Everton have made some huge signings in the Premier League. Alan Ball and Dixie Dean two of the legendary signings. Neville Southall went on to play more games for Everton than anyone else.
In modern times under owner Farhad Moshiri, Everton have built a reputation for being a poorly handled club in regard to the transfer market, overpaying for players who have had minimal impact on the club, and were subsequently punished in the 2022/23 season for breaching the profit and sustainability rules by £16.6 million for the three-year period, resulting in a 10-point deduction that eventually was reduced to six. Such signings that brought Everton into this precarious position consist of the record-breaking £45 million deal to bring Glyfi Sigurdsson to the club in 2017 from Swansea City , who failed to deliver on a consistent basis despite some top performances, and Yerry Mina from Barcelona in 2018 for £27.
2 million, who again was unable to reach the heights expected from him and ultimately left on a free transfer. Despite their issues nowadays fueled by a poor transfer strategy, that has not always been the case. With that in mind, here are 10 of the best signings Everton have made.
Everton manager Sean Dyche has given his first interview of pre-season, discussing transfer plans for the summer. Club achievements Transfer Fee Club Legacy Overall ability 13 Romelu Lukaku Bursting onto the scene in the Premier League, Romelu Lukaku lit up the division with his combination of strength, pace, and lethal finishing; it was difficult to comprehend how Chelsea let him go to Goodison Park for the fee that they had. Finishing second in the Golden Boot race behind Harry Kane in the 2016/17 season, Lukaku scored 25 goals in the league, earning himself a move to Manchester United in the summer.
Everton would agree to sell the Belgian for £75 million, earning the club a substantial amount of profit while having a lethal finisher up top for three seasons, a magnificent piece of business by the Blues. Romelu Lukaku's Everton Statistics Appearances 166 Goals 87 Assists 27 Yellow Cards 13 Aston Villa have reportedly found a total agreement to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who is also wanted by Napoli. 12 Mikel Arteta Now known as a top manager for Arsenal , many often forget that Mikel Arteta was a top player in his own right, winning Everton's Player of the Season award on two occasions during his time at the club, and was a consistent and intelligent operator in the midfield.
After a successful loan spell in 2005 under manager David Moyes , the deal was made permanent the following season, and Arteta made sure to repay the club for that decision, putting in man-of-the-match displays on a regular basis, even beating the great Cristiano Ronaldo to the Sky Sports viewers 'Midfielder of the Year' in the 2006/07 campaign. In the following season, the Spaniard would win the North West Footballer of the Year award and also became the first player in five years to be crowned the Liverpool Echo's Sports Personality of the Year. Arteta would then join Arsenal for £10million in 2011, providing Everton with six seasons of outstanding performances and a good margin of profit.
Mikel Arteta's Everton Statistics Appearances 209 Goals 35 Assists 36 Yellow Cards 31 Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is attracting interest, but the Toffees are to offer him a new deal. 11 Tim Howard One of the great players from the United States to grace the Premier League , Everton signed Tim Howard from Manchester United in 2007 and never looked back. Howard would go on to play for the Toffees' for 10 Premier League seasons and was consistently one of the best goalkeepers in the league in his time, setting a record for clean sheets in a single season for the club in 2009, shutting out the opposition on 17 occasions, and helping his team to an FA Cup final in that season, saving two penalties against his former club in the semi-final.
He would even go on to score a goal for Everton in his time at the club against Bolton in 2012, not a bad return for £3.5 million. Tim Howard's Everton Statistics Appearances 414 Clean Sheets 134 Goals Conceded 454 Goals Scored 1 Twenty-one of the greatest goalkeepers in Premier League history have been sorted into six tiers.
10 Duncan Ferguson Originally signing for the Toffeemen from Rangers in 1995, Duncan Ferguson eventually would become an iconic figure after the 11 seasons he spent at the club as a player, becoming a face of the resistance they showed in the 1990s against relegation. He played an essential role in the season under the manager at the time, Joe Royle, where the Blues were determined as certainties to go down and managed to help his side defy the odds, finishing mid-table that season. In that same campaign, they also won their last trophy to date, beating Manchester United to win the FA Cup final, which unfortunately the forward was unable to start after passing a late fitness test to take part from the bench.
Ferguson left to join Newcastle United in the January of 1999 before returning to Everton a year and a half later following injury issues. Duncan Ferguson's Everton Statistics Appearances 263 Goals 69 Assists 11 Yellow Cards 40 9 Alan Ball Fresh from his exploits with England at the 1966 World Cup, Alan Ball joined Everton from Blackpool for £112,000, a record paid to an English club at the time. It was a superb piece of business from the Toffees who line-up Ball alongside Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey to form the 'Holy Trinity' midfield.
At Goodison Park, Ball reached the FA Cup final in 1968, losing to West Bromwich Albion, before finally getting his hands on silverware with the 1970 First Division title. Ball was an instrumental figure as Everton outlasted Leeds in the title showdown to claim the top prize. Ball would go on to be sold for £220,000 to Arsenal in 1971.
Alan Ball's Everton Statistics Appearances 254 Goals 80 Honours 2 8 Peter Reid Brought in from Bolton by Howard Kendall in 1982, Peter Reid helped bring in a superb decade for the Merseyside club. In his seven years at the club, the defensive midfielder was the backbone for the success that came, helping the club win the FA Cup in 1984 with a 2-0 victory over Watford. The following season saw Everton pick up their eighth First Division title, picking up 90 points to finish 13 points ahead of bitter rivals Liverpool.
