Everton reportedly turned down Lyon winger Memphis Depay before signing Alex Iwobi from Premier League rivals Arsenal.
The glass ceiling is cracking.
Thanks to another summer of spending, bankrolled by Farhad Moshiri and steered thoughtfully by Marcel Brands, Everton look stronger than ever.
Andre Gomes has signed on a permanent basis after getting back to his pre-Barca best during a loan spell at Goodison Park and the Portuguese will be joined in the middle by the versatile Fabian Delph and the barnstorming all-rounder Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
In Moise Kean, the surprise star of Juventus’s eighth successive Scudetto, they finally have a bona fide successor for Romelu Lukaku.
So what is stopping Everton now from overhauling Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea and sealing a place in the top four for the first time since the days of Mikel Arteta, Phil Neville and James Beattie?
An enigmatic attacker capable of winning games on his own perhaps? Someone with the ability to change a match with a 25-yard thunderbolt or a pinpoint cross? Well, if you allow us to channel our inner Jim Bowen, look at what you could have won. And no, it is not a vintage caravan or a 1981 speedboat but a dazzling Dutch international.
Walking away from Memphis
According to the Mail, Everton turned down the chance to sign Dutch international Memphis Depay from Lyon earlier in the summer.
And while the mere mention of Depay will set off alarm bells (his dismal spell at Manchester United is best remembered for some questionable fashion choices rather than any on-pitch moments of genius), the former PSV talisman has come a long way since leaving Old Trafford in 2017.
Given freedom and love at Lyon, something he was never going to get under the aloof Louis van Gaal or the acid-tongued Jose Mourinho at United, Depay took off. He provided 12 goals and 16 assists last season while firmly establishing himself as the star of a rejuvenated Holland team which beat Germany, France and England en route to the Nations League final.
Maybe Everton were so distracted by the off-field controversy, the time he defied Wayne Rooney’s orders to leave the Rolls Royce and the cowboy hat at home, that they didn’t notice just what a marvellous, if still inconsistent, player Depay has become across the channel.
Instead, Marco Silva will be tasked with coaxing some match-winning virtuosity out of Alex Iwobi instead.
The former Arsenal winger is a solid signing, a player with a commendable attitude and diligent work rate. But is he really going to turn one point into three with one flick of his right boot?
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