With only hours left until the transfer window closes, a number of reported Everton targets could find themselves hurriedly heading to Finch Farm or signing a plethora of documents tonight to get the move over the line.
Late on Tuesday afternoon, Ainsley Maitland-Niles had already publicly declared his desire to leave Arsenal, while striker Salmon Rondon and Porto winger Luis Diaz had also been heavily linked with a switch to Goodison Park.
With the deadline looming, and possible deals needing to be swiftly processed by 11pm, just what must that be like for the players involved?
Last month, Nicolle Begovic, wife of Toffees goalkeeper and summer recruit Asmir, spoke exclusively to the ECHO and shared her insight into how the swift nature of football transfers can be a difficult whirlwind for professionals and their families.
A player can be at one club and soon, in a matter of days, hours, even minutes, could then be travelling to sign for another.
Recalling the moment she first heard of Begovic’s potential free transfer to Everton, Nicolle revealed: “I’d come back from work at the yard on the Thursday, it was 5 or 6 o’clock in the evening, the kids were eating and I was still in my work clothes.
“I sat down at the table and Asmir sort of gave me the nod, ‘I need to speak to you quickly’. He said, ‘By the way, I think we need to pack a bag, we are going to Liverpool tomorrow because I think I am going to sign for Everton’.
“I think we had a 20-minute discussion before we went to bed and the next morning we were on our way to Liverpool.
“That made for a very topsy-turvy night, sort of processing and digesting the onslaught of ‘what ifs’ and ‘hows’ that come,” she admitted. “Just like that, is how quickly it can go.
“It’s been a bit crazy, the announcement happened in the week and then Asmir was literally gone with a suitcase packed and on a plane to Florida.
"It all feels a little bit new and we’re still trying to adjust to everything but the club was so kind to us and made sure we were well looked after and if we needed anything, they were great.”
Everton is Begovic’s fourth club since 2019, playing on loan at Qarabag in Azerbaijan and for Serie A giants Milan before leaving Bournemouth this summer.
For Rondon, he has moved at a similar rate, appearing for Newcastle and Dalian Professional in China under Rafa Benitez as well as West Brom and CSKA Moscow.
Begovic’s wife Nicolle, who is an international dressage rider, admitted that moves around the globe at such a constant rate can make for an uncertain time.
“I’ve noticed as Asmir’s career has gone on it’s been less predictable and I’ve found that challenging,” she said with great candour.
"I’m not going to pretend that I find that easy. I find the uncertainty of it really unsettling and I think that’s probably quite common but people don’t talk about it so much.
“I would say besides our jobs and looking after our children, discussing moves is probably what takes up the majority of our time because it’s really difficult when, geographically, our jobs are very challenging because I can’t necessarily do what I do just anywhere.”
“The level of horses I ride requires a certain calibre of yard and where my trainer is, that’s where I need to be and Asmir needs to live where he’s working.
"Unfortunately, that means we have faced some difficult decisions of living apart and I can liken it to being in the military.
“I don’t find it easy, it’s more a case of it is what it is. I don’t like it but it’s what’s necessary.”
So, as we all check for constant updates on the latest moves throughout deadline day, the players and their families are enduring a frantic time too.