The Toffees also picked up the European Cup Winners' Cup, defeating Rapid Wien in Rotterdam. Reid won his second league title in 1987 before departing an Everton legend in 1989 having played more than 230 times for the club. Peter Reid's Everton Statistics Appearances 234 Goals 13 League Titles 2 Honours 7 Everton are now eyeing Reims midfielder Amir Richardson, alongside a host of other clubs.
7 Howard Kendall Considered a legend not only for his contributions as a player but also as a manager, Howard Kendall became an iconic figure at Everton after signing from Preston North End in 1967, guiding the club to seven trophies as boss, winning two English first-division championships, an FA Cup, three English Super Cups, and a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (Europapokal der Pokalsieger). As a player, he would earn a reputation for being a robust midfielder who also possessed a touch of class and a good eye for a pass, playing a key role in winning the English first division, the FA Charity Shield, and an FA Cup final. Everton are still interested in making a move for Leeds United star Wilfried Gnonto after having a bid rejected earlier in the window.
6 Phil Jagielka Spending 12 seasons at Everton during his career, Phil Jagielka certainly provided value for money in his time at Goodison Park after triggering his release clause at Sheffield United at the time. Named as the club captain in 2013, Jagielka was a more progressive player than some may give him credit for and quite was versatile, playing mainly as a centreback, but also being deployed as a fullback or defensive midfielder. However, it was clear after a few performances in midfield and fullback that his best position was at the heart of the defence, where he had the footballing brain and defensive acumen to become a considerably good Premier League-level defender for many years.
Phil Jagielka's Everton Statistics Appearances 385 Goals 19 Assists 9 Yellow Cards 23 5 Seamus Coleman Looking back at the price that Everton paid for Seamus Coleman back in 2009, it is hard to believe that they bought the Irishman for £60,000 from Sligo Rovers considering today's transfer fees. Still at the club today, he has provided them with 15 years of service and has been the club captain since Phil Jagielka left in the 2018/19 season. Defensively solid but also able to get up the pitch to score and create as an offensive threat, Coleman was a very well-balanced fullback who will go down as a club legend, and for just £60,000, what an incredible find he truly was.
Seamus Coleman's Everton Statistics Appearances 422 Goals 28 Assists 29 Yellow Cards 41 4 Leighton Baines Another top fullback who was signed for Everton in a similar period to Coleman and also went on to spend over a decade at the club was none other than Leighton Baines, who made a reputation for being a left-back with a sumptuous ability to strike a football with his left foot. Baines spent 13 years at the club and was consistently one of the best fullbacks in the league during his time, taking penalties and whipping beautiful crosses into the box with pace. Retiring from football in 2020, Baines' final game for the club was in a 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth .
The Englishman was a unique and exciting fullback to watch and was one of the best to ever play his position in the division. Leighton Baines' Everton Statistics Appearances 420 Goals 39 Assists 63 Yellow Cards 41 3 Tim Cahill Worth the money that they paid for his services from Millwall for boxing the corner flag when scoring a goal alone, Tim Cahill not only became an Evertonian hero in his time at the club but would also turn into a Premier League fan favourite with his trademark celebration. Known for his freakish ability to head the ball despite his more diminutive height at 5'8 feet tall, Cahill was the perfect player for Everton.
Determined, aggressive, and ferociously competitive, he quickly fit right into the cauldron that is Goodison Park, amping up the fans and scoring big goals. The Australian played eight seasons at the club before moving to the New York Red Bulls in 2012 and is one of the best players to have ever put on the Everton jersey, making him a pretty decent signing for just the £1.5 million spent.
Tim Cahill's Everton Statistics Appearances 278 Goals 68 Assists 28 Yellow Cards 58 2 Neville Southall Another legend of Everton's golden 1980s era, Neville Southall was a mainstay after joining from Southport for just £150,000. A couple of loan spells helped Southall hone his skills before stepping up for the FA Cup final of 1984 against Watford, keeping a clean sheet at Wembley. That was the start of more success in the 1980s as Everton went on to win two league titles and the Cup Winners' Cup.
Southall continued to perform heroics into the 1990s, helping Everton win the FA Cup, their last trophy to date, by beating Manchester United in 1995. Southall departed in 1998 after Everton's narrow survival, bringing an end to his 17-year career at the club and is still the side's record appearance maker. Neville Southall's Everton Statistics Appearances 751 Clean Sheets 240 Honours 8 1 William 'Dixie' Dean Joining from Tranmere Rovers for a price that would make jaws drop almost a century later, William Ralph 'Dixie' Dean has a firm claim to be the greatest player in Everton's history, setting records like it was going out of fashion, scoring a staggering 60 goals in 39 appearances in the 1927–28 campaign, and netting 85 times across the 1928 calendar year.
One of the more glorified players in this list, Dean won two English Championships, an FA Cup, and two English Super Cups with Everton. Amidst all the glory, though, he displayed his loyalty to the club, as in the 1929-30 season they were relegated for the first time in the club's history - a true great not only in Evertonian history but also English football as well. William Dean's Everton Statistics Appearances 398 Goals 347 Honours 6 All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and Footballdatabase.
eu. Correct as of 07.08.
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