Everton have missed out on some significant signings over the years, with three more names now emerging.
Everton’s recent transfer history makes for mixed reading, and fans may feel that Steve Walsh was especially guilty of splashing the cash on misfit signings.
Davy Klaassen and Cenk Tosun spring to mind, though Walsh has previously claimed that he wanted to sign Erling Haaland and Andrew Robertson.
It’s easy to point to the names that could have been signed, and three current Premier League stars can join the list of ‘almost’ Everton players.
Everton missed out on Pedro Porro, Bruno Fernandes and Rodri
Former Everton scout Dave Worthington has spoken to The Athletic about his incredible career in the game.
Worthington worked across so many clubs, including Chelsea, Sunderland, West Ham United and Everton.
Now 80, Worthington has offered an insight into his scouting process and his notebooks full of players he studied.
Worthington recommended three signings for Everton back in 2017 – Pedro Porro, Bruno Fernandes and Rodri.
Porro left Rayo Vallecano for Girona in 2017 and snubbed major clubs in the process.
Everton were seemingly one of those clubs to show an interest, and Porro was snapped up by Manchester City just two years later.
Now starring for Tottenham Hotspur, Porro has proven himself as a quality right-back over the years.
Porro was only a teenager at the time, but he could have been developed as the long-term heir to Seamus Coleman.
Right-back continues to be a problem position for Everton, and while Porro would be a quality addition now, there is no guarantee that he would have developed the same way if he had joined the Toffees eight years ago.
Missing out on Bruno Fernandes and Rodri will sting for Everton
Porro is a fine right-back, but Bruno and Rodri stand out as two elite-level players to have slipped away from Everton.
Bruno joined Sporting in the summer of 2017, as he left Italian football after spells with Novara, Udinese and Sampdoria.
Just 22 at the time, Bruno showed talent in Italy and certainly had potential for the future, but may have needed a return to Portugal to unlock his quality.
It’s also worth noting that Everton signed three number 10s in that summer transfer window, so perhaps Bruno just wasn’t a priority target.
Rodri had already broken through at Villarreal and was emerging as a quality holding midfielder in Spain.
Atletico Madrid snapped him up in 2018 and then sold him on to Manchester City just a year later, setting him on the path to win the Ballon d’Or.
Everton’s chance came and went rather quickly with Rodri, as he was out of reach within a year.
Any of those three players could have been major additions for Everton, but the Toffees must instead continue to face them in Premier League action, long after Worthington’s recommendations.
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