£37m Bid Rejected From Everton For Winger On Deadline Day: Should They Have Paid The Release Clause?

£37m Bid Rejected From Everton For Winger On Deadline Day: Should They Have Paid The Release Clause? Everton launched a €43m (£37m) proposal for Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli on the final day of the summer window, according to Mundo Deportivo, in a report relayed by Sport Witness . Betis rejected the offer, which contained €35m in fixed money plus €8m in bonuses, and pointed Everton to the Moroccan’s €60m (£52m) release clause. Betis would not negotiate below that figure, so Everton had to pay the clause or walk away. They walked away. No improved offer followed there. The bid came after the move for Folarin Balogun from Monaco broke down. Everton and Monaco had completed the paperwork, yet Balogun withdrew after concerns raised during his medical left him unhappy with how the situation was handled. Monaco chief executive Thiago Scuro confirmed that the striker felt uncomfortable with the process. Everton then looked at other options, with Joshua Zirkzee and Tammy Abraham linked, before the late approach for Abde. Newcastle had monitored the winger too, but Betis kept him. Everton made the right call on the £52m clause of Abde Ezzalzouli Abde had a superb 2025/26 season, scoring 10 La Liga goals and supplying eight assists in 29 appearances, while adding four Europa League goals and one in the Copa del Rey. That return explains the interest, but it doesn’t justify Everton paying £52m for a winger when the squad has a glaring issue in central attack. Thierno Barry now stands as the club’s sole recognised senior striker after Beto joined Fiorentina. Iliman Ndiaye has left for Manchester City too, while the club ended the window with just 18 senior outfield players. Buying an expensive wide attacker would have done little to repair that imbalance. Everton needed a striker, not another gamble EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 13: Abde Ezzalzouli #17 of Morocco looks on before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 13, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) The fee posed another concern. Abde’s 10 league goals came from roughly 9.3 expected goals, so his output reflected strong finishing without suggesting a huge statistical overperformance. His success came inside a possession-heavy Betis side that could give him regular touches and attacking freedom. Moyes’ Everton often rely on quicker transitions and direct play. Dropping Abde into that setup without enough central support could have muted his best qualities. The €43m offer already represented a huge commitment after a chaotic deadline day; meeting a £52m clause would have looked like panic buying. For a side short of a striker and full-back cover, that spending would have seriously solved the headline but left the underlying squad problem untouched. Betis had every reason to demand the clause, with Abde under contract until 2029 and established in Morocco’s setup. Everton, however, had far stronger reasons to walk away. The failed Balogun deal created the crisis, but spending a club-record fee on a winger would not have solved it.