Everton FC
Nickname – The Toffees
Best PL Finish – 4th (2004/05)
Everton are one of only six ever presents in the Premier League era. Their journey in the competition has perhaps seen more ups and downs than any of their five peers. The club avoided relegation in 97/98 and had a brief flirtation with the Champions League after a 4th place finish in 04/05. The Toffees have finished in the majority of other possible positions between 1993 and the present day.
In recent times Everton have established themselves as the most consistently successful club outside the ‘Big 6.’ Ten of their last twelve seasons have resulted in top half finishes, with only a pair of eleventh place efforts interrupting this run. The Goodison Park side have threatened to disturb the natural order of the Premier League on numerous occasion with increased spending and ambition. This seems unlikely in the current campaign as Everton currently sit in mid table following a series of mixed results.
Top 5 Record Transfer Fees (as of 04/02/19):
- Gylfi Sigurdsson – £45 million (from Swansea City – Aug 2017)
- Richarlison – £35 million + add ons (from Watford – August 2018)*
- Romelu Lukaku – £28 million (from Chelsea – August 2014)
- Yerry Mina – £27.2 million (from Barcelona – July 2018)
- Yannick Bolasie/Michael Keane/Jordan Pickford – £25 million (from Palace/Burnley/Sunderland)**
*Richarlison fee could reach £50m if all clauses are activated
** Keane & Pickford fees could reach £30m if all clauses are activated
(Figures include initial fees in GBP at the time of the transfer, as reported by the BBC unless specified otherwise)
Biggest Flop – Davy Klaasen
A few of Everton’s current frontline could threaten for this award, although Oumar Niasse has become a cult hero of sorts for his refusal to just give up and leave. Fortunately for them, another recent big money signing blows the competition out of the water.
Davy Klaassen arrived from Ajax in June 2017 for a healthy £24m. The midfielder came with a reputation for scoring and creating goals and was seen as a potential star for years to come. At 25, there’s a chance he still might become a star. If so, it won’t be at Goodison Park.
The Dutchman escaped to the Bundesliga after an entirely dismal year on Merseyside. He was handed a total of three Premier League starts, managing just 16 total appearances in all competitions. He did not score, assist or even pick up a card. His career on these shores is memorable for nothing but his price tag. In the end, the Toffees did well to recoup half of what they paid. Klaassen takes his place on an ever growing list of expensive Premier League flops.
Biggest Bargain – Tim Cahill
Seamus Coleman’s £60,000 capture has turned out to be one of the greatest bargains in English football over recent years. He is certainly a frontrunner for this title. Whilst he has become a fantastic full back, though, he is yet to have the impact on the club managed by the man in question here.
Everton paid around £1.5m to sign Tim Cahill from Millwall at the start of the 2004/05 season. Within a year he had repaid the fee multiple times over, becoming the club’s top scorer in their most successful ever Premier League campaign. His supporter’s player of the year award suggested his commitment and quality had already won over the Goodison faithful. By the time he left the club eight years later, The Australian had established himself as a club legend. A club crest tattoo means Cahill now wears his affinity for Everton on his sleeve.
A midfielder by trade, Cahill established a reputation as a classic penalty box predator. He scored 56 Premier League goals, all of which were from inside the box. This remains a record. Standing just 5ft 10, Cahill became a master of timing. His outstanding aerial ability was widely known but rarely stopped. A player that made the very best of the attributes he was given, the Australian hero remains loved by everyone bar the corner flags at Goodison Park.
Records & Trivia
- Everton signed three separate players from Barcelona in the summer transfer window (Digne, Gomes, Mina).
- Six months after arriving for £13.5m, Oumar Niasse had his squad number and seat in the dressing room removed by then manager Ronald Koeman.
- Gylfi Sigurdsson’s transfer fee was higher than the annual national defence budget of his native Iceland
- Jordan Pickford remains the most expensive British goalkeeper in history after his move from Sunderland.
- Everton became the first club in England to play 4500 top flight games during their 1-0 loss to Brighton on 29th
- Everton signed Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker for £833k in 1985. They sold him to Barcelona exactly a year later, making a profit of over £2m
- Everton were the first club to pay a six figure transfer fee when signing Alan Ball in 1966. They became the first club to recoup over £200,000 when they sold him to Arsenal five years later.
