Everton were left to lament a 'work permit issue' as they ended deadline day without welcoming any fresh faces to Goodison Park, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.
Sean Dyche went into the final day of the January window looking to welcome reinforcements into the Toffees' squad, having taken over as manager yesterday, but he was left frustrated as the 11pm cut-off passed.
GiveMeSport Transfer Update With Dean Jones
Everton transfer news - Deadline day business
According to The Athletic, Everton saw a late bid for Watford winger Ismaila Sarr rejected as no new additions headed to Merseyside.
The report suggests the Toffees wanted to pay £2million to take the Senegal international on loan for the remainder of the season, before the deal would have been made permanent for £30million if Dyche steered his side to Premier League safety, but the Hornets insisted they were unwilling to do business.
It was not the first setback Everton suffered on deadline day as Rennes wide-man Kamaldeen Sulemana favoured a move to Southampton instead of Goodison Park.
Respected journalist Jones has told GiveMeSport that the Toffees were held back and unable to get into bidding wars due to their inability to put lucrative contract offers on the table.
What has Dean Jones said about the situation?
Jones understands that Everton's financial situation made it difficult to lure targets to Merseyside on temporary deals.
The transfer insider is aware the Premier League strugglers were close to signing an attacker in the final hours of the January window, but a failure to secure a work permit resulted in the deal being dead in the water.
Jones told GiveMeSport: "As the night wore on, I know they were still looking at options. But everything came back to finances - either loan fees or wages have been causing trouble.
"With one attacker, they looked like they might have a breakthrough, but then there was a work permit issue. It was a bad day."
Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know
Could Everton make any signings outside of the window?
According to The Independent, Everton are in advanced talks to sign free agent Andre Ayew as they look to give their Premier League survival hopes a boost.
The Ghana international is a free agent after his Al Sadd contract was terminated by mutual consent on Sunday, meaning he could be tempted to Merseyside beyond tonight’s deadline.
But Everton are still facing competition for Ayew as West Ham United, Bournemouth, Southampton and Nottingham Forest have also shown an interest.
Having previously been on the books of West Ham and Swansea City, the 33-year-old has already scored 21 goals and registered a further 12 assists in the Premier League, according to Transfermarkt.
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