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Everton rejected a late attempt from Chelsea to sign James Garner on transfer deadline deadline day.
Chelsea made an approach to sign Garner as the West Londoners sought a replacement for Enzo Fernndez, who departed for Manchester City in a British transfer record deal.
According to The Bobble, Chelsea valued Garner at £65million but the approach was rejected. Garner is understood to be happy to stay on Merseyside after a new four-and-a-half year contract in January.
The 25-year-old was named Everton Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season in 2025/26 and made his senior England debut in March. However, he missed out on a place in Thomas Tuchel's final squad for the 2026 World Cup.
It concluded a career-best campaign for Garner, who scored twice and provided seven Premier League assists. He led all Premier League midfielders for percentage of duels won, and ranked in the top 10 in his position for possession won, defensive duels won, and assists per 90 minutes.
Chelsea made multiple approaches for midfielders as Fernandez's exit edged closer. Xabi Alonso's side held talks with TFG-owned AS Roma for Manu Kone, but saw that approach turned down. Chelsea had agreed a deal for AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara but saw the French side pull the plug in the final hours of the window.
Read more - No way back: Everton’s chaotic window leaves key positions bare and faith shattered
Reader Comments (42)
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2 Posted 02/09/2026 at 11:17:21
3 Posted 02/09/2026 at 11:20:13
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Armstrong is staying but in that scenario I'd keep Garner every day of the week.
4 Posted 02/09/2026 at 11:27:29
I believe Armstrong already gives us a comparable level to Garner. Yet there is the potential that his ceiling is much higher.
Is that good enough for you?
If it were between Garner and NDiaye right now to sell - which presumably it was yesterday based on this reporting then Garner shouldve been sold.
5 Posted 02/09/2026 at 11:42:14
These clowns couldn't have signed two or three other players in an evening. Not sensibly!
6 Posted 02/09/2026 at 11:43:34
Tommy#1 - agree to totally, belly-aching laughingly, disagree...
We are a squad in overhaul since 3-4 seasons of relegation form, a decade of blindingly bad management and squad see-sawing. We surely need players to fit the times, and not dreams of Subbuteo. Garner plays multiple positions across the team; we need Swiss Army knives as we ain't no Sushi restaurant.
On another note. I'm sad to see Beto go. I wanted him to do well, he has heart... but then again it was like watching a daddy long-legs play at times...
7 Posted 02/09/2026 at 12:13:32
Why do you think Chelsea wanted him?
8 Posted 02/09/2026 at 12:25:49
9 Posted 02/09/2026 at 12:47:49
Garner has been excellent for us. Gives his all. But his form did drop off a cliff last season -- that's a fact. I think between Rohl, Armstrong, Hackney, Maitland-Niles, Norgaard, and Dewsbury-Hall that we can cope without Garner.
Put it this way: had we sold Garner and had Richarlison, Balogun, Ndiaye, Maitland-Niles and Grealish -- which in theory could've happened -- this would be a much stronger position than having Garner, Grealish and Maitland-Niles -- which is where we are at.
The Subutteo players comment is a joke -- Ndiaye has been a brilliant player for Everton, he is much better than a luxury player. Whereas Garner is not too much better than a utility player -- albeit a good one. One that has 3 Premier League goals in 112 appearances.
10 Posted 02/09/2026 at 12:51:05
It would also have meant we wouldn't have needed Grealish on his truly astronomical wages, whose absence, under the new SCR rules, would have given us quite a bit of leeway to deploy our younger players. Like a good specialist full-back.
But what's done is done. This one ended badly... like so many before it.
11 Posted 02/09/2026 at 12:57:03
Maybe we should really get Kevin Thelwell back.
12 Posted 02/09/2026 at 12:58:23
Selling one player to fund the rest is acceptable, but getting rid of multiple of your ‘best' players and sacrificing the one thing we have over others -- stability -- was never going to be a good idea.
But we spent money on Norgaard and Hackney, signing two players in the position where we were already strongest, so how could we be that short?
13 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:07:35
I am sure the Friedkin's would view a possible £100m from these possible deals to look very attractive.
14 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:12:34
15 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:26:05
I think the debate about if we should have sold Garner instead of Illi is redundant as Illi had already been sold when the offer came in. I knew that Chelsea would have a go for Garner, he is a fine player and his stats were close to Anderson's last season. I actually think £65m is too low for him if you compare stats with Anderson and what he went to City for.
Had the offer come in much earlier though I agree we should have maybe considered it but only if that meant a quality young replacement, Balogun and two more full backs. We'd be bruised and angry about losing our two best players yes but we would have had a much more balanced squad and a young team to build on for the future. Instead we are once again a fucking laughing stock, and not for the first time. I really had hoped those days were behind us but its same old same old with us isn't it.
16 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:36:51
If you mean do I agree, then no.
If it had been Ndiaye or Armstrong Id rather wed sold Armstrong.
If Armstrong or Garner, still Armstrong.
I dont think it was ever Ndiaye or Garner but in that scenario, yes, I wouldve preferred to have kept NDiaye if he was on board with staying.
