MAUPAY ARRIVED INSTEAD: LAMPARD WANTED EVERTON TO SIGN "100M PLAYER"
Evertonâs transfer dealings over the years have been questionable to say the least, with their reckless approach undoubtedly contributing to their eight-point deduction last season.
The Toffees were hit with various deductions after breaching the Premier Leagueâs PSR rules, after exceeding the permitted £105m losses over a three-year period.
The combined £47m spent on midfielders Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin proved to be awful dealings, with the pair struggling with injuries during their respective periods at Goodison Park, before both departing the club on free transfers.
Yerry Mina is another example, costing the Toffees £27m back in the summer of 2018, making just under 100 appearances for the club, but also providing no resale value on his big-money transfer.
However, another player in recent times has proven to be a dreadful addition, with his antics off the field tarnishing any relationship he couldâve had with the Everton faithful.
Neal Maupays time at Everton
During the summer of 2022, Everton made a surprise move to sign striker Neal Maupay from Brighton, forking out £15m for his services.
At the time, it seemed like a fair price for a player of Maupayâs Premier League experience, but his move to Merseyside proved to be a disaster for both parties.
The Frenchman only registered one goal in his 32 appearances during the 2022/23 campaign - a disappointing return given the fee paid for his signature.
He subsequently spent last season on loan at former side Brentford, scoring six times in the league for Thomas Frankâs side, returning to Goodison for pre-season this summer.
However, he was subject to abuse by supporters after the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season, with the striker speaking out about the incident on social media.
The confrontation would spell the end of his time at the club, moving to Ligue 1 side Marseille during the recent transfer window on loan with an obligation to buy next summer.
On the whole, the move was another example of the clubâs poor dealings in the market, but, it gets even worse when the club made the move for the striker over a player whoâs taken the Premier League by storm.
The man who Everton missed out on to sign Maupay
Winger Mohammed Kudus joined West Ham United back in the summer of 2023 for a fee in the region of £38m from Eredivisie side Ajax.
Since his move to the Premier League, the Ghanaian has thrived, registering 21 goal contributions in all competitions, helping the Hammers cement a top-half finish last season.
| How Kudus compares to Everton's attackers for goals since 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
| Player | Goals |
| Mohammed Kudus | 14 |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 10 |
| Abdoulaye Doucoure | 8 |
| Beto | 6 |
| Dwight McNeil | 5 |
| Jack Harrison | 4 |
| Stats via Transfermarkt |
As a result of his excellent form at the London Stadium, the 24-year-old has seen his valuation skyrocket, with Kudus described as a "£100m player" by former coach Jeremy Seethal, having also been the subject of interest from Liverpool over the summer.
His move to join the Hammers will be a huge kick in the teeth for Everton, especially considering the Toffees were actually close to signing the attacker during the same summer they pursued a move for Maupay, only for the deal to collapse at the eleventh hour.
Speaking with a Dutch outlet whilst still at Ajax, Kudus confirmed that he wanted a move to Merseyside to gain valuable game time in his career, but that a move never materialised in the end, with former boss Frank Lampard missing out on the addition of a now proven player in Englandâs top flight.
The club will undoubtedly be kicking themselves that they couldnât secure a deal for the wingerâs services - especially considering his rapid development at West Ham - with Football Insider reporting earlier this year that a deal would have been done had the Toffees' finances been 'healthy'.
As for Maupay, the move was a disaster with his transfer fee just one reason as to why the club were docked last season, making the right call in allowing him to depart Goodison this season.
Their goalscoring woes of recent times wouldâve been non-existent had they won the race for Kudusâ signature, however, he will always remain one that got away for the Toffees.
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