Balogun's failed Everton transfer sums up USMNT's underwhelming summer window

Folarin Balogun is going to need a neck brace after the severe case of whiplash he endured on the final day of European transfer window, one that will go down as the wildest deadline day ever experienced by a United States international player.

When Tuesday dawned, Balogun's move to Everton from AS Monaco seemed a formality. Sources told ESPN that the player arrived on a private jet at Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Nice around 1:30 p.m. local time. Balogun had been expected to arrive in the morning, lost time that would prove critical later on. Still, he was soon at Finch Farm, Everton's training ground, ready to undergo a medical that would pave the way for a $54 million transfer, the second-largest for an American player behind Christian Pulisic's $73 million move to Chelsea back in 2019.

Former Arsenal player Balogun would be back in the Premier League, ready to reap the rewards of being in the highest-profile league in the world and all the financial benefits that come with it; bigger salary, more lucrative endorsements, especially back in the United States.

Balogun was arguably the USMNT's best player at the FIFA World Cup thanks to his three goals. The controversy surrounding the suspended ban attached to his red card in the round-of-32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina was about the background machinations and had nothing to with the player -- unlike many involved in that saga, he emerged with his reputation intact.

But around 7 p.m. local, a "significant issue" in the medical caught Everton's attention -- at this point, no one is saying what it is -- and the deal was off. Then maybe it was back on, as both sides returned to the bargaining table. Then more optimism as at 11 p.m. local, Everton asked the Premier League for the allowed two-hour grace period to finish the deal, with both Monaco and Balogun agreeing terms. With the deal sheet in hand, permission was granted from the Premier League. A lower up-front transfer fee and an appearance-related trigger for additional payments appeared to be the path forward. It seemed a deal would get done.

And then, just after midnight, Balogun walked away as the paperwork was being completed, and left Finch Farm, unsatisfied with the direction all of this was heading.

"The allegation of Balogun is that, 'I'm not feeling well by the way the club treated me, the way the medical team brought doubts about my future or my health. I'm not comfortable to sign a long contract here,'" Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro said in a news conference on Wednesday morning. "That's the way we finished the transfer window here."

Sources told ESPN's Mark Ogden that Everton's frustration and anger at the collapse of the deal was rooted in a lack of professionalism on the part of Monaco and Balogun earlier in the day. The Toffees believe that the U.S. international's delayed arrival and Monaco's failure to quickly provide appropriate medical reports denied the Premier League club the time to identity and rectify the situation much earlier in the day.

The deal's collapse left Monaco and Everton in dire straits, for differing reasons. In Monaco's case, the difficulties had to do with its balance sheet, still in the red given the steady decline in media rights fees for Ligue 1. Les Monégasques needed to move Balogun on to help their finances. Everton's had to do with their team sheet, as they needed to bolster their frontline. Neither of those things happened.

Monaco were also trying to transfer midfielder Lamine Camara to Chelsea if the Balogun deal didn't go through. When it looked like the Balogun deal would get completed, Monaco pulled the plug on the Camara deal with just five minutes to go in the window. Everton had already offloaded forward Beto -- last season's leading scorer -- to Fiorentina, as well as midfielder Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City.

When the Balogun deal went belly-up, Monaco were left with both Camara and Balogun. Their attempted acquisition of Cruz Azul's Érik Lira fell apart as well. As for Everton, Thierno Barry is the only central striker the club has. A late loan move for Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee was rejected. Everton also tried unsuccessfully to acquire Tammy Abraham from Aston Villa. Now both teams are stuck. 

This isn't the first time that a USMNT player has had a transfer blow up due to complications during the medical. Back in January of 2020, Antonee Robinson looked set for a dream move to AC Milan, only for the medical to reveal an irregular heartbeat, whose origin couldn't be pinpointed before the transfer deadline passed, and the deal was off. The condition was rectified by a minor surgical procedure, and Robinson has gone on to excel in the Premier League for Fulham.

