Everton needed extra time to get a deal for Carlos Alcaraz on loan from Flamengo over the line while Harrison Armstrong temporarily joined Derby County on a transfer deadline day that saw much less action at Finch Farm than many had expected.

Discussions between the Blues and the Brazilian club were thought to have been done and dusted coming into the final day of the winter window, with Alcaraz arriving for a medical yesterday.

An arrangement whereby Everton would loan the 22-year-old until the end of the season and then follow through with an obligation to buy, for a fee variously reported to between £12.5m and £16m in June if he makes six starts, was reportedly struck and it was thought that only the formalities remained.

However, the deadline passed with news that the two clubs were still wrangling over the terms of the deal, possibly due to Everton’s insistence on a clause enabling them to send the player back if he got injured, and the submission of a deal sheet was required to give the two clubs more time to conclude an agreement as midnight approached.

The transfer was finally announced after midnight but there was to be no arriving centre-forward, despite what many felt was a desperate need for cover in that area of the team. The Blues lost two of their three fit strikers last month when Armando Broja (ankle) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (hamstring) succumbed to injuries that look likely to sideline them for at least another couple of months but did not find the market conducive to bringing in a replacement.

With the £63m losses incurred in the 2022/23 financial year still hanging over them, Everton are still having to work within the confines of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) until 1st July, at which point new owners, The Friedkin Group, will be able to throw off the financial shackles.

The recent upturn in results under David Moyes has significantly reduced the urgency to bring in emergency cover up front where Beto is the only available centre-forward until the still untried Youssef Chermiti regains his fitness.

Nevertheless, Moyes spoke in his press conference ahead of the visit of Leicester City last weekend that Everton have been trying to add to the team this month but had been hampered significantly by PSR. An attempt to bring in one more loan signing is believed to have been made but ultimately fell short.

That left Alcaraz, the former Southampton attacking midfielder, as the only January acquisition and his versatility will be needed if the attacking injury crisis is to get any worse. Flamengo signed the 22-year-old from Saints in what was a club-record £18m transfer last August after Alcaraz had returned from a spell on loan at Juventus.

"Charly", who will No 24 at Everton, made 21 appearances and scored four goals in all competitions and after playing another 23 games for Saints in the second tier last season, he was picked up on loan by Italian giants, Juventus, who had a €49.5m option to make the move permanent last summer.

He turned out 12 times for Juve but returned to Southampton before making his switch to Flamengo that took him back to South America where he had started his career with Racing Club in his native Argentina.

Capable of operating as an attacking midfielder or a striker, Alcaraz has played 19 matches in Brazil's Série A and notched three goals and he will bring knowledge and experience of the English game — plus, hopefully, some Latin American flair to a side sorely lacking in creativity and punch in attacking areas.

“I am very happy to join Everton, such a great club, with a very good fanbase," he said upon signing. "I'm very happy and I'm looking forward to start training with my teammates and see the fans at the stadium.

“I am ready for any challenge with this beautiful club so that's why I came and accepted the offer to keep fighting for my dreams. I want to tell the fans that whenever I wear this shirt, I will give my best, I will give everything I have to take Everton to the top, which is where they deserve to be.”

His arrival paved the way for Everton to allow Armstrong to join Derby, but not before he had put pen to paper on a new contract that ties him to the Club until the summer of 2028.

The 18-year-old now has the opportunity to gain valuable first-team experience at a Championship club, albeit one struggling to maintain their status in the second tier.

Reader Responses

Selected thoughts from readers

Ben King
1 
Posted 31/01/2025 at 23:50:47

Looks a prospect and if he delivers then we’ve stolen a march on our rivals with this move.

Looks to have skill and edge and could be a good foil for Ndiaye.

This move has Arteta vibes for me….if so it would be incredible

steven bennett
2 
Posted 04/02/2025 at 10:42:52

This could be a very astute signing.

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