There was a rather worrying stat doing the rounds this weekend after Everton tasted defeat in a second successive Premier League game at the hands of Callum Wilson’s Newcastle United.
The Toffees have played seven top-flight matches without Richarlison since the Brazil international followed Marco Silva to Goodison Park two years ago?
And, from a possible 21 points available, Everton have picked up a grand total of none.
That dismal run continues at St James’ Park on Sunday as an Everton team devoid of creativity, unpredictability and pace in Richarlison’s absence failed time and time again to break through Steve Bruce’s padlocked door.
Alex Iwobi was hauled off at half-time in the 2-0 loss at Southampton nearly a fortnight ago. At this stage, Iwobi seems very much the Lazenby to Richarlison’s Connery.
On Tyneside, it was a toiling Andre Gomes who tried and failed to replace the irreplaceable Richarlison in an unfamiliar left-wing role.
Meanwhile, Bernard and Anthony Gordon, the other two members of Ancelotti’s squad capable of playing on the left-hand side, are yet to start a single Premier League game between this season.
And, just to season the wounds a little with a handful of salt, a jet-heeled winger Everton wanted to bring to Merseyside from South America has taken to European football like the proverbial duck to water since joining Benfica instead in an £18 million deal.
We know for a fact that Everton wanted Brazil international Everton Soares. Because the president of his former employers, Gremio, told us.
“There has been some contact. Ancelotti himself had contacted (him),” Romildo Bolzan told SGLR of a man the Toffees boss also tried to sign at Napoli.
“But then Everton (the club, not the player) withdrew even before making a real offer. From what I was told, it was because of some financial fair play issues at that stage.”
Back in April, when Bolzan revealed all, Everton were counting the cost of a financial fall-out on the back of an escalating global health crisis. Perhaps that is why they, at the time, were unwilling to invest a sizeable fee in a player who shares their name.
Everton’s loss, however, has undoubtedly been Benfica’s gain.
Dazzling in the same left-wing role that Richarlison has left empty, Everton Soares has already produced five assists in nine games for the Primeira Liga giants.
Blessed with explosive pace, a tremendous work ethic and lethal finishing skills, a man who scored 15 goals in his final season at Gremio shares so many attributes with the man Ancelotti has found almost impossible to replace.
Richarlison will serve the final game of his three-match suspension against Manchester United this weekend. The Toffees have one more chance to put that horrific stat behind them.
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