Everton‘s lack of intelligence in the market is a venture that has been well-documented, with Farhad Moshiri having been the face of an operation failing miserably since his 2016 arrival.
Expected to provide untold riches that would propel the Merseyside outfit into a brighter future, after years of steady stagnation under David Moyes and Roberto Martinez, few could have predicted the Iranian would get it so badly wrong.
Especially given how easy it seems clubs like Manchester City and Newcastle United have used their respective wealth to reach the pinnacle of English football once again.
For the Toffees, it has actually had the opposite effect.
Back-to-back relegation battles mark a searing indictment of their failures, with that notion only exacerbated by recent reports regarding the proposed sanction being pushed by the Premier League for failing to follow their profit and sustainability rules.
And yet, despite the touted 12-point deduction, former Aston Villa ace and pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has come to their defence, offering his views on their chances of safety this season.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the 37-year-old claimed: ‘I think Everton will be okay because there are three worse teams.
‘I think when it comes to it in the crunch matches, Calvert-Lewin, Harrison is looking like a good signing, they’ve got Dwight McNeil, the midfield with Onana and Doucoure.
‘They’re stronger than four teams I would say in the Premier League.’
How has Everton played this season?
Whilst the previous two campaigns have been nothing short of abysmal, having first avoided the drop by coming back from 2-0 down against Crystal Palace before a final-day win over AFC Bournemouth saved them most recently, this term has hardly fit that miserable mould.
After all, much of the issues that plagued Rafa Benitez, Frank Lampard and now Sean Dyche’s teams, was their lack of creativity.
The Toffees were the second-lowest scoring side in the entire Premier League last term, having notched just 34 goals, with the persisting absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin a true hammer blow.
And yet, with the Englishman now seemingly back to full fitness, supported by the likes of Beto and Youssef Chermiti, at last a strong striking contingent has been forged at Goodison Park, supported by the endless creativity of Jack Harrison, Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
As such, Everton has actually managed to amass the seventh-most expected goals this league season, despite only scoring nine from their 17.66 xG figure.
It marks a dramatic shift in form for an outfit that so often failed to threaten, and should those aforementioned marksmen find their shooting boots, at last the club could be treated to a risk-free year in which relegation is not a threat, just as Agbonlahor predicts.
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