Everton have languished for far too long, and David Moyes decided that enough was enough.
The purple patch that has followed the Scotsman’s galvanising return to Goodison Park will not be maintained in its total fluency. There will be twists and turns.
Sean Dyche deserves credit for steering the Toffees away from danger, keeping them afloat last season despite an eight-point deduction – and comfortably at that.
But Dyche and his team had run out of steam, falling into a state of discordancy that effectively precluded any impactful attacking style.
Farhad Moshiri’s dysfunctional rule came to a head in the overtures, with The Friedkin Group completing their much-anticipated takeover in December and quickly realising that change was needed at the Premier League club.
One of the core cruxes of the issue stands as the countless transfer blunders in recent years. There have been many misfired signings, but what about the sales that should never have been?
Everton's biggest transfer blunders
There have been several bitter sales for the Merseysiders in recent years, but the decision to sell homegrown star Ross Barkley to Chelsea for only £15m in 2018.
He’s been through the ebb and flow of a football career but has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, a valued member of Aston Villa’s squad right now after being hailed as “not far off player of the season” by pundit Paul Merson when Luton Town were in the big time.
Ademola Lookman would certainly add to the frontline, with the Atalanta forward understood to boast a £50m price tag as Arsenal weigh up a bid later this year, having been sold as a flop for £22.5m, a decent figure at the time but it hardly scratches the surface now.
More recently, Everton have been searching for a new centre-forward and appeared to shortlist Tom Cannon in January, looking to sign the Championship goalscorer for £10m after cashing in on him in September 2023, sold to Leicester City for about £7m.
Selling a rising talent before their time is a blunder that the Toffees have suffered before – perhaps Moshiri should have learned his lesson after getting rid of a young Antonee Robinson for a paltry fee.
Everton must regret selling Antonee Robinson
This season, Robinson has been one of the standout full-backs in England, perhaps Europe. The Fulham star is firing on all cylinders, blending attack with defence with athleticism.
The 27-year-old has been on fire this term; Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley has even gone as far as to describe him as “one of the best left-backs in the world.”
The USMNT international cut his teeth with Everton, awarded the club’s U18 Players’ Player of the Season in 2015. He never actually made his senior debut for Everton, instead transferring to Wigan Athletic for a nominal £2m figure in 2019 after a loan spell with the Latics.
Now a fully-fledged sensation with Fulham, Jedi has proved that he can throw down with the best of them, certainly head and shoulders above Everton’s current left-back: Vitalii Mykolenko.
Mykolenko hasn’t been disastrous at left-back this season, but he’s not set the division alight. By contrast, Robinson has showcased incredible pace, power, and potency up and down the flank, moving to and fro, to and fro, with such skill and assuredness that it’s perfectly understandable why outfits like Liverpool have been gearing up to make a potential summer bid.
Assists
0.40
0.00
Shot-creating actions
2.56
1.12
Touches
73.20
48.37
Passes attempted
61.44
37.99
Progressive passes
3.72
3.60
Progressive carries
3.52
0.99
Successful take-ons
1.00
0.22
Ball recoveries
4.20
2.56
Tackles + interceptions
4.40
3.06
Clearances
3.20
4.36
Even from a defensive standpoint, Mykolenko’s domain, Robinson is more active and decisive in winning balls and making crunching challenges. The Everton man makes more clearances, but this is indicative of his shoed-in nature.
The fact that Wigan paid just £2m to snap him up speaks volumes, especially with Liverpool’s aforementioned interest leading to a reported valuation of up to £50m, which marks an incredible 2400% rise from his value when last on Merseyside.
With ten assists from 25 Premier League matches in 2024/25, Robinson is proving to be a player of many parts, each slick and stylish and significant. No defender has claimed more assists. He’s also won 62% of his aerial battles and has yet to make a single mistake, as per Sofascore.
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1 ByAngus Sinclair Feb 20, 2025