Everton fans will fondly remember Gerard Deulofeu for his affable nature, pace and trickery in his first spell at Goodison Park, with the winger being one of the first major stars of the post-David Moyes era.
Everton lacked real creativity in the wide areas under Scottish boss David Moyes in his first spell at the club, with Steven Pienaar being one of the only stars who had flair in abundance under the Scot.
That all changed when Roberto Martinez came to the helm, and with Everton finishing fifth in his first season, the Spaniard was looking to change the tide at Goodison Park.
That saw him land Gerard Deulofeu, who massively impressed on Merseyside – though the Spaniard has admitted that there was one key ingredient lacking in the search for trophies.
Gerard Deulofeu believes attacking experience was the only thing missing at Goodison Park
Speaking on Everton’s official social media channels, Deulofeu waxed lyrical about his partnership with Romelu Lukaku, where the duo forged a solid understanding with a series of combinations that saw the Belgian striker score in seven consecutive Premier League games.
But Deulofeu admitted that another experienced star who had been in the game for a few years playing alongside themselves and Ross Barkley could have made Everton a much more formidable side, perhaps ending in silverware.
Deulofeu said: “I remember that season being really good, because I had a string of games where I assisted [Romelu] Lukaku, scored goals and played well.
“I think we played really well that season, you know?
“But perhaps we were missing a veteran, a more experienced player. I remember how I used to receive passes from John Stones, how I connected with [Ross] Barkley and Lukaku. It was great.
“[But] perhaps what we didn’t have were players as experienced as we had in the first spell. And that’s why instead of finishing fifth, we finished eleventh.
“And we did make it to the semi-final, but of course, it was difficult. I remember the disappointment at Wembley, you know?”
Everton have rarely had a duo combine like it since. James Rodriguez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are the only players that spring to mind under Carlo Ancelotti.
Gerard Deulofeu has had a sorry end to his career
Gerard Deulofeu was a much-loved star at Everton, but his career hasn’t quite panned out the way he would have liked.
The four-time Spain international made his first-team debut for Barcelona in October 2011, at the age of just 17, though first-team appearances became hard to come by.
From there, his spell at Everton was arguably the best of his career, although he did win the Europa League with Sevilla in 2014-15.
Deulofeu spent fleeting loan spells at AC Milan and Watford, as well as a return to Barcelona in 2017-18 for a season.
Where will Everton finish this season?
And since, he’s moved to Udinese, playing alongside Beto – but a shattering injury means that Deulofeu hasn’t played a professional football game in almost three years after sustaining an injury against Napoli in January 2023.
His contract was terminated by mutual consent last January, and although he’s not fully retired, the Spaniard remains on the road to recovery, hoping to enter the fray for the first time since he was 29.
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