Everton have overseen some transfer howlers in recent history, with Farhad Moshiri’s thoughtless leadership handing precious funds to numerous unworthy managers.
First backing Ronald Koeman, it could be argued that much of the financial black hole they currently find themselves in is owed to his catastrophic summer back in 2017, even with the sale of Romelu Lukaku.
Next came Marco Silva, who again spent big with little reward, and despite leading them to a European finish, they could not capitalise as they were embarrassingly dumped out of the competition.
It has been a horrendous past few years and a truly terrible series of events that has led the Toffees into the consistent relegation dogfight they continue to find themselves in. Sean Dyche is the latest man to be handed the unenviable task of saving this seemingly doomed institution, seeking to simply survive until they can move into their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
However, that’s not to suggest that every acquisition made across Moshiri’s tenure has been underwhelming, as with the sheer frequency of them there were bound to be a few successes.
Fortunately for Koeman, his terrible transfer track record was slightly salvaged by a couple of key signings who actually benefitted the club in the long run.
Jordan Pickford has grown into a fine number one for both Everton and England, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin became their outstanding striker before injuries began to plague his career. However, one that perhaps goes under the radar is Ademola Lookman, who did at the very least secure a solid fee for his departure.
How good was Ademola Lookman?
Having joined from Charlton Athletic for a hefty fee, there were understandably big expectations placed upon the young winger with no experience at the top level.
Despite scoring goals at League One and Championship level, it was hard to justify his price tag, but given their free-spending nature at the time, it seemingly didn’t matter. They could afford these kinds of gambles now, seemingly safe from any sanctions as they went from strength to strength.
Whilst his career at Goodison Park did not pan out as expected, he did enjoy some standout moments which offered glimpses of the key attacker he would become once he moved to Italy.
Ronaldo Koeman’s younger Everton signings |
Age when signed |
Games played for Everton |
---|---|---|
Henry Onyekuru |
20 |
0 |
Ademola Lookman |
19 |
48 |
Nikola Vlasic |
19 |
19 |
Jordan Pickford |
23 |
246 |
Dominic Calvert-Lewin |
19 |
214 |
This is no better exemplified than with his debut goal, as he emerged from the bench against Manchester City to score their fourth, completing a legendary rout that handed Pep Guardiola his biggest loss in domestic league action at the time.
However, that strike would mark the first of just four goals the youngster managed whilst on Merseyside, marking a disappointing return across 48 games. He would depart permanently in 2019, having failed to reach the level that much of the fanbase thought he could.
It’s fair to say that since leaving, he has certainly grown closer to that benchmark.
How much did Everton sign Ademola Lookman for?
With Lookman having scored five goals across 21 League One games in the six months before signing for Everton, there was clearly enough talent to suggest that he could thrive at most levels of senior football.
However, that certainly did not merit the £7.5m fee commanded, which was actually £2.25m more than what they would pay for Sandro Ramirez the following summer, who had just scored 14 times and assisted five in La Liga the season before joining.
It was a huge statement of intent and a show of faith in the future of the football club, but one which ultimately backfired. That was, until RB Leipzig would flex their financial muscle to bail the Toffees out.
How much did Everton sell Ademola Lookman for?
Staring down the barrel of yet another costly error, this arguably marked one of their more frustrating ones, given just how heavily they had invested into such a high-risk asset, with no reward.
So, when the German side came calling for his services on loan, Sam Allardyce was more than willing to put his young winger in the shop window.
This would prove profitable, and in the end, the Red Bulls would secure the Nigeria international for a mouth-watering £22.5m sum. Somehow, they had gained 200% profit on a man who had showcased little to merit such a huge figure.
What is Ademola Lookman’s market value now?
That permanent venture into the Bundesliga would work out arguably even less successful than Lookman’s time on Merseyside given the increased fee invested, as the trickster would only manage five goals before enduring a string of loan spells in a last-gasp attempt to earn some return.
Fulham were the first to accept his services before Leicester City took him on the year following. Neither saw long-term potential in his acquisition and eventually, the Leipzig outfit had to cut their losses.
However, since joining Atalanta in a €15m (£13m) deal, the 25-year-old has enjoyed the best years of his career, unsurprisingly sparking a sharp upturn in his value.
Transfermarkt seeks to showcase this, suggesting the eight-cap star is now worth an impressive €30m (£26m).
Why is Ademola Lookman worth that much?
It is not hard to outline why Lookman has commanded such a sudden spike in his valuation, as his performances have reached an all-time high for a career that admittedly does not have a particularly high bar set.
The most he had ever scored at one club was 12 with the Addicks, so to see him find the net with immediate regularity in Italy will have likely startled even Atalanta’s recruitment team.
Across 31 Serie A appearances, the 5 foot 8 ace would score 13 and assist eight, earning praise from his new boss Gian Piero Gasperini: “Lookman is what you call a player. He always knows what to do, he moves well, he is fast, he has technique. Then he is a guy who has already understood many things, how to move, how to play, how to train. He grew up in Leipzig and that is an important school, for us it is really a great purchase.”
Then, in a separate interview, the Italian would claim: “He’s a settled player who doesn’t need any more time to make an extraordinary contribution.”
Impressively, only four others were ahead of him in the top goalscorers list for his new division, as the forward would outscore the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku.
Whilst he may have failed to live up to the hype with Everton, it is fair to say that they sold at the right time, shifting the true failure onto RB Leipzig who will now be forced to watch his continued progress knowing they came out of the deal short-changed.