Everton have often struggled within the transfer market, conducting deals that either see the club lose a lot of money or selling a player for well below his value.
Outgoings have been crucial for Sean Dyche’s side as they aim to avoid any further punishment for breaking the Premier League’s strict PSR rules.
He’s done an admirable job leading the club clear of any impending danger and securing their Premier League status for another season despite being hit with an eight-point deduction.
His side ended the 2023/24 campaign 14 points clear of Luton Town, with the club needing to build on their success in recent weeks ahead of their 33rd consecutive Premier League campaign which commences in August.
Whilst they’re not in the clear regarding any further punishments, the Toffees are in a solid place under Dyche, but it could’ve been even better had they kept hold of a couple of players who have gone on to develop into top-quality talents away from Goodison Park.
Ademola Lookman’s stats at Everton
Everton signed forward Ademola Lookman from Charlton Athletic for a fee in the region of £7.5m in January 2017, with the youngster touted as 'one for the future' by boss Ronald Koeman after he arrived at Goodison.
Arriving at the club as a 19-year-old, Lookman made an instant impact on the first-team, scoring on his debut in a 4-0 rout over Manchester City.
However, the goal against Pep Guardiola's side would be the only time he scored for the Toffees before leaving the club to join RB Leipzig on loan.
Despite his tender age, Lookman excelled in Germany, scoring five times in just 11 Bundesliga appearances – form that saw the youngster receive his maiden England U21 call-up.
Upon his return for the 2018/19 season, the forward was restricted to limited minutes for the Toffees, featuring for a total of 601 minutes throughout the entire campaign. Lookman subsequently rejoined RB Leipzig permanently in the summer of 2019, for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £18m – a deal that still brought a £10m profit for the Blues.
However, nearly five years on from his move away from Merseyside, the 26-year-old forward has taken his game to the next level – scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists in all competitions this season, which includes a hat-trick in the Europa League final triumph over Bayer Leverkusen.
Why Everton made a bigger mistake selling Anthony Gordon than Lookman
Despite Lookman’s exploits in the final victory, the club arguably made a bigger mistake allowing fellow winger Anthony Gordon to depart Goodison Park, with the youngster finally starting to flourish following his £45m move to Newcastle United in 2023.
The 23-year-old was expected to leave his boyhood club, in order to bolster the club’s battle against PSR, but that doesn’t take away from the fact he would’ve dramatically improved Dyche’s forward line.
Gordon has bagged 11 goals and ten assists in the Premier League in 2023/24, hitting double figures in both tallies for the first time in his professional career.
Games
48
43
Goals
12
15
Assists
11
8
Combined G+A
23
23
As a result of his excellent form, the “phenomenal” talent, as dubbed by Newcastle journalist Thomas Hammond, now boasts a transfer value of £68m, as per CIES Football Observatory Tool – a jump of £23m since his move just less than 18 months ago. Lookman, meanwhile, is said to be worth £42m less at 'just' £26m, according to CIES.
Gordon has also been included in Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man training squad ahead of the European Championships in Germany this summer, with the attacker staking a claim to be in the final squad given his superb performances for Eddie Howe’s side.
His move away from Goodison didn’t sit well with the supporters, but they simply can’t deny they would’ve loved to have kept hold of the youngster given his rapid progress at St James’ Park.
Everton hit gold signing star who'd be worth more than Branthwaite in 2024
He made a huge impact at Goodison despite his short stint at the club.
ByEthan LambMay 20, 2024