Everton have incredibly completed the January transfer window without making a single signing, despite the perilous Premier League position and sale of Anthony Gordon.

What's the word?

With boyhood starlet Gordon joining high-flying Newcastle United in a £45m deal several days ago, there was an expectation on Merseyside that Everton would grant new manager Sean Dyche several fresh signings to turn the tide and steer the club back on course.

Everton were engaged in a late battle to sign Michy Batshuayi before the deadline, only for the player to reject them, meaning alternative options were sought.

Indeed, the Toffees desperately explored multiple avenues prior to 11pm, but one touted name, Andre Ayew, could still find himself plying his trade at Goodison Park in short time.

French outlet L'Equipe went on to report that the club's recruitment team were in talks to sign the Ghanaian, and being a free transfer, he could still arrive despite the window now being closed.

Get it done...

While the 33-year-old Ayew is not the salient name many of the Toffees faithful would have craved after witnessing the departure of one of the club's most coveted assets in the 21-year-old Anthony Gordon, he would bring a wealth of experience and a proven goal prowess on English soil.

And with Gordon only scoring three goals this season to complement his mediocre 6.74 average league rating, as per Sofascore, the void left by his absence could certainly be remedied somewhat with the addition of a new face.

Ayew, formerly of Swansea City and West Ham United, has clinched a total of 21 goals and 12 assists from 89 appearances in the English top-flight, and indeed boasts a commendable record with his most recent outfit, Qatari giants Al Sadd, scoring 22 goals from 39 showings.

The 113-cap international also recently starred for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting all three group matches and scoring one goal, also completing 81% of his passes, making 1.3 tackles per outing and winning 56% of his duels.

And with the attacking holding a career average of unleashing 2.0 shots and 0.8 key passes per outing, as per WhoScored, his deployment into the Everton ranks could be invaluable in adding a dimension to bolster the squad ahead of the business end of the campaign; indeed, he could be a "game-changer" - as once dubbed by former manager Slaven Bilic - for a vital period in Everton's distinguished history.

Perhaps Dyche will have hoped for a name with more grandeur, but with the failure to complete a permanent transfer to get Goodison Park rocking before the culmination of transfer deadline day, there is scant time to be clamorous in demands on the transfer front.

By pulling off the signing of Ayew on a free transfer, Everton would have an established forward to bolster the ranks, at the very least, and his inclusion could be the difference in bagging a few more precious points as the squad look to stave off relegation.