Everton had to rein their spending in over the summer window after years of frivolous purchases left them in no better shape on the pitch and precarious one off it.
The likes of Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean and Davy Klaassen arrived for big-money without translating their price tags into worthy performances on the pitch, leaving the Toffees in a state of limbo.
However, the Merseyside outfit’s hierarchy have also struck gold over a number of transfer dealing in recent years.
In the summer of 2015, the Everton chiefs snapped up former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley as a free agent following the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford.
He burst onto the scene after rising through the ranks of his boyhood club, starring alongside fellow young hopefuls such as Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.
But arguably none of the quartet fulfilled their potential, and as Cleverley’s role in the first-team squad began to diminish, he looked for regular game time elsewhere.
Despite a disappointing loan spell at Aston Villa throughout 2014/15, the Blues snapped up the technically gifted maestro, and then Everton boss Roberto Martinez was delighted to secure his services.
“I can think of many reasons why fans will enjoy Tom representing our club,” said the Spaniard upon Cleverley’s unveiling.
“The most important one is that he is a perfect fit for what we are trying to build here as he has so much experience of playing in the Premier League and he still has his best years just ahead of him.”
Cleverley also enjoyed a loan spell at Wigan Athletic under the tutelage of Martinez and was an England regular at the time after impressing in the early stages of his career.
“At the age of 25 and a player who is representing his country, Tom has experienced winning trophies and having big roles in demanding teams,” the former Toffees manager added.
But things didn’t quite go to plan for the engine room operator. He failed to start more than 20 Premier League games in a single season during his two-year stay at Everton as he struggled to find his best form at Goodison Park.
The £50k-per-week earner was sold to Watford for £8m in 2017, earning Everton a healthy profit in the process and ending a nightmare spell for both parties.
Although Cleverley has failed to live up to his early promise, his time with the Hornets has resurrected his career somewhat and provided a happy ending to a frustrating spell for the player.
And, in other news…EFC may repeat Iwobi disaster by signing “lacklustre” £140k-p/w dud, Brands must avoid
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/32iob6L
via IFTTT