View: Looking back at the five deals of the decade at Everton
Given his international and continental pedigree, it’s fair to say that James Rodriguez was a surprise signing for Everton last summer.
The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star, who previously won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup, decided to come and play his football at Goodison Park.
What was even more surprising though was when Marcel Brands revealed that James had in fact signed for Everton without the club having paid a transfer fee [The Liverpool Echo].
With that transfer in mind, Goodison News have taken a look at some of the biggest and best signings that Everton have made over the past decade.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin [£1.5million]
Signed from Sheffield United in 2016, Calvert-Lewin has moved from the Goodison Park periphery onto the main stage, taking centre focus as Carlo Ancelotti’s reliable spearhead.
Whether he remains at Everton for a long time to come or whether the club sell him for a sizeable profit, there’s no denying that he’s one of the biggest bargains of the past decade.
14 goals in 25 Premier League games this season is proof that he’s getting better all the time, too.
Gareth Barry [£2million]
Manchester City attached a £2million permanent clause in Barry’s loan contract in order to ensure that Everton didn’t sign the midfielder for free when his deal at the Etihad ended, and it was a fee that the Blues were more than willing to pay.
Despite being on the wrong side of 30 when moving to Goodison Park, Barry was a rock in midfield under Roberto Martinez, and he rarely put a foot wrong in his 100 plus appearances.
John Stones [£3million]
David Moyes’ final signing before departing for Manchester United, John Stones went from being a future prospect to a Premier League superstar seemingly overnight.
Though he didn’t remain on Merseyside that long, Stones was an exciting (if slightly erratic) player who also made Everton an enormous profit when he moved to Manchester City for £47.5million.
Idrissa Gana Gueye [£7.1million]
Having been relegated in a poor Aston Villa side, Gana was seen by many to be a gamble, yet he would go on to become arguably Everton’s best player of the past decade.
Gana was the perfect defensive midfielder and the Blues have missed him massively since he completed his dream move to Paris Saint-Germain for £30million, earning Everton a tidy profit in the process.
Romelu Lukaku [£28million]
£28million? How can that be a bargain, we hear you ask. Signed when Bill Kenwright was still searching the back of his sofa for loose change before Farhad Moshiri bankrolled the club, Lukaku could have been a colossal failure.
Not only did he live up to his potential, Lukaku was a dominant force for Everton. He became the club’s all-time top Premier League goalscorer before departing for Manchester United in a deal worth a staggering £90m in total.
In other Everton news, ex-Blue Michael Ball has defended Mason Holgate following recent criticism.