Everton extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six matches following a 1-1 draw with Stoke on Wednesday night.

That streak looked to be in jeopardy when Peter Crouch netted his 100th Premier League goal just seven minutes into the contest, yet a Ryan Shawcross own goal just before half-time brought Ronald Koeman’s side back on level terms.

Both sides had opportunities to win the game in the second half, but in the end they both had to settle for a point – a point which keeps Everton seventh in the table, and eight points ahead of Stoke in ninth.

The Toffees appear to have turned a corner in the last six weeks since they lost 1-0 at home to Liverpool on December 19, with wins over Southampton, Leicester, and Manchester City indicative that, on their day, they are a force to be reckoned with.

After struggling for much of the first half of the season, Koeman delved into the transfer market earlier than most to secure the signing of Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United, and then Ademola Lookman from Charlton.

However, despite being linked with many other names, they didn’t add to that during the rest of the window, and here are THREE massive deals they missed out on last month…

Niklas Sule

Everton were struggling at the back prior to the opening of the transfer window in January and, although they have improved defensively in 2017, another centre-back wouldn’t have gone amiss.

They were linked with a few defenders, one of which was Hoffenheim’s highly-rated centre-back Niklas Sule who, at the age of 21, became a full German international in August last year.

The young defender has been at the heart of the Hoffenheim defence since his debut in 2013, and has won many admirers along the way for his excellent defensive capabilities, which includes his strength in the tackle as well as his reading of the game.

At 21, he would have been the perfect long-term replacement for Phil Jageilka, but they were beaten to his signature by German giants Bayern Munich, who confirmed last month that Sule would join them at the end of the season.

Yacine Brahimi

For much of January, Yacine Brahimi was away on international duty with Algeria at the African Cup of Nations, but that didn’t stop Everton reportedly keeping tabs on the talented attacker.

The Toffees saw a £34 million bid for the 26-year-old rejected at the end of the summer window last year, but they saw enough in the Porto man to hope for another chance in January.

Brahimi has only made four league starts and six substitute appearances for the Portuguese giants this season, but has still managed three goals and two assists to outline his importance to the side, but also his ability to make a difference in the final third.

He’s clearly a very talented player, and one that would have benefitted Everton greatly following the departure of Gerard Deulofeu on loan to AC Milan, but no deal was reached before Tuesday’s deadline.

Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk’s excellent performances at the heart of the Southampton defence attracted much interest during January, with Everton one of several Premier League sides linked with the Dutchman.

However, the 25-year-old remained at St Mary’s past Tuesday’s 11pm deadline, with the club’s decision to allow captain and fellow defender Jose Fonte to leave for West Ham making it difficult for any side to persuade the Saints to sell them van Dijk.

And that will be a blow to Koeman, who would have been hoping that his prior working relationship with his compatriot – Koeman brought van Dijk to Southampton back in 2015 – was going to be enough to bring him to Goodison Park.

Van Dijk has been outstanding for Southampton this season, and has arguably been the best centre-back in the Premier League this term after many impressive displays, some of which coming against the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Aguero.

Nonetheless, no side could prize him away from St Mary’s, although further good displays from the Dutch international will likely bring even greater interest in the summer.