Everton signed Carlos Alcaraz on loan but were unable to bring in a striker on transfer deadline day. The Blues confirmed the arrival of the 22-year-old from Brazilian side Flamengo in the final hours of a day that proved quieter - and longer - than hoped for.

Manager David Moyes had been keen to bring in a forward but, faced with few suitable options and unwilling to do a deal for the sake of one, Everton decided to place their faith in the players already at the club. That means Beto is set to be the only recognised senior front man for the coming weeks - though Moyes believes Iliman Ndiaye could lead the line if needed. Alcaraz, who was signed in the early hours of Tuesday after Everton submitted a deal sheet in order to gain extra time for paperwork, could represent another alternative.

Everton had sought to add firepower throughout January and the search intensified as injuries mounted among the forwards at the club. Having recovered from a foot injury suffered in pre-season, Youssef Chermiti only made it as far as the first team bench before suffering a thigh issue at the turn of the year. Armando Broja was then stretchered off with ankle ligament damage in the FA Cup win over Peterborough United before Dominic Calvert-Lewin was then forced off at Brighton and Hove Albion with a serious hamstring problem.

READ MORE: Harrison Armstrong move confirmed as Kevin Thelwell sends Everton future message

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz becomes David Moyes' first transfer signing after Everton return

Moyes believed support was needed up top when he replaced Sean Dyche early in the month and the loss of Calvert-Lewin in the win at the Amex intensified that belief. Even in the aftermath of the win over Leicester City on Saturday he was clear it was his desire to find a forward.

But while he was open about the need for another striker, he also spoke candidly about the club’s position in relation to the Premier League’s spending rules. Everton received a double boost in January - given the all clear for the first time in three years and then told the league had abandoned its outstanding case against the club over interest on loans linked to the development of the new stadium. The mistakes of previous years still limited what could be spent this month, however.

That made a notoriously difficult window for business even trickier to operate within and by the early afternoon of transfer deadline day the club had accepted there was unlikely to be a breakthrough.

It was a conclusion the club had been braced for and one it had been increasingly content to accept given late developments. First, there was the news that Broja may return sooner than initially believed, then there was the momentous win over relegation rivals Leicester City that was built upon an impressive performance and two goals from Beto.

While there remained a desire to protect the squad from further injuries, the rejuvenation of the team’s performances and results as Moyes oversaw three consecutive wins offered some reassurance over the trajectory for the season.

Everton ended the transfer window nine points clear of the relegation zone and with a clutch of clubs above them within reach. The form that took the club to that position was founded upon eight goals in three games - a remarkable shift from the start of the month, when Everton failed to test Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers in a miserable defeat that proved to be Dyche’s final game in charge.

The return of Moyes sparked a surge in morale and the results that followed eased the pressure on the search for recruits. Moyes had wanted bodies and looked at central midfield and wide attacking areas as well as up front. The club held extensive talks with Lyon over winger Ernest Nuameh and initially looked at sending Broja back to Chelsea following his injury.

There were talks about bringing in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or Carney Chukwuemeka as part of a deal that would see the Broja move terminated but neither materialised. Chukwuemeka ended up at Borussia Dortmund while Everton, unable to find a viable alternative, concluded it was riskier to pay Chelsea to send Broja back than to keep hold of him. Broja, who impressed in his cameos across December and January, when he returned from the achilles injury he had arrived at Everton with, is expected to be fit around the time of the March international break.

That could see him available for the final nine league games of the campaign. Chermiti is expected back in early March while Calvert-Lewin faces a longer absence, though Moyes believes he will be able to play again this season.

Moyes has at least been boosted by the arrival of Alcaraz, who played in the Premier League with Southampton before stints with Juventus and Flamengo. The Argentine attacking midfielder can play across the frontline and the deal that brings the first senior men’s signing of the Friedkin era contains an option to make it permanent.

The other deal linked to the Everton first team on Monday was the departure of talented midfielder Harrison Armstrong on loan to Derby County. The 18-year-old rose from the Under-18s to the first team under Dyche and had impressed Moyes, who appeared reluctant to allow him to leave last week. That view followed the season ending anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered by central midfielder Orel Mangala at Brighton but the return of both James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam has provided some reinforcement in the middle.

Harrison committed his future to Everton before the departure, signing a deal that will keep him at the club until at least 2028.

The England youth international said: “I’m really excited to sign this deal with a club that means everything to me.

“It shows the belief that Everton have in me and I just want to keep progressing and getting better. Getting the chance to play for the first team this season has been great and I just want to push on and reach more.

“I now have an opportunity at a really good club like Derby to learn and hopefully do well for them and I’m looking forward to it.”