In my opinion NDiaye was our best player and I dont get the fury over the possible Armstrong sale and the almost meek acceptance of the actual NDiaye one.
And Im happy that we didnt sell Garner.
17 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:38:25
The abject failure of our Recruitment team means we shouldnt sell anyone until a replacement is sorted out and ready to go. Other clubs do this so why do Everton make it look so hard….
18 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:46:45
19 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:48:05
No assists during the 2024/2025 season - 9 goals in 33 games. Last season scored 6 in 32 & 3 assists & 2 of them were pens.Think he scored 3 all told at Marseille?
Over the last 3 seasons 18 goals & 8 assists over 97 games, 6854 minutes played. £65m.
Same 3 seasons for Beto? 20 goals & 1 assist over 97 games, 4034 minutes played. £15m.
As a forward for us he stood out as in terms of technical ability - he ran around like a bee in bottle, he was the best of a bad bunch.
20 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:51:41
I think £65m was a very good price for Garner but they were right not to sell him, as we are.
I would say he falls short of being an elite player, but some good judges must think he is.
21 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:53:24
I'd also suggest he's at his highest value to everton, he may prove to go to the next level, be CL quality player and increase in value, but he couldn't have done that here.
Armstrong isn't even an established PL player yet, and the 40m offer shows how highly other teams rate him, it also shows they see him increasing in value, why would you let him do that at forrest?
If they are willing to pay 40m for him.
What are we paying for a replacement?
I didn't believe we'd go for a striker, I definitely didn't think we'd let one go with no replacement.
22 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:54:07
23 Posted 02/09/2026 at 13:56:49
24 Posted 02/09/2026 at 14:17:57
Contrasting Garner as some ultra professional Evertonian against NDiaye is some temperamental mercenary as is implied within the comments in this thread and others is complete ignorance bordering on xenophobia.
NDiaye wanted out because he believes he can play at Champions League level and winning trophies. And guess what - he now is and will be.
@ Andrew 17 - No wouldve kept them all. Realistically all we have done is sign Maitland-Niles at a small fee and Grealish on loan. We couldve achieved this without any outgoings.
If that meant we have an unhappy NDiaye - well its tough. Hes our player - under contract and get on with it. And give him enough credit to see if he will still perform when unhappy. It would be in his interests to, to ensure he is still coveted by January.
25 Posted 02/09/2026 at 14:23:25
To be fair to Moyes he's now up against it, with Barry as our only CF, who I don't think has ever done 90mins.
He's obviously pushed for the CF, however it's not his fault the clowns have left him shorter than when the window opened up front.
But we know what the narrative will be now, how can we compete with 1 CF.
I'm not that concerned with losing beto, hoping Johnson matches or betters his goal tally from last year.
It's the wasted opportunity to improve that we all should be upset about.
26 Posted 02/09/2026 at 14:31:08
Please explain why then he was perfectly happy to go to Spurs?
27 Posted 02/09/2026 at 14:36:53
Was he? Did he tell you that himself did he? Hes at Man City - thats what happened and is based in fact.
28 Posted 02/09/2026 at 14:40:58
Don't kid yourselves thinking it's about anything else.
He was on his way to spurs till the gakpo deal fell through.
29 Posted 02/09/2026 at 14:45:00
30 Posted 02/09/2026 at 15:25:23
31 Posted 02/09/2026 at 15:57:08
As with Garner his value is driben by his adaptability, I believe he playrd injured towards the end of the season but Ill was shocking after the AFCON.
32 Posted 02/09/2026 at 15:57:40
33 Posted 02/09/2026 at 17:46:03
Funny nobody else noticed, since he was our Player of the Season and Player's Player of the Season.
Anyway, I'm very glad he's still with us. The only thing that makes me feel better about yesterday is that we still have a deep, skilled core in midfield. And Garner is our leader there.
34 Posted 02/09/2026 at 18:52:46
35 Posted 02/09/2026 at 19:02:36
As it stands we have the smallest, unbalanced squad in the Premier League. No problem to TFG that, 17th finishing position is plenty enough.
36 Posted 02/09/2026 at 19:21:33
Just about to post the same thing, how come no-one mentioned this potential transfer yesterday? Sounds like a cover up to appease the fans?
37 Posted 02/09/2026 at 22:05:44
Sounds like a story put out there to calm the fans' anger
38 Posted 02/09/2026 at 22:08:25
39 Posted 02/09/2026 at 22:19:31
It actually was mentioned on ToffeeWeb yesterday.
40 Posted 03/09/2026 at 06:46:37
Who doesn't want a pay day?
41 Posted 03/09/2026 at 07:40:52
Sell Garner, buy Keita for a lot less and more money in the pockets of the carpetbaggers.
42 Posted 03/09/2026 at 11:57:00
Seventeenth and win a cup? Yes please… and if I was David Moyes, that is exactly what I would be doing under the present circumstances. Concentrate on the cups, whilst doing just enough to scrape by just above the relegation zone.
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1 Posted 02/09/2026 at 11:03:29
Good player, good character. But replaceable.