Everton are a club that have seldom enjoyed success in the transfer market, particularly since Farhad Moshiri’s takeover. It is actually seven years to the day since the Iranian acquired a majority stake in the club, and things since then have taken a distinct nosedive.
They now find themselves in the relegation zone yet again as they enter March, with Sean Dyche having been handed the unenviable task of mounting a survival bid after Frank Lampard had left the club devoid of quality and confidence.
The January window did little to persuade fans that Moshiri was truly invested in avoiding the drop, as they remained the only Premier League club not to make a single signing.
It marked yet another failed transfer period, but in the background of these tumultuous times and disappointing moments has been the steady decline of Ross Barkley.
Having forced a move out of his boyhood club to Chelsea back in 2018, the £15m fee was tiny in comparison to what had been touted previously.
He left with his status in the city in disrepute, with journalist Richard Buxton describing the context of his exit as “disappointing”, but with the platform to truly take his career to the next level.
Did Everton really win by selling Ross Barkley?
Had the 29-year-old gone on to fulfil the potential that was expected of him, the money received for the transfer would have made this one of the worst deals the club had made under Moshiri.
However, fortunately for the Toffees chief, the Liverpool-born maestro failed miserably in the capital and now plies his trade in France with OCG Nice, with just four goal contributions in 17 Ligue 1 appearances to date.
His time at Stamford Bridge was cut short by mutual termination last summer and he left on a free transfer having played just 100 times over five years, scoring a measly 12 times in over 5000 minutes of action.
Since signing for the French outfit, Football Transfers claim that his expected transfer value has dropped as low as €3.8m (£3.3m). It is a searing indictment of his decision to leave Goodison Park, where he had been lauded as a hero for his offensive exploits, as his value has plummeted from the £15m the Toffees received for his services.
He sacrificed that for his shot at the big time, and in turn curtailed his career completely, much to the Evertonians’ delight.
Whilst it may not have seemed it at the time, this has absolutely transformed into a win for the club. It is just a shame what could have been had he decided against forcing a move.