Everton's awful financial situation has been well documented in recent months, with the club being hit with an eight-point deduction during the current campaign for breaching the Premier League's PSR rules.
Whilst boss Sean Dyche has done a sensational job in leading the Toffees clear of any relegation threats by securing survival with three games to spare despite the deduction, the off-the-field issues have overshadowed his excellent work.
The former Burnley manager has instilled a brilliant defensive foundation, that has made his side tough to break down and doing so on a shoestring budget as the club tries to avoid any further sanctions.
During his time at Goodison Park, Dyche has spent less than £100m, with the Toffees relying on selling key players before any potential new additions.
In recent times, Richarlison and Anthony Gordon have departed the club, for fees of £60m and £45m, respectively – huge figures in the club's battle to undo multiple awful signings from the last decade.
The club have made their fair share of awful signings, with one in particular costing a hefty fee, before departing the club for free just five years after his move to Merseyside.
Yannick Bolasie's stats at Everton
After forking £25m for his signature, winger Yannick Bolasie arrived at Goodison with high hopes of transforming the Toffees' attack under boss Ronald Koeman.
1. Gylfi Sigurdsson
Swansea
£42m
2017
2. Richarlison
Watford
£33.5m
2018
3. Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea
£30m
2014
4. Amadou Onana
Lille
£28.2m
2022
5. Alex Iwobi
Arsenal
£26m
2019
6. Yerry Mina
Barcelona
£25.9m
2018
7. Yannick Bolasie
Crystal Palace
£25m
2016
8. Michael Keane
Burnley
£24.3m
2017
= Jordan Pickford
Sunderland
£24.3m
2017
10. Moise Kean
Juventus
£23.5m
2019
However, the move would be a disaster for everyone involved, with the DR Congo attacker failing to justify any of his hefty price tag during his time at the club.
Bolasie started all 13 of the Toffees' opening Premier League fixtures, before suffering an ACL tear that would rule him out of action for 12 months.
The former Crystal Palace was a shadow of his former self after his injury, only managing to make 32 appearances for the club in his two seasons as a first-team member.
In a bid to regain his form, he was sent on various loan spells to the likes of Aston Villa, Anderlecht and Sporting CP, but only managed ten goals over his three stints away from Goodison.
The attacker would subsequently leave the club at the end of the 2020/21 season upon the expiration of his deal on Merseyside, ending his five-year stint at the club.
Despite his horrid luck with injuries, the club made the right call by offloading the winger, with his huge wages bleeding the club dry for many years, putting the club into a mess financially.
Yannick Bolasie's wage at Everton
During his time with the Toffees, the 34-year-old pocketed £71k-per-week, as per Salary Sport, with the misfiring winger receiving full pay despite missing a year with injury.
It's unclear how much of his wage the club were paying during his respective loan moves away from Goodison but during his two campaigns alone on Merseyside, the former Palace attacker bagged himself nearly £7.3m in wages alone.
When combining his extortionate wages with his £25m fee, Bolasie cost the club £32.3m – over £1m per appearance after only featuring 32 times in the blue of Everton.
The "disaster" signing, as described by former boss Sam Allardyce, was once a promising addition, but it's unfortunate that an injury ruined his time at the club.
It's unfair to blame the club's current financial situation on the Congolese attacker, but his huge weekly wage and transfer fee have certainly played a part in Everton's recent setbacks.
Everton were bled dry by Allardyce flop who pocketed £11m in wages
He proved himself to be a huge waste of money.
ByEthan LambApr 20, 2024