Just five years ago, Everton could not afford the £5m required to bring French midfielder N’Zonzi to Goodison Park.
After Blackburn Rovers’ relegation from the Premier League in 2012, the last thing they wanted was a messy divorce from a key player.
Steven N’Zonzi, however, had made it very clear that he had no desire to follow Steve Kean and co into the Championship. Imagine the Frenchman’s relief, then, when Stoke City came calling later in the summer to hand him a Premier League lifeline.
Though if Everton had a little more money to their name, the rangy midfielder could have been patrolling the Goodison Park pitch instead. The Mirror reports that The Toffees were interested in N’Zonzi but baulked at Blackburn’s £5 million asking price.
Five years on, that is barely even imaginable. Everton spent £140 million in the summer transfer window alone – a far cry from the shoestring budget David Moyes was forced to work on with Bill Kenwright in sole ownership of the club.
And it’s fair to say N’Zonzi is worth far more than £5 million now. Since swapping Stoke for Sevilla in 2016, he has evolved from one of the Premier League’s more underrated performers into a truly elite central midfielder.
N’Zonzi helped Sevilla finish fourth in La Liga last season, made his long-awaited France debut and also produced more passes than any other player in Spain’s top flight.
And with The Mirror reporting that Arsenal and Manchester United are on red alert after N’Zonzi opened the door to a potential return to the Premier League, it’s fair to say his value has increased dramatically.
Its understood that N’Zonzi now has a release clause of £35 million – which is arguably very reasonable in today’s market. Consequently, you’d imagine that United and Arsenal won’t be the only European giants planning a big-money swoop in the New Year.
Fortunately, Everton probably have the funds to compete these days.
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