beto. The club are anticipating offers for the striker before the deadline, but the stance is firm: he does not leave unless a replacement is lined up. Franculino fits that brief. So, in a different way, does Zian Flemming of Burnley, another name under consideration.
Then there is Richarlison. The Brazilian’s situation at Tottenham has opened the door to speculation over a return to Merseyside, with claims that he would jump at the chance to re-join his former club if Spurs sanction a sale. For supporters, that is an emotional pull as much as a tactical one, but for Moyes it would still have to make football and financial sense.
Right-back: the long-running problem
If one area has nagged at Everton for months, it is right-back. Internally, it has been treated as one of the most pressing issues in the squad, and that view has not shifted.
Guela Doue of Strasbourg has been the preferred target for some time. Everton have made multiple approaches for the Ivorian international, but he has been holding out for a move to a Champions League club. Now Paris Saint-Germain are being mentioned in that conversation, the landscape looks trickier.
The risk is obvious: spend too long chasing a player who has his eyes fixed elsewhere, and the window closes on you. Everton cannot afford that. Daniel Munoz at Crystal Palace remains under serious consideration and, unlike Doue, feels more attainable if the money is right. Palace are open to offers and value him at around £25 million.
This is where Moyes’ resolve will be tested. Does he keep pushing for Doue and hope the market breaks his way, or pivot decisively to Munoz, a more proven, ready-made option for the Premier League? The clock is ticking, and the right-back slot cannot be left to chance.
Full-back balance and centre-back contingencies
On the opposite flank, the logic is simpler. Everton want a left-back to compete with Vitaliy Mykolenko and to give the squad better balance across a demanding campaign. Nice defender Melvin Bard is among those assessed, and the brief is clear: raise the floor of the squad, not just the ceiling.
At centre-back, the situation is more fluid and depends heavily on outgoings. TeamTalk report that Everton look set to make a late move for a new central defender because Jake O’Brien could leave before the deadline. Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Sunderland are all mentioned as possible destinations for him.
Again, the principle is non-negotiable. O’Brien does not go unless a replacement comes in. Everton have been burned too often by leaving themselves short in key areas; this window is being shaped by a determination not to repeat that mistake.
A different kind of Everton window
Strip away the noise and a pattern emerges. This is not scattergun, end-of-window scrambling. It looks like a club trying to stay disciplined while remaining nimble enough to react to exits and opportunities.
If Moyes lands even two or three of these targets – a striker like Franculino, a starting-calibre right-back, and one of the defensive reinforcements – the shape of Everton’s squad by deadline day could be materially different from the one that started the season so brightly.
From an Everton perspective, the approach feels overdue. Addressing a striker, two full-backs and a centre-back in one burst is not indulgence; it is structural work. It speaks to a manager who wants more reliability, more athleticism, and real competition in every line of the pitch.
Franculino, with his 58 goals in 115 games and a price that looks attainable, is the intriguing swing. If Beto departs and Everton replace him with a younger, upwardly mobile forward, it would send a clear signal about the direction of travel.
The right-back call, though, might define how this window is remembered. Stick or twist on Doue? Pay up for Munoz? Everton have started the season well. Now comes the harder part: turning a promising August into a stronger, deeper squad by the time the window slams shut.
