Everton coach Ian Woan has now stated that the club have let a brilliant player leave in defender Yerry Mina this summer.
The ‘terrific’ centre-half was released last month after five years at Goodison Park and remains a free agent.
The Colombian international joined the Blues from Barcelona in a £27m deal back in 2018 though reoccurring injuries inhibited his playing time at the Toffees.
However, in an interview with The Athletic, Everton coach Ian Woan has stated the club have lost some ‘solid boys’ this summer, including Yerry Mina.
Woan stated: “You live and die by your recruitment. You’d like to see a stronger group. The starting XI (at Everton) you’d put out against anyone, but you want people on the bench to affect games.”
He continued: “Good people are key. We lost solid boys in Asmir (Begovic) and Conor (Coady) who were good for the cause. Yerry (Mina) was terrific.”
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Mina cost Everton big for such little return
Indeed, Yerry Mina was arguably the best centre-half at the club and was influential when on the pitch, especially when the club were fighting at the bottom end of the table in recent seasons.
However, the Colombian played just 86 Premier League games for the Toffees since joining in 2018 and missed 12 consecutive fixtures through injury last season alone.
Everton need players they can rely upon, and while Mina’s quality is not in question, the salary for such a high-profile player could be redistributed for a player who is available more often.
Indeed, the club will ‘live and die’ by its recruitment, but Everton are yet to spend this summer, with the solitary signing of Ashley Young joining on a free transfer.
While Woan is correct in his statement that Everton require quality off the bench, the club’s starting XI is not a match for anyone, as he attests, and the Blues desperately require investment this summer.