Everton have made some questionable decisions with transfers over the last few years, undoubtedly one of the reasons the club have found themselves in hot water with the Premier League.
The Toffees have been hit with multiple points deductions this campaign, with Sean Dyche's side accumulating eight points for multiple breaches of the league’s PSR rules.
Signings of players such as Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Yerry Mina cost the club over £50m, with the duo both departing Goodison Park on free transfers upon the end of their contracts.
However, the club can add another player to their list of talents who have failed to replicate their best form at the club, after he departed the Toffees a number of years ago after an unsuccessful stint on Merseyside.
Nikola Vlasic’s time at Everton
After joining the club in an £8m deal from Croatian side Hadjuk Split, midfielder Nikola Vlasic arrived at Goodison with high expectations following three goals in six appearances at the start of the 2017/18 season.
However, he never hit the heights expected of him, failing to score or assist in any of his 12 Premier League outings and only featuring for a total of 574 minutes at Goodison Park.
Games
12
Goals
0
Assists
0
Pass accuracy
74%
Dribble success rate
68%
Possession lost
12x
Duels won
43%
The move on the whole was a complete disaster, with Vlasic subsequently departing the club on a season-long loan to join Russian side CSKA Moscow for the 2018/19 campaign – in a bid to regain his form that saw the Toffees sign him.
The move would see the midfielder recapture his excellent form, achieving 15 goal contributions in his 31 appearances for the club in all competitions.
After taking Russia by storm, CSKA decided to buy Vlasic, departing Merseyside after one season on Merseyside – but making the club a profit of £6m – with the Croatian joining his loan side on a permanent basis for a fee in the region of £14m.
How much Nikola Vlasic earned at Goodison Park
Upon his move back in 2017, midfielder Vlasic signed a deal worth £25k-per-week, as per Spotrac – with the star having expectations of being a huge success on Merseyside.
However, as previously mentioned, he failed to impress at Goodison, with the flop earning a total of £1.3m in wages during his single season at Goodison.
His weekly wage is currently higher than Everton’s star defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who only earns £15k-per-week, despite his stellar campaign that saw him claim the club’s Young Player of the Season award.
When coupling Vlasic’s weekly earnings with his transfer fee, he cost the Toffees a total of £9.7m – a huge waste of money given his disappointing spell at the club.
However, luckily Everton made a profit on him, mainly helped by his successful loan spell in Russia, otherwise the club would've been able to add him to the list of players they've lost money on.
Many supporters will want to forget his time on Merseyside, with the club making the right call in offloading him, especially considering he’s only managed three goals for Torino in Serie A during 2023/24.
Everton hit gold selling star who'd be worth more than Pickford in 2024
He simply never hit the heights away from Goodison Park.
ByEthan LambMay 24, 2024