Moussa Sissoko, Lucas Perez and Axel Witsel all turned down Everton this summer due to a lack of Champions League football.
If Everton are determined to hook bigger fish, then they’ll need a more enticing lure.
Despite revitalising the Toffees after taking over from Roberto Martinez in the summer, new manager Ronald Koeman, and much heralded director of football Steve Walsh, would have been left frustrated by the club’s inability to attract more ambitious targets to Goodison Park this summer.
Yannick Bolasie, Ashley Williams and Idrissa Gana Gueye (below) may have performed superbly since arriving from Crystal Palace, Swansea and Aston Villa but, in reality, they were easy targets desperate to leave their current club and make a quick step up the ladder.
Overall, Everton’s summer was characterised by ambitious yet ultimately failed attempts to attract players of a higher calibre and reputation.
Moussa Sissoko (below) left Koeman reeling after choosing Tottenham over the Toffees as the seconds ticked down in the transfer window, while Axel Witsel and Lucas Perez openly admitted that Champions League football was high on their list of requirements when looking for a new club.
It’s becoming a recurrent theme.
Especially now Lyon forward Rachid Ghezzal has admitted that he turned down Everton’s luxurious financial package due to their absence from continental competition.
“It’s not just the money that interests me,” Ghezzal said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. “I also look at the sporting prospects. We play in the Champions League, and have a good group.
“I wouldn’t go for the money. Everton was less interesting than Lyon.”
With Everton currently fifth in the Premier League, only losing for the first time against Bournemouth on Saturday, Koeman (below) will be more than aware that he needs to maintain their current trajectory if the club is to shop in more illustrious markets in the near future.
The takeover by steel magnate Farhad Moshiri may have gifted Everton financial resources far removed from the shoe-string budget of Bill Kenwright but, with almost all Premier League clubs capable of paying a wage that would be simply impossible in France, Italy or Spain, the Merseysiders’ need something extra to give them that all-important edge.
European football would be a good start. Koeman led Southampton to the qualifying rounds of the Europa League in each of his two campaigns on the south coast, and the early improvements made by Everton since his arrival suggests he can repeat the feat.
Only Spurs have conceded fewer than Everton’s four league goals this season, with Koeman fortifying a defence that crumbled so consistently under Martinez. Yet, the Dutchman will need to transform the flitting brilliance of Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu into a weekly occurrence if Everton are to return to the top tier of European football for the first time since 2005.
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