A new report claims that Everton's decision to terminate the contract of Jean-Philippe Gbamin could now set them back millions.
What's happening at Everton at the moment?
The Blues picked up their first Premier League point of the season on Saturday lunchtime, drawing 2-2 away to Sheffield United in an entertaining contest. While far from a perfect result, especially having taken the lead at Bramall Lane in the first half, there were still positives to take from the game, suggesting that further improvements will be made after the international break.
It has been a fairly good summer in the transfer market in terms of finally adding some attacking prowess, signing Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal and bringing in Beto permanently from Udinese, but there have also been concerns about allowing players to leave without proper replacements lined up.
Some current players also don't feel like they will cut the mustard under Sean Dyche, such as Demarai Gray, who has recently hinted at his displeasure at not playing enough currently, and another individual's time at Goodison Park has come to an end, following a new update.
What's the news on Jean-Philippe Gbamin?
According to Football Insider, Everton's decision to pay Gbamin off is going to be a huge hit to Farhad Moshiri's pocket:
"Everton have paid a high seven-figure sum to terminate the contract of Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, sources have told Football Insider. It was announced on deadline day last Friday by the Merseysiders that the club had agreed with the midfielder to terminate his contract with immediate effect.
"Gbamin, 27, had entered the final year of his contract at Everton, which ran until June 2024. The club had tried to sell him in the summer window but were unable to do so despite a cut-price asking fee of £5million.
"Everton eventually decided to cut their losses by paying off a big chunk of Gbamin’s contract, which was worth more than £100,000-a-week. It is believed that the final cost was, as one source said, a 'high seven-figure sum'."
Gbamin really has become something of a forgotten man for Everton, having joined from Mainz back in 2019, making just eight appearances in that time. He has been loaned out to both CSKA Moscow and Trabzonspor, showing that other Blues manager haven't rated him, and it makes complete sense to get rid of him.
It is pointless keeping unwanted players at Goodison, especially as it can potentially hamper the team spirit within the squad, so it is good to see the club acting fast and disposing of the 27-year-old. Of course, it is a financial hit, which isn't ideal for Moshiri, but sometimes it feels necessary.
Former Everton manager Rafa Benitez did once hail Gbamin for "training well" during their time together at the club, but that is about the highest praise he has received, which speaks volumes about his lack of impact in a Blues shirt.
The 17-time capped Ivory Coast international will certainly go down as a hugely disappointing signing by Everton, considering there were relatively high expectations of him when he arrived and he cost £25m, and it is important that similar errors are avoided when it comes to incomings moving forward.