Everton signed eight players over the summer transfer window, and Frank Lampard will no doubt be pleased with his business – especially after the Toffees’ run of five games unbeaten in their last five Premier League outings.
After suffering a serious battle with relegation last season it was imperative that the powers at Goodison Park made the right moves to strengthen and improve the team, in order to ensure the Toffees didn’t find themselves in a similar sticky situation this time out.
In both defence and midfield, the team was strengthened with solid and experienced players who have been proving to be worth their weight in gold since, most notably James Tarkowski and Conor Coady – with the pair’s robust centre-back partnership already attracting attention.
However, when it comes to the forward line there were definitely opportunities squandered to really make the goals increase and ultimately replace Richarlison’s contributions for the team.
Indeed, Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil were signed up but the Merseysiders were still keen to sign a striker up until the very last minutes of deadline day, something they were unfortunately incapable of doing.
One player who slipped through the net was Chelsea goal machine Michy Batshuayi, a forward who was linked with a move to Merseyside on more than one occasion over the summer.
Moshiri had a transfer nightmare by not snapping up the striker, who completed a permanent move to Fenerbahçe earlier this month, despite being exactly what Everton needed in terms of goal contributions and a finisher that could not only replace Richarlison but also provide cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Batshuayi – who was hailed for his “genuine quality” by John Hartson – has 147 career goals and 39 assists, an incredibly impressive feat for a striker who has struggled to find a club he can call home after being loaned out to six different clubs by Chelsea.
The Belgian ace doesn’t just score consistently at club level, either, as he has also bagged 26 goals fover just 46 appearances for Belgium – finding the back of the net every 86 minutes of football played – including one this week against Wales in the UEFA Nations League.
His former Chelsea boss turned Everton manager Lampard always had high praise for the 28-year-old striker too, claiming Batshuayi was “top class” whilst working with him at Stamford Bridge, which makes it even more bizarre that Everton didn’t secure a deal as Lampard clearly knows his strengths.
As a result, the failure to sign Batshuayi could come back to bite Everton if Calvert-Lewin struggles to stay fit over the season ahead, and it would appear likely that the club go back in for a forward again when the transfer window opens in January.