Everton's Balogun deadline-day collapse sends fans into open revolt against Friedkin and Kinnear

Everton's deadline day fell apart in humiliating fashion, leaving owners The Friedkin Group and chief executive Angus Kinnear facing a full-blown mutiny from their own supporters. The collapse of Folarin Balogun's proposed £40m switch from AS Monaco was the final straw for fans already angered by the near-sale of home-grown teenager Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest, a deal the board eventually blocked amid a toxic reaction from the stands.

• The Balogun deal was renegotiated in the early hours after issues emerged during his medical.
• The striker walked away from Finch Farm without signing despite both clubs agreeing terms.
• Alternative moves for Joshua Zirkzee and Tammy Abraham failed to materialise.
• Everton sold Beto to Fiorentina and lost Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for £65m.
• Fans have called for Kinnear's removal and The 1878s group has stood down in protest.

The Balogun saga: from signed deal sheet to walking out of Finch Farm

The move for Balogun looked set to be completed after Tuesday's 23:00 BST deadline. Everton, Monaco and the player had all signed the deal sheet allowing the transfer to be finalised beyond the cut-off. But problems piled up from the start of the day: the scheduled 8am flight to bring the American to Merseyside was delayed, and documents from Monaco took longer than expected to arrive.

The real turning point came during the medical. Concerns raised in those tests led Everton to restructure the payment, lowering the initial fee and tying further sums to future progress. The player's personal terms were untouched. Even so, a fresh agreement with Monaco was struck minutes before the deadline. By then, Balogun had changed his mind.

The former Arsenal forward left Finch Farm without putting pen to paper. Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro told reporters that the 25-year-old was "not comfortable" with how Everton handled him during the medical process. The Merseyside club maintain they supported Balogun throughout and made clear they would work with Monaco to find a way to revive the transfer.

The late striker options that slipped away from Everton

With Balogun's medical causing alarm, Everton turned to emergency alternatives. A loan for Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee was explored, but Old Trafford refused to let him leave. Tammy Abraham was also considered, though the striker wanted to stay at Aston Villa and the move went no further.

The only attacking business done was an outgoing one, with Beto completing his £15.5m transfer to Fiorentina hours before the window shut. It came as Iliman Ndiaye, Everton's most creative player, was finalising his £65m move to Manchester City.

Kinnear under fire: from a squad "in a good place" to calls for his exit

Angus Kinnear's recent interview with BBC Radio Merseyside has not aged well. The chief executive said the squad was "in a good place" and that the challenge was to bring in the best possible player for every position. He also relayed the American owners' view that missing out on Europe last season was a "failure". It was a claim Moyes admitted came as a surprise.

The challenge is we want to get the absolute best player we can in their position. Our metric is that by the close of the transfer window we have achieved that.

The window's finale has turned the spotlight on the boardroom rather than the Scottish manager. Fan groups have launched a petition calling for Kinnear's resignation. The criticism centres on planning, recruitment and decision-making at a club that ended the market with just one senior striker, Thierno Barry.

Moyes left with a thin squad and glaring gaps in key positions

The Everton boss must now work with only 18 senior outfield players. The lack of cover is not limited to attack. Ashley Maitland-Niles, signed from Lyon for £3m, is the only recognised right-back, while Vitaliy Mykolenko stands alone on the left after young Adam Aznou was allowed to join Malaga on loan.

Even the pursuit of a right-back was not straightforward. A £9.4m deal for Fulham's Kenny Tete fell through because the Cottagers could not line up a replacement. Maitland-Niles was announced shortly after midnight. Jack Grealish did arrive on loan from Manchester City, one of the few bright spots on a chaotic day.

Fans fight back: the Armstrong near-miss and The 1878s standing down

The anger had been brewing before the final day. Everton narrowly avoided a PR disaster by pulling out of the sale of 19-year-old Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest. The academy product is viewed as the club's most promising young talent since the days of Wayne Rooney, and the furious backlash forced the board into a rethink. The Balogun debacle then reopened the wound.

The 1878s, the volunteer group behind the large flags, banners and tifos at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, announced they are "standing down for the foreseeable future" in protest. In a statement, they described the end of the window as "utterly disappointing and disgusting" and explained that stadium rules prevent them from displaying offensive or derogatory wording on their flags, despite fans urging them to show their anger in the ground.

A window with signings but a squad weaker than when it started

Beyond Grealish and Maitland-Niles, Everton also brought in Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, the previous season's PFA Championship Player of the Year. Christian Norgaard arrived from Arsenal, though the 32-year-old Dane is currently injured with no clear return date. Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George, who spent last year on loan, were confirmed, and Brennan Johnson joined from Crystal Palace in a straight swap involving Dwight McNeil.

Yet the overall verdict is that Everton have ended the window weaker than they started it. After the Carabao Cup win at Preston, Moyes said: "I still think we have got a lot of work to do. We need more players. Our squad is not big enough and we need to get more quality in some areas if we can." The club has made no public statement on the deadline-day fallout. The damage with the fanbase, however, is already done.

Everton transfer deadline day: frequently asked questions