When Farhad Moshiri was handed the reins at Everton in 2016, there was hope and optimism that his well-documented wealth could drag the Toffees into European contention but after a chaotic seven years – including multiple battles against relegation – Moshiri's time at the club has had the opposite effect.
Despite breaking their transfer record on numerous occasions and spending over £700m, Everton's downward spiral has boiled down to their woeful transfer policy, bringing in players for large sums of money, rarely seeing them feature for the club before shipping them out on loan or selling them for much less than they were bought for.
Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who endured a nightmare time on Merseyside, is a prime example of the above. Having joined the club for £25m in 2019, the Ivory Coast international was unable to repay that price tag with performances on the field as he suffered a horrendous time with injuries which restricted him to only six Premier League appearances and forced him into leaving on a free this summer.
Everton's woeful transfer policy has not only seen them waste money on underperforming players but also miss out on genuine world-class stars who would have taken them to new heights. That was certainly the case in their failed pursuit of Mohammed Kudus last year.
Did Everton almost sign Mohammed Kudus?
While West Ham managed to beat off a whole host of clubs to the signing of Mohammed Kudus, Everton did attempt to prise him away from Ajax last summer but their £15m bid for the Ghanian was rejected, as per The Independent.
The Dutch champions firmly believed that he would develop into one of the best midfielders in the world, with the Toffees bid falling well below their valuation of the player.
However, had the Dutch giants not lost another player in Antony that summer, a bid would likely have been accepted, according to reports. Instead, the move collapsed, leaving the player frustrated.
After Ajax prevented him from moving to the Premier League, Kudus expressed his disappointment in an interview with De Telegraf [Via Sport Witness], saying:
"The fact that Ajax blocked a transfer to Everton last summer disappointed me. I thought it was time for a new chapter in my career, because I didn’t play here."
With their failure to land the winger typifying their shortcomings in the transfer window once more, Everton supporters will be kicking themselves knowing a deal couldn't be agreed and now have to watch him stun the rest of the Premier League in a West Ham shirt after completing a £38m move.
Why did Everton want Kudus?
Everton have struggled to score goals and last season only Wolves scored less than their total of 34 in the top flight.
It's an issue that has carried across to this campaign with their only goals so far coming against newly-promoted Sheffield United.
While it is clear that Sean Dyche needed someone to shoulder the creative and goal scoring responsibility, Kudus could have provided that having scored 18 goals and supplied seven assists from 42 outings for Ajax last season.
Despite excelling for his club, Ghana also benefited from his breathtaking talents as the 23-year-old bagged two goals in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup and was praised as the nation's "star boy" by former teammate Calvin Bassey, suggesting he has the qualities to single-handedly drag his side to victories.
Everton could certainly do with his individual talents to help them prosper in the final third.
Indeed, given he ranks among the top 3% for his non-penalty goals when compared against other wingers and attacking midfielders in the Eredivisie and its most similar leagues, the best 4% for his pass completion, top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty box and top 1% for successful take-ons, it's clear to see why Kudus would have drastically increased the Toffees' efficiency in the final third.
Lauded as "electric" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the £38m rated Kudus will bring a new dimension to West Ham's attack with his superb ball control, creative off-the-ball movements and pinpoint finishing while Everton are left to wish it was them enjoying his talents.