Everton had no room for error in the January 2022 transfer window.
Everton were fighting for their life at the bottom of the Premier League table when Frank Lampard replaced Rafael Benitez.
Farhad Moshiri had given Lampard some money to spend after a tough window the previous summer, which saw Benitez sign players mainly on free transfers.
They simply had to get it right, but it turned out to be a really disappointing month, as none of their additions had the desired impact.
- Vitaliy Mykolenko
- Nathan Patterson
- Donny van de Beek
- Dele Alli
- Anwar El Ghazi
Duncan Ferguson has just revealed that he actually recommended a former Chelsea player in a recruitment meeting, but Moshiri laughed.
- READ MORE: Duncan Ferguson urged Everton not to sign £27m player because he ‘looked like an old man’
Farhad Moshiri laughed when Duncan Ferguson told him to sign Nemanja Matic at Everton
In his audiobook, Ferguson told the story about when Moshiri laughed at him during a recruitment meeting for recommending Everton to sign Nemanja Matic in January 2022.
“In the middle of my spiel, one of them announced that ‘we’re signing Donny Van De Beek from Man United and we’re signing Dele Alli, what do you think of them?’
“I was stunned. You’ve got to be joking me haven’t you. ‘What do you mean Duncan’, one of them asked.
“Everton need a holding midfield player, they’re not holding midfield players. Neither of them and they’re not good enough.”
One Everton chief asked: “Who do you reckon we sign?”
“Off the top of my head, Matic. You know the big Serbian boy at Man United. Did well at Chelsea, wasn’t quite getting a game at United.
“Left-footed, out of contract. Get him. You can sit him right in front of the defence.”
Ferguson claimed that Farhad Moshiri said ‘I’m quicker than him’.
The big Scotsman flipped: “You’re signing a holding midfield player, he doesn’t need to be quick.
“He just needs to be in the middle of the pitch with his left foot and Matic is a great player. Big and strong – he’d be a great player for us.”
Ferguson said the club chiefs shrugged and that’s when he swore.
“Farhad, this is your f—— problem. You don’t f—— listen.
“Listen to what I’m f—— telling you.”
The whole room went dead.
“Farhad just looked at me.”
Matic ended up joining Roma and played in the Europa League final
Jose Mourinho ended up signing Matic for Roma and he enjoyed a stellar season with the Italian powerhouses.
Matic was a key fixture of Roma’s midfield, which reached the Europa League final, just missing out to Sevilla on penalties.
The Serbia international, now 36, is still plying his trade at an elite level with Lyon, who reached the last eight of the Europa League before Manchester United won in dramatic fashion.
Meanwhile, Van de Beek is in Spain with Girona, where he’s been named on the substitutes bench in recent weeks.
Quite clearly, Ferguson was proved correct. Everton would’ve been far better off signing Matic that January.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
