Everton's transfer dealings in recent years have certainly been hit-and-miss, with the club splashing a lot of money on players who have failed to live up to expectations.
The financial issues at Goodison Park have seen the club resort to cheap additions and loan deals to piece together a squad that is capable of avoiding relegation from the Premier League.
Last summer, the club signed forward Arnaut Danjuma on a season-long loan from Spanish side Villarreal, with the Dutchman having high expectations after his successful stint at Bournemouth a couple of years ago.
However, his spell on Merseyside has been a disaster, making 14 appearances and scoring just once in the 2-2 draw with Sheffield United.
Despite the latest example of failed incoming, the club have also conducted excellent business in offloading players in the last year, including one player who has been frankly anonymous since he departed the Toffees last season.
Tom Davies' stats at Everton
After joining the club at the age of 11, midfielder Tom Davies rapidly progressed through Everton's youth setup, before making his first-team debut at the age of 17 under Roberto Martinez back in April 2016.
He showed glimpses of being the future of the club despite his limited starts, scoring his first senior goal in the 4-0 rout over Manchester City at Goodison Park during the 2016/17 campaign.
He made 33 Premier League appearances during the 2017/18 campaign, the most he managed during his time at the club, with Davies starting to live up to the hype given his great start to life in the first-team.
Davies was named as captain during the EFL Cup victory over Rotherham United at the start of the 2018/19 season, making him the club's youngest-ever captain – a sign of trust by then manager Marco Silva.
The midfielder would remain a constant first-team player up until the 2021/22 season, when the academy graduate suffered a knee injury that saw him miss 223 days and 31 games.
2015/16
2
0
2016/17
24
2
2017/18
33
2
2018/19
16
0
2019/20
30
1
2020/21
25
0
2021/22
6
1
2022/23
19
0
However, he would return to action for the 2022/23 season, but looking a shadow of his former self and only managing five starts in his 19 appearances.
He would subsequently depart Everton at the end of his contract last summer, in the hunt for more consistent game time – a brilliant decision from the club given his poor form this season.
Tom Davies' wage at Everton
Davies, who earned £39k-per-week during his final year at Goodison Park as per Salary Sport, has failed to nail down a starting place at Sheffield United since his move to Bramall Lane in the summer.
He's only started two Premier League games this season, being substituted at half-time in both, which is just 6% of all the Blades' league outings this campaign.
The 25-year-old has once again struggled with his fitness, missing 17 matches through injury, but also only being utilised as an impact player when fully fit.
Given his injuries and lack of impact, the club did the right thing in offloading Davies last summer, with his huge weekly wage allowing the club to save £2m a season in their battle against the Premier League's strict PSR rules.
Everton hit jackpot offloading Silva signing who cost them £19m in wages
He made 84 appearances for the Toffees.
ByEthan LambApr 22, 2024