"You failed a medical at a Premier League club. So you know what every other Premier League club is going to say?" That's Tim Howard — former Everton goalkeeper, USMNT legend — cutting straight to the bone of Folarin Balogun's deadline day disaster.
With five minutes left on an extended deadline, Balogun pulled out of a completed deal to join Everton from AS Monaco. Both clubs had signed the paperwork. He'd made the trip to Liverpool. The medical was the only thing standing between him and a Premier League return — and when Everton's doctors raised concerns, the whole thing fell apart in real time.
What actually happened in those final hours
Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro laid it out plainly. Around 7pm, Everton flagged concerns from Balogun's medical. Monaco's medical staff didn't agree with the assessment. Everton spent two to three hours consulting additional specialists, which Scuro called a normal process. What wasn't normal was what came next.
Balogun's reasoning, as Scuro described it: "I'm not feeling well because of the way the club treated me. I'm not feeling well because Everton's medical department raised doubts about my future or my health. I have nothing, so I'm not comfortable signing a long contract here."
Hard to fully blame him for the emotional reaction. This is a player who came out of the World Cup having starred for the USMNT while dealing with the fallout from a controversial red card ban. He's been left out of Monaco's matchday squad for all five of their games this season. The disgruntlement is understandable. But understandable and smart are different things.
Why Howard's warning should be taken seriously
Howard's point isn't hypothetical — it's how football actually works. Premier League clubs talk. If one club's medical team flagged something, every other club's staff will now look for the same thing. And when they find it, Monaco's asking price drops. A reported $40 million valuation becomes a negotiating wedge rather than a floor.
Landon Donovan framed it differently but landed in the same place: "The best outcome, even if the process was crap, is for him to be playing at a Premier League club." Everton aren't a glamour side right now, but they were offering Balogun a starting role, a platform, and a chance to reestablish his market value after a difficult year.
He turned it down with five minutes on the clock.
The Saudi, Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mexican windows are still open, and Monaco's situation leaves him needing a way out sooner rather than later. But none of those leagues offer what a run in the Premier League would have. Howard put it simply: "He would be the star striker. He would start and prove everybody wrong." That chance may not come around again at the same price.
