Despite the transfer window slamming shut, Everton could yet reportedly turn towards the free agent market and welcome another reinforcement to round off their summer business.
Everton transfer news
It's no surprise that Everton are still assessing their options when it comes to further additions after starting the season in dismal form, losing their first three Premier League games and conceding nine goals in the process. Their latest defeat was arguably their worst yet, as Bournemouth came from two goals down to secure all three points with three goals in the final six minutes.
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Such a collapse follows a solid summer of incomings, with the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom arriving to hand Sean Dyche plenty of promise. Of course, that hope has since evaporated entirely at Goodison Park, with the Toffees once again staring down the barrel of a fight for survival in the early stages of the campaign.
In need of further reinforcements, reports suggest that those at Goodison Park have already turned their attention towards the January transfer window – and specifically Luton Town's Elijah Adebayo in a deal worth between £15m and £20m. The forward would add the firepower that the Toffees are currently lacking and could join a free agent that Everton know all about.
According to Alan Myers, Everton could yet re-sign Dele Alli following the expiry of his contract earlier this summer, with the midfielder still recovering from injury at the Merseyside club. Dyche has spoken about getting him match-ready, and it seems that the door is not fully closed on a Goodison return.
It's been a torrid few years for Alli, who plummeted from stardom to Goodison Park failure, amid handling personal issues away from the pitch. Since attempting to get back on track, even whilst struggling with injury setbacks, the former Tottenham Hotspur man is now a free agent following the expiry of his contract this summer.
At 28 years old, Alli could still be handed a lifeline by Everton and one that may yet result in one of football's greatest-ever comebacks.
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Ensuring that he's ready to return on both a physical and mental level should be the priority for Alli once he is ready, Everton may well be in a position to land a player who was once on course to follow in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Success is far from linear, however, and if Dyche can get the former England international back to his best, Everton could have a gamechanger up their sleeve.
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At his best, Alli has won over plenty of managers, particularly building a special relationship with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who had words of support for the midfielder when he revealed his personal struggles in an interview with Gary Neville last year.
Pochettino told the press via The Mirror: "He knows how we [Pochettino and his staff] love him, how important he is for us as a person. Like a player, he was amazing, but like a person he has a big, big heart. And of course, we are in contact."
Of course, at this stage, Alli remains without a club, but the narrative for the ultimate comeback is there to be written, be that at Everton or elsewhere.