Everton could soon sign Tyrique George on a permanent deal from Chelsea.
The winger spent the second half of last season on loan at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the club have declined to use their £25 million option to buy that was negotiated.
However, it has been reported that Everton are still trying to land George, but for less than the initial £25 million.
What would you do if you were Angus Kinnear this summer? 🫣
And it’s also been reported today that Everton are set to pluck Arthur Barratt from Chelsea’s academy.
Everton have been no strangers to signing players from Chelsea down the years, and amid two more potential incomings, we rank the deals that have previously happened.
#7- Christian Atsu
Christian Atsu spent the 2014/15 season on loan at Everton from Chelsea and there were high hopes that he could inject a bit of pace and creativity from the wide areas.
But the Ghanaian star – who had played well for his country at the 2014 World Cup, prompting Everton to make a move – had a frustrating spell, with injuries limiting his availability.
He made just five appearances in the Premier League, and 13 for the club in total. He couldn’t adapt to Roberto Martinez’s system and drew criticism for not tracking back enough.
It may not have happened for him at Everton, but Atsu enjoyed a great career, and his sad passing in 2023 rocked the football world.
#6 – Armando Broja
Another loanee from Stamford Bridge, Armando Broja was signed to score goals for Everton.
Unfortunately, like Atsu, that never happened. He blanked in his 11 appearances for the club.
Broja struggled with injuries for most of the season, making his signing a complete failure, and there was little danger of Everton triggering their reported £30 million option to buy.
#5 – Samuel Eto’o
Technically, Samuel Eto’o joined Everton after running down his contract at Chelsea, but it was only a month or so after he left Stamford Bridge.
Despite being well past his prime, there was still a great deal of excitement when Eto’o pitched up at Goodison Park, given all that he’d achieved in his career.
And there were flashes of the brilliant finishing from the Cameroon legend that made him a household name in football.
In the end, Eto’o left midway through his first season after feeling like he lacked game time. He joined Sampdoria in Italy.
Aiden McGeady spoke of Eto’o’s ego and lack of professionalism, which were perhaps reasons the Toffees didn’t stand in the way of an early exit.
#4 – Jack Cock
All the way back in 1926, Everton signed Jack Cock from Chelsea.
The Toffees brought him in when he was in the twilight of his career, but he still delivered, scoring 31 goals in 71 appearances.
As with a lot of players on this list though, injuries impacted his time at Goodison Park, and he left after just a couple of years at the club to join Plymouth Argyle, for whom he was prolific, as he had been for Chelsea.
#3 – Kurt Zouma
Everton loaned in Kurt Zouma from Chelsea for the 2018/19 season – and this was a successful move.
The Frenchman made 32 appearances in that campaign, and forged a pretty strong partnership with Michael Keane.
During his time as a Toffee, Zouma was a reliable and physically dominant defender, and helped Everton to keep eight clean sheets.
He also chipped in a couple of goals and a couple of assists.
Everton would have been keen to sign Zouma permanently after his contributions on loan, but Chelsea got hit by a transfer ban, which prompted them to block exits for some players they may otherwise have sold.
#2 – Kieran Dewsbury-Hall
Everton paid Chelsea around £28 million to sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and some eyebrows were raised at that fee.
But it didn’t take the midfielder long to make it look a snip.
Dewsbury-Hall was one of the standout players for Everton last term, and must have run James Garner close for the club’s Player of the Season award.
He contributed eight goals and six assists, and he also drew praise for his remarkable work-rate. At one point, Jamie Carragher said that Dewsbury-Hall had been ‘a revelation’.
It’s early days for him, but he is already a hugely popular signing and someone many feel has the potential to become Everton’s captain in the future.
#1 – Romelu Lukaku
While it’s been a fantastic start for Dewsbury-Hall at Everton, the undisputed best signing the Toffees have made from Chelsea is Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku joined Everton on loan initially, before turning the move permanent for £28 million, after scoring 16 goals in 36 games.
How would you feel about Romelu Lukaku returning to Everton? 🫣
Does he still have it in him? 😬
That fee would prove to be peanuts, with Lukaku continuing to score goals on a regular basis while bullying defenders on a weekly basis.
At times he was unplayable, and there were genuine hopes he could fire Everton to either European glory or a domestic trophy.
He eventually left the club to join Manchester United in a £75 million move, with that fee reflecting his status as one of the most feared strikers in world football. And Everton have not had a striker who can hold a candle to him since.
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