Everton manager Ronald Koeman was right when he said that The Toffees need to play in the Champions League to attract top players – like Youri Tielemans.
While Ronald Koeman swapping Southampton for Everton was seen my many cynics as nothing more than a sideways step, it’s clear that the Dutchman was enticed by The Toffees’ ambition.
Most of all, their desire to break the glass ceiling and muscle their way onto Europe’s biggest stage. It’s 12 years since Everton were denied a place in the Champions League by Villarreal in the qualifying stage and the club has not once had the chance to make up for that near miss.
And, as Koeman told The Guardian in February, Everton find themselves in something of a chicken and egg situation. They need top players to qualify for the Champions League – yet, top players are unlikely to move to Goodison Park until Champions League football is on offer.
“Players like to be part of Europe and they like to be part of the Champions League,” Koeman said.
“Some players were interested last summer and, OK, maybe some wanted to see how we progressed in Everton for the future [before signing]. You will always fight against big clubs with more reputation and with more Champions League competition.”
And it appears that Everton are destined to miss out on another potentially thrilling target, not long after Axel Witsel, Kalidou Koulibaly, Lucas Perez, Rachid Ghezzal and co decided against moving to Merseyside.
Another snub
According to the Daily Mail, Anderlecht wonderkid Youri Tielemans is poised to complete a £21.6 million move to Ligue 1 champions Monaco, exponents of some of the most exciting attacking football the continent has seen in many a year.
This is despite the 20-year-old admitting that Everton would be the ideal destination to help progress his career, as reported by the International Business Times.
However, the allure of Champions League football appears to have played a major part in Tielemans choosing Monaco instead, despite the fact their attendance for domestic clashes struggles to hit 10,000.
Until Everton start fighting on Europe’s top stage, it appears that talents like Tielemans will continue to slip through their grasp.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
