Everton were really hit-and-miss in the transfer market during Farhad Moshiri’s reign.
Moshiri joined in 2016 with big ambitions to return the club to its past glories and he backed his managers with substantial budgets up until PSR issues kicked in when Rafael Benitez was appointed.
Ultimately, Moshiri’s tenure was far from a success and his scattergun approach both in the market and with managers saw the club plummet into multiple relegation battles.
The failed transfer of Davy Klassen instantly springs to mind after his £23m move from Ajax failed to work out, whilst Jean-Philippe Gbamin is also a notable example.
However, there have also been a number of occasions where Everton have missed out on signing their prime targets and now one of them is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world.
Everton tried to sign Alexander Isak for £14m in 2016
According to the Daily Mail, back in December 2016, Everton were trying to sign teenage striker Alexander Isak in a deal worth around £14m.
Real Madrid were also intent on landing Isak’s signature after his impressive breakout in the Swedish first tier, netting 10 times in 24 outings.
Real had already seen a £9m bid knocked back for the 17-year-old and Everton were hopeful of pipping them to a deal, with the lure of regular first-team football on offer.
Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Juventus were also keeping tabs on Isak’s situation at the time, however, ultimately it was Borussia Dortmund who won the race.
Dortmund ended up completing an £8m deal a couple of weeks later and now of course, the Sweden international has become a Premier Legaue superstar.
Isak now worth £150m
According to The i Paper, Newcastle United now value Isak at around £150m after a number of prolific seasons on Tyneside.
The 25-year-old, who joined Newcastle in 2022, has netted 54 goals across 96 appearances and is attracting widespread interest across the Premier League.
Arsenal and Liverpool have been showing a serious interest in landing his signature, however, the Magpies are desperate to keep him.
Either way, from an Everton perspective, it certainly feels like what could’ve been.
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