Report: Everton considering move to sign former Manchester United forward

Report: Everton considering move to sign former Manchester United forward Everton Offered Anthony Martial as Free Agent Striker Search Intensifies Everton have been presented with a surprise market opportunity after being offered the chance to sign Anthony Martial, according to talkSPORT. The former Manchester United forward is available as a free agent and would consider a return to the Premier League, a development that arrives at a time when David Moyes is urgently seeking attacking reinforcements. The timing is obvious. Everton are short in the striking department after a move for Folarin Balogun collapsed late on Deadline Day. As the report states, the club are “desperate for a striker” and that need has only sharpened after the sale of Beto, leaving “just Thierno Barry up front”. In that context, it is understandable why Martial’s name has surfaced, even if the profile comes with major questions. Photo IMAGO Anthony Martial Offer Lands at Key Moment for Everton Martial, now 30, has been without a club since his spell in Mexico with Monterrey ended after only 20 games earlier this year. He remains a recognisable name in Premier League circles, having scored 63 goals and produced 33 assists across 209 matches for Manchester United. Yet the broader picture is harder to ignore. His post-Old Trafford career has offered little evidence of a sustained revival. At AEK Athens, he managed nine goals and two assists in 24 appearances. His time at Monterrey was more troubling, where he “scored just once in 20 games”, and the source notes he has netted only 10 goals since leaving English football in 2024. Injuries have also continued to interrupt him, with a “nasty dislocated shoulder” cutting short his time in Mexico. David Moyes Weighs Risk in Free Agent Market Everton’s search has already taken in multiple routes. Balogun “was set to join the club from Monaco on Deadline Day”, and “was already in Liverpool to complete the move”, before “the USA international decided to pull out of the transfer after issues were flagged in his medical”. That collapse prompted late approaches for Joshua Zirkzee and Tammy Abraham, both of which were rejected. With options narrowing, the free agent market has become a live avenue. Martial’s availability explains the logic, but not necessarily the conviction. He “would consider a return to the Premier League”, and Everton may feel they have little choice but to assess every credible possibility before the season moves too far forward. Premier League Return Carries More Questions Than Certainty There was a time when Martial was among Europe’s most coveted young forwards, arriving at Manchester United for £36 million in 2015. The talent was evident, the output at times impressive, but the consistency and physical reliability never fully aligned. The source describes his career since leaving United as having “taken a nosedive since his exit”, which feels severe, but the numbers do little to challenge that line. Everton face Manchester United this Sunday at Hill Dickinson Stadium, a fixture that adds an extra layer to the story. Whether this develops beyond an offer remains to be seen, but for now Martial is one of the names under consideration as Moyes tries to solve a pressing Everton problem. Our View From an unconvinced Everton perspective, this feels like the kind of move that makes sense only because the club have backed themselves into a corner. Martial was a gifted player, no question, and there was a period when he looked capable of becoming a top Premier League striker. That version of him feels a long way off now. The concern is not simply form, it is reliability. Everton need somebody who can play regularly, handle the physical demands of the league and contribute immediately. A player who “scored just once in 20 games” in Mexico and has struggled with injuries does not exactly scream safe solution. There is also the broader issue of squad planning. If this is the response to missing out on Balogun, it suggests Everton are shopping in the emergency aisle again. Supporters will understand the need for market opportunism, especially when “both were rejected” applies to other targets. Even so, a free agent signing should still improve the side in practical terms. Martial may have the technical quality, but this would look like a gamble on reputation over recent evidence. If Everton do proceed, the deal would need to be low-risk financially and heavily shaped by fitness protections. Anything else would feel hard to justify. Fans have seen too many hopeful fixes before, and this report is unlikely to fill them with confidence. Source: talkSPORT