By walking away, did Balogun avoid sending his career down a blind alley? He might have. He certainly would have made more money. The transfer fee Everton is shelling out amounts to an $11 million increase over what Monaco reportedly paid Arsenal in 2023, and the fact that it's the Premier League hints strongly that Balogun would've gotten a hefty raise.

But while Everton might be in the Premier League, it's not in the league's upper echelon. The last time the Toffees qualified for European competition was following the 2016-17 season. There's also a question of stylistic fit. One joke making the rounds is that the approach of David Moyes isn't so much defend-and-counter but defend-and-defend. While Balogun is a willing worker when it comes to his defensive duties, an emphasis on that aspect of his game wouldn't maximize his abilities either.

The Toffees are off to a relatively bright start to the season, with four points from two matches, and they have a manager in Moyes who, now in his second stint, is part of the club's DNA. But they've finished 13th in each of the past two campaigns. ESPN's Premier League predictions have them finishing 15th this season.

Monaco can at least still offer Balogun European competition. Granted, this season that means the relative backwater that is the UEFA Conference League. But a return to the UEFA Champions League is certainly within Monaco's capabilities.

Balogun will find intense competition for his place in the lineup when he returns to Monaco, however. Last season he managed to fend off the likes of Mika Biereth and Ansu Fati to secure his spot in the lineup. Those two players are back, but the biggest threat is 20-year-old Paris Brunner, who has returned from a loan stint with Cercle Brugge KSV and has scored four goals in as many games across all competitions. Balogun will need to be sharp in order to repeat his 19-goal haul from last season.

Like Balogun, Americans abroad largely stay put

Balogun's return made an already quiet summer window even quieter for U.S. players. While the number of deals stretched into double digits, the destinations were relatively modest. Middlesbrough and Stoke City rediscovered their affinity for American players, with Boro signing three Americans and Stoke acquiring two. Zavier Gozo's $15 million move to Crystal Palace was more eye-catching, though it remains to be seen how much of an impact he ends up having.

That said, some USMNT players who were expected to move ended up staying put. Malik Tillman had seemingly talked his way out of Bayer Leverkusen -- which is saying something given his usual stoicism -- after giving an interview with Kölner Stadtanzeiger in which he criticized former manager Kasper Hjulmand and the team's fans. And yet Tillman not only remains with the club, but in the lineup too. The rumblings that Tyler Adams was leaving AFC Bournemouth fizzled. There were no takers for Ricardo Pepi following his scuttled move to Fulham last spring, so he remains with PSV Eindhoven. Joe Scally was thought to be surplus to requirements at Borussia Mönchengladbach, but now it looks like he'll stay after Daiki Hashioka suffered a head injury last weekend and Yukhym Konoplya sustained a knee injury in July.

Of those players that did switch clubs, one of the bigger storylines is that of Gio Reyna. The U.S. attacker ended up at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, which is part of the Chelsea family of clubs. The move comes after a disappointing spell with Mönchengladbach, in which he scored just one goal the entire season amid battles to maintain his fitness.

At first glance, the sight of Reyna sliding further down Europe's pecking order -- he's gone from Borussia Dortmund to Gladbach to Strasbourg -- doesn't bode well. Reyna may be down to his last chance to make a lasting impression in Europe. But last weekend offered a glimmer of hope that the move will pay off. He went 76 minutes in Strasbourg's match against Lens, marking just the second time this calendar year, for club or country, that he was in the starting lineup. He forced a sharp save from Lens keeper Robin Risser in the 34th minute, and had some other bright attacking moments in his side's 2-1 win.

Time will reveal whether Reyna has actually turned the corner this time or if this is yet another mirage. Just before last season's winter break in the Bundesliga, Reyna started four consecutive matches, only for his body to betray him again when the team resumed play in January. The level of skepticism is understandably high.

Reyna is at the point now where his potential is no longer enough to get him chances. Delivering on the field will. Strasbourg will be hoping he can do precisely that.