At the end of August, Harrison Armstrong found himself at the centre of a transfer saga, none of which was his own making.
The Friedkin Group’s decision to intervene in Everton’s transfer dealings and cash in on the club’s brightest young talent created a storm of outrage among the fanbase and, even, the wider media.
We all know how it turned out. TFG, after fan pressure, backed down, and withdrew from the deal that had been struck with Nottingham Forest.
Throughout the process, which lasted around 24 hours (which felt like a week), Armstrong behaved impeccably.
He had not asked to leave; indeed, he had shown no intention of leaving Everton and, it is understood, had not fully green-lit the move to Forest by the time TFG changed their mind.
Armstrong had also elected to play against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, when given the choice by David Moyes, despite the news of the deal having just broken in the press that morning. And he played extremely well, displaying maturity well beyond his tender years.
And that’s the thing with Armstrong — he is level-headed, he is more mature on the pitch than you would expect from a 19-year-old. It is that temperament, along with his all-round ability, that has coaches, team-mates and fans so excited about just how far he can go.
Physically, he is ready too. Indeed, Armstrong leads the way in the Premier League for distance covered this season, clocking up 60.4 km already.
Armstrong is in no way the finished product, he has a lot of development to do. Thankfully, for now, that development will be happening at Everton, where it should be.
However, the mess of the end of the transfer window, when it comes to Armstrong, has put Everton in a very tough spot.
Armstrong is now represented by CAA Base, also associated with Unique Sports Group. These agencies do not mess around. They are top-class operators, and, according to some reports, they were in the process of negotiating an extremely lucrative contract, with a six-figure weekly salary even mooted, when the Forest move looked as if it would be happening.
Armstrong last signed a contract at Everton in January 2025, before he headed out on loan to Derby County. Sure, that’s only 21 months ago, but the landscape has since changed dramatically.
Even before the Forest nonsense, Everton should have been prioritising tying Armstrong down to a new deal. Now, it’s even more vital they make that happen.
But the issue is, Everton have now been backed into a corner.
Armstrong may be happy at the club, but he — and his reps — now know that TFG were willing to sell him. They also know his worth, and what other clubs will be willing to offer.
You can pretty much guarantee that his representatives will have already been putting out the feelers, garnering expressions of interest, and that when that interest does materialise, it will be from clubs of a higher standing than Forest.
That’s not to say Everton shouldn’t be prioritising a new contract offer, but it does mean they will have to likely offer higher wages than they would perhaps have been planning on.
Armstrong, as talented as he is, is still probably a squad player if Everton are fully fit. He needs to play as much as possible, of course, but on paper, James Garner, Christian Nørgaard and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are probably the first-choice midfielders.
Yet Everton are in a position where they could well have to offer Armstrong wages that are equal to a guaranteed starter to ensure he does sign a long-term deal.
It’s a tricky situation, and one that needs handling with care by Moyes — when it comes to game time — but also by Angus Kinnear and Nick Hammond when it comes to negotiations with Armstrong’s reps over the finances.
Far from ideal, and the toughness of it was compounded by TFG’s actions at the end of the transfer window. Let’s hope the club can somehow ensure they do not reap what their owners sowed.