£25m Everton flop finally finds new club in French second-tier

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Everton’s transfer record in recent years has been abysmal, and a huge contributor to the financial hole they find themselves in.

Unable to spend with any significance until they sell, the Toffees are a club hamstrung by their own failures, placing immense faith in those underserving, and now paying the price.

Rafa Benitez was never set to pull them out of the mire, with his ties to the red half of Merseyside merely the tip of the iceberg, whilst Frank Lampard never really had the qualifications to bring long-term success.

Sean Dyche marks the first manager in a long time who actually seems to get the club, unbothered by their fiscal predicament which could still see them receive a 12-point deduction.

However, he too is plagued by those past blunders, with one of their most high-profile transfer disasters actually having re-emerged recently.

After seeing his contract terminated one year early, just four seasons after Everton had spent £25m for him, Jean-Philippe Gbamin finally has a club again.

A side befitting his exceptionally diminished stature, he is now set to play his football in the French second tier with USL Dunkerque.

What went wrong for Jean-Philippe Gbamin?

Brought in as the successor to Idrissa Gana Gueye, already the Ivorian enforcer had big boots to fill in the engine room.

After all, the 34-year-old had left for Paris-Saint Germain following a fine three-year stint at Goodison Park, in which he endeared himself to the fanbase with his consistent relentlessness.

Gbamin was expected to do just the same, but instead saw his opportunities limited by a string of freak injuries, which his agent even sought to blame on the club.

The 28-year-old would go on to make just eight senior appearances for the club before enduring a number of loan stints in an effort to regain full fitness. Ironically, he would make more appearances in one year with CSKA Moscow (13) than he did across four years on Merseyside.

A terrible failed venture owed to Marco Silva, it was a frustrating affair that damaged both the player and the club. His latest team is a testament to just how far the former has fallen.