Everton have offloaded several promising youngsters over the last few years.
That’s largely been due to Everton’s PSR struggles, as academy players generate pure profit for football clubs.
Anthony Gordon is the most notable example, as they sanctioned his £45m sale to Newcastle United in January 2023.
Wonder how much we’d be able to sell him for…😬
Interestingly, Athletic journalist Patrick Boyland has just explained that the Toffees had a belief that Ishe Samuels-Smith could become a £40m player, but they were forced to sell him for a fraction of that to Chelsea.
Everton had high hopes for Ishe Samuels-Smith
During the summer of 2023, Everton sold then 17-year-old left-back Samuels-Smith to Chelsea for around £4m.
Boyland, speaking on The Blue Room EFC YouTube channel, explained that Toffees chiefs had really high hopes for the promising defender.
“I think what Everton have had over recent years is that they’ve had this kind of pincer effect of we’ve got no money.
“Who do we sell from a PSR perspective to create quick pure profit late in the financial year? It’s Ellis Simms. It’s Tom Cannon. It’s Anthony Gordon. Ishe Samuels-Smith, who I had people at Everton telling me was a potential 40 million pound left back if his development was handled well.
“These weren’t on the cheap. Ishe Samuels-Smith went for about three and a half to four million.”
The 19-year-old now plies his trade in the Championship with Swansea City, where he is spending the season on loan from the West Londoners.
Samuels-Smith has only made seven appearances for the Swans and has made just one appearance in the league this year.
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