David Moyes has seen it all in his lengthy managerial career to date, yet even the veteran Everton boss must have been taken aback by the chaos of deadline day on Merseyside.

Having signed off on Beto's return to Italy to join Fiorentina, the Toffees looked all but certain to secure a marquee replacement in the form of Folarin Balogun, the ex-Arsenal man fresh from an eventful World Cup in the United States.

The Monaco marksman subsequently got cold feet, while a surprise late move for Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee also collapsed, leaving Moyes with just Thierno Barry as his sole centre-forward option.

To his credit, having notched five goals in all competitions so far this season, the polarising Frenchman has at least shown signs of life, although signing another striker must be a priority heading into 2027.

Will Everton sign a free agent to rival Barry?

Having left Moyes with a desperately depleted group, there have been ongoing suggestions that the Merseysiders will dip into the free agent market to fill that number nine void.

One name that has continuely done the rounds is Mauro Icardi, the enigmatic Argentine currently without a club after leaving Galatasaray over the summer.

There have also been claims made that Everton are among the clubs looking at one-time Man United star, Anthony Martial, the Frenchman having regularly been a thorn in the side of the Toffees in the past.

Still only 30, the injury-hit striker has endured a wretched few years since leaving Old Trafford, however, now a free agent himself after spells at AEK Athens and Monterrey.

Surely taking a punt on someone of such experience is worth it, rather than being left short-staffed, yet the feeling is that Moyes and co will have to wait until January to invest in that department.

In the short-term, they do at least have Barry back among the goals again, with 23-year-old controversially denied a brace against Ipswich Town, a performance that quelled the fears regarding the lack of alternatives.

And yet, looking ahead to January or next summer, the signing of another centre-forward must surely be the priority.

How Everton could sign a young Lukaku in 2027

It's felt like a long while since the Toffees really had a striker to hang their hat on, with only Dominic Calvert-Lewin really coming close to mirroring a certain Romelu Lukaku at his best.

The Belgian powerhouse has split opinion in his latter career, but at Goodison Park, he was such a force to be reckoned with, terrorising Premier League defenders with his blend of pace, physicality and goalscoring prowess.

Having signed on an initial loan deal from Chelsea in 2013, he went on to score 87 goals in 166 games in all competitions, proving such a hit despite having been only 20 at the time of his arrival.

The quest is still to try and find a similar level of talent, with TEAMtalk now reporting that Everton are among the clubs keeping tabs on Danish sensation, Conrad Harder, ahead of a potential future move.

Leeds United were previously heavily linked with the £22m youngster over the summer, prior to his eventual loan move to Strasbourg, with Chelsea now also set to pay close attention to him due to their links with the Ligue 1 side.

Still only 21, Harder is another promising, raw striker in the mould of a young Lukaku, boasting an exciting blend of frightening pace and a lethal left foot.

Everton would have to wait until next summer to get him, or try to engineer a swift exit from Strasbourg in January, yet even so, the Dane feels like an option worthy of pursuing.

Indeed, in the view of writer Zach Lowy, the former Sporting CP starlet is a real "diamond in the rough", having previously been tipped to fill the shoes of Viktor Gyokeres in Lisbon.

He only started six games in Liga Portugal across 2024/25, yet still registered ten goals and assists, subsequently earning a move to RB Leipzig, where he registered six goal involvements from only eight starts.

He's perhaps been on the move a little too regularly, but Harder has shown signs of life wherever he's been, notably netting five goals for Nordsjaelland in the Danish Superliga in 2023/24, again while starting only six games.

More recently too, he netted on his first Ligue 1 outing against Troyes, slotting home calmly after finding himself one-on-one with the opposition 'keeper.

He's a man with many strings to his bow, with talent scout Jacek Kulig notably suggesting that his "ball striking is simply phenomenal", mirroring Lukaku as someone who can rifle home with venom and from any angle too.

Of course, prising Balogun from France proved a fruitless venture over the summer, yet Everton should certainly be keeping tabs on what Harder gets up to in Ligue 1 over the coming months.