Everton: Koeman’s £10.6m sale is now outshining Dwight McNeil

One star could have been fundamental to Everton following his departure, with his name forever remembered at Goodison

To say that Everton have had a difficult few years would be an understatement, with the Blues battling near the bottom of the table for the past two seasons.

During the testing times, four managers have taken charge of the squad at Goodison Park, with Rafael Benitez, Duncan Ferguson, Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche all attempting to make a difference on Merseyside.

It hasn’t gone to plan for any of those who attempted to see change, with Dyche fighting an ongoing battle to reinstate Everton as a highly-regarded club in the Premier League.

The magnitude of the club’s size and status in English football is unquestionable, having not been relegated since 1950/51, as well as being crowned champions of England nine times in their decorated history.

Their current form however isn’t consistent with the recognised size of the club, facing back-to-back relegation scraps in both the 2022/23 campaign and the season prior.

Everton’s previous five league positions

In both years, the Blues’ fate was sealed on the final day, bringing last-gasp elation, as well as a level of suffering that induces a feeling of nostalgia, reminiscent of the highs that Everton have experienced during the Premier League era.

So much talent has been seen at Goodison both past and present, with one name in particular – that of Gerard Deulofeu – frequently mentioned in discussions with the narrative of what could have been.

How much did Everton sign Gerard Deulofeu for?

Signed on an initial loan deal in 2013 from Barcelona, not many would have anticipated the memories and quality that then 19-year-old Gerard Deulofeu would one day bring to Merseyside.

Hailed by former manager Roberto Martinez as a “real diamond” at the time of his arrival, the Spaniard was regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Spain and another hot topic from the infamous La Masia academy.

The teen spent the 2013/14 season in England before returning to Barcelona, where he then went on another loan to Sevilla.

A year after his return to his parent club from Goodison, Deulofeu was back in Blue in 2015, but this time on a permanent deal worth £4.2m, with a contract spanning three years.

The youngster was welcomed with open arms on his return to Merseyside, after making quite the impression as a youngster during his first spell at the club.

How many goals did Deulofeu score for Everton?

In his debut Premier League campaign in the 2013/14 term, the Spaniard impressed in his 25 league appearances in blue, scoring three goals and assisting four to cement himself as a fan favourite at Goodison.

Usual service resumed on his return in 2015, where he scored two and assisted nine in the Premier League, as well as showcasing impressive numbers in the League Cup, in which he contributed to five goals in only six appearances.

Deployed on the wing, the Barcelona academy star was lively in his approach to the final third, showing great trickery and finesse to the benefit of those around him, with traits that made him a loveable character on Merseyside.

Over a total of three seasons with Everton, the versatile forward had a hand in 27 goals, scoring eight and assisting 19 in his 75 recorded appearances in all competitions for the Toffees.

The problem for the winger came when the manager who eyed his talent departed, as Martinez was dismissed from his role at Goodison, seeing him eventually replaced by Ronald Koeman.

What happened to Gerard Deulofeu?

It would be a fair statement to say that Koeman and Deulofeu didn’t always see eye-to-eye, with the former Everton dynamo hinting to the Liverpool Echo that the Dutchman was the reason for his swift exit from the club.

The Catalan star explained that he failed to “understand” why he wasn’t favoured by the new manager at the time, who ultimately froze him out of the squad that prompted him to vacate.

Deulofeu explained his exit from Goodison as “difficult”, with there clearly being a lack of communication to explain exactly why he had fallen out of favour.

Luckily for the Spaniard, AC Milan were waiting in the wings to capture the player on a loan deal, a move reinforcing his confusion regarding the magnitude of the Italian club and their desire to sign the player.

The winger made 17 appearances in Serie A for Milan in the 2016/17 season, scoring four and assisting three, paving the way for his boyhood club to activate their buy-back clause to remove him from Merseyside on a permanent basis.

Barcelona paid £10.6m to welcome their academy product back to Catalonia, however his time back in his homeland was short and sweet, as he returned to England once more the year after.

Watford was the next, and currently final, destination for the forward in England, where he flourished in his 65 Premier League appearances in black and yellow, scoring 15 and assisting 11 to show the Evertonians just what they were missing.

Where is Gerard Deulofeu now?

After recovering from an ACL injury sustained in 2020, the Spaniard endeavoured on a loan spell back in Serie A, this time representing Udinese.

The former Blues star made his move to Italy permanent in January 2021, and has since flourished after suffering a career setback as punishing as an ACL blow, scoring 16 Serie A goals so far since his arrival.

Interestingly, his tally of six assists last term was the joint-fourth most in the division and as many as Ademola Lookman. It would also have been enough to rank him second in the Everton squad, only behind Alex Iwobi on seven and ahead of the creative Dwight McNeil.

Lauded as being “incredible” during his time so far with Udinese by scout Antonio Mango, Deulofeu can look back on his time in England with a smile on his face, having made a significant impact on both Everton and Watford during his career.

That being said, considering the Blues’ struggles and mishaps over the past few years, there’s an underlying sense of thought relating to what the Spaniard could have offered to the club, had Koeman favoured his presence on the wing.

When speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Deulofeu said that despite the outcome of his journey on Merseyside, “Everton is in my heart”, telling of how fond he was of his time back at Goodison during his two spells there.

Arriving as a Toffee as a teenager, and departing as an experienced and noticeable wide player in world football, the Spaniard will forever be a name spoken fondly about for the Blues, and a talent that has been sorely missed since his departure.