Heading into the international break, there would have been some green shoots for Everton fans to thankfully latch onto, having entered the pause on Premier League fixtures with some positive results in hand.
The Toffee picked up their first win of the top-flight season versus Crystal Palace to end September on an uplifting note before a 0-0 stalemate with Newcastle United followed which saw Sean Dyche’s men have the last laugh over former Everton youth product Anthony Gordon, who saw his penalty denied by Jordan Pickford.
The slight upturn in form has seen a number of performers for the Merseysiders step up to the mark and shine, notably in the form of Dwight McNeil, who has been sublime for the Toffees under his former Burnley boss’ guidance.
Dwight McNeil's form this season
McNeil has really come into his own this campaign so far for Everton, with Dyche deploying him in a more central attacking role as opposed to utilising him solely down the flanks, and that has gone down a treat.
The ex-Clarets attacker has amassed an impressive four goals and two assists from nine games in all competitions, which included helping himself to a brace in his side’s 2-1 win over Oliver Glasner’s Eagles, which has led to their South London opponents now being swamped in the relegation zone.
Dyche will want even more from his electric number seven when the bread and butter of Premier League football gets back underway, as the Toffees face off against Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town next in a big clash near the foot of the table.
Whilst McNeil continues to shine, it’s been clear from the previous couple of seasons at Goodison Park that not every arrival through the door has gone on to become such a rip-roaring success, with many going down as costly failures on the contrary.
One such player is Moise Kean…
Moise Kean's struggles at Everton
One notable mishap in the transfer market was the signing of Juventus hotshot Kean in the summer of 2019, costing Marco Silva’s men at the time a whopping £27.5m to get through the door.
That was very quickly seen to be a huge waste of cash, as Kean never acclimatised to his new Merseyside surroundings well, with the 6-foot forward being loaned out twice to Paris St Germain and back to the Old Lady during his troublesome stint in England. Even during his time away, he was described as “useless” by Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri.
21/22
2
0
60
20/21
4
2
117
19/20
33
2
1026
Most known for the occasion when Duncan Ferguson substituted him on and off in the same game, Kean only scored a meagre four times for the Toffees from 39 appearances. It got worse too, as the Italy international was only present for one minute of Premier League action during his swansong 2021/22 campaign at Goodison Park.
As a result, Everton would have felt ripped off, not only because of the extortionate transfer fee but also because of his hefty pay packet, which saw the now 24-year-old pocket a bumper £53k-per-week and £2.7m-per-year as per Capology.
In the here and now in Dyche’s camp, McNeil earns a far lesser wage, which comes in at £25k-per-week.
Consequently, Kean would have been earning more than double the Everton star’s pay packet when still on the books of the Premier League club, despite fading into the background rather quickly.
Taking into account his excessive salary, and his steep transfer fee on top of that, the Italian striker would have cost the Toffees an eye-watering £30m in total, with Everton relieved to get him off their roster permanently last year when Turin came calling again.
McNeil might well be clamouring for a pay increase soon as well, as the former Burnley midfielder strives to keep up his top performances starting with a trip to Portman Road after the international break concludes.
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