Despite the unquestionable size and stature of the club, it is perhaps no real surprise to see that Everton are currently embroiled in a relegation dogfight, such has been the dire nature of their transfer dealings in recent times.
In truth, while he is not blameless for their failings, new boss Frank Lampard has been left with an unbalanced squad devoid of quality, with far too many figures having failed to hit the ground running as a result of the club’s seemingly scattergun transfer approach.
Expensive mistakes have been commonplace under the Farhad Moshiri regime, with former player Yannick Bolasie one of those who have arrived at Goodison Park for a hefty sum, only to go on to significantly underwhelm thereafter.
After dazzling the Premier League with his pace and trickery during a four-year stint at Crystal Palace, the DR Congo international was signed on a £25m deal from the Eagles in the summer of 2016, as then-boss Ronald Koeman looked to mount an assault on the top six.
Speaking after the player’s arrival, the Dutchman revealed his excitement at having secured the 6 foot 2 speedster’s services: “Yannick is a player who has been a long time on my radar because he’s the type of winger I like – fast, strong and he can play different positions in the forward line.”
In truth, however, the Lyon-born forward – who had also been dubbed “dynamic” by Sam Allardyce – never lived up to that billing, albeit with injury having played a major factor in his struggles for consistency.
The 48-time capped star suffered an ACL injury just months into his Toffees career, with that issue eventually ruling him out for over 12 months.
He subsequently spent the 2018/19 campaign on-loan at both second-tier Aston Villa and Belgian side Anderlecht, before another temporary stint at Sporting CP the following season.
Despite pundit Paul Robinson tipping him for a chance under Carlo Ancelotti at his parent club upon his return from Portugal, he was eventually shipped out again in January 2021 – this time to Middlesbrough – before eventually joining Turkish outfit Caykur Rizespor that summer.
The 32-year-old currently plies his trade for the Super Lig side, although he has scored just two goals and registered just one assist in 24 appearances so far this season, while he has also created only 4 big chances and averaged just 0.6 key passes per game.
The stark nature of his decline is also illustrated by the fact that his current market value rests at just £608k, an almighty drop off from the fee that the Merseysiders paid just under six years ago.
That hefty figure will always remain a head-scratching decision for those of an Everton persuasion, with then-boss Koeman having had a major blunder on a player who eventually played just 32 times for the club in all competitions in his five-year spell.
AND in other news: Talks planned: Moshiri must now finally brutally axe “dangerous” £49k-p/w Everton gem