Everton were rumoured to be interested in the Ligue 1 defender Issa Diop but he has instead joined Premier League rivals West Ham United.
Only Leicester City conceded more goals in the top half of the Premier League than Everton in 2017/18.
In total, the ball flew into the back of the Toffees’ net on 58 occasions. And anyone who had the misfortune to watch Ashley Williams and Michael Keane flounder painfully last season will not be surprised.
During the reigns of Ronald Koeman, David Unsworth and even the arch-pragmatist Sam Allardyce, Everton were a shambles at the back, shipping goals left right and centre. Clearly, then, a talented, young centre-back was an absolute necessity this summer. And Issa Diop looked like the right man for the job.
A France U21 ace who had been made captain of Toulouse at just 20, Diop is one of the most promising defenders in world football and has been scouted by, among others, Barcelona and Arsenal.
But, despite being heavily linked in recent weeks, Everton have dropped the ball big time; at least in the eyes of their fans.
It was reported by the Mirror this week that Everton were desperately hoping to tempt Diop into a move to Merseyside, but the 21-year-old has now become West Ham’s £22 million record signing instead. After making big mistakes in the transfer market in recent seasons, have the Toffees made another blunder?
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