Everton haven't been at the races this season, albeit brushing Wolverhampton Wanderers aside last week in a 4-0 Premier League victory at Goodison Park.
The adverse weather conditions that precluded Saturday's Merseyside derby from taking place must have frustrated Sean Dyche, whose side could have taken advantage of the conditions and Liverpool's injury problems to land a sensational result and hamper the Reds' title challenge.
Dyche needs to claim a positive run of results, for his grip on the manager's seat is slight. With The Friedkin Group set to replace majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, a lot of change may be afoot.
Everton - Remaining Fixtures in 2024 (PL)
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Moshiri has much to account for, not least because the struggles that the Toffees have endured in recent years stem from inept investment on the transfer front.
Farhad Moshiri's worst transfers
There have been a few howlers since the Iranian businessman first arrived at the Merseyside outfit in February 2016. It's been a reign of confusion and dysfunction, with so many blunders in the market stopping the Blues from returning to their rightful place at the front of the Premier League.
farhad/moshiri/everton
There have been some real disasters. Cenk Tosun's £28m arrival left plenty to be desired, while Moise Kean's four-goal return across 39 matches rankles to this day, for he is now lighting up the Serie A with Fiorentina.
Journalist Paul Brown rather brutally described Jean-Philippe Gbamin's transfer to Goodison Park as "the worst signing of the Moshiri era," with the £25m flop's time on Merseyside being totally ruined by injuries.
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Blunder after blunder. Everton must surely be anticipating some fresh new fortunes after such interminable troubles, putting such deals in the background and keeping them there with the door locked and the key chucked.
That's certainly the case for Sandro Ramirez, once crackling with excitement upon arriving from Barcelona, but now regarded as one of Moshiri's very worst signings.
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Where are they now
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
Everton must regret Sandro Ramirez deal
Sandro emerged on the scene with Barcelona, making 32 appearances, scoring seven goals and supplying two assists as he went on to win a host of major honours with La Blaugrana in its heyday.
Sandro in action for Everton
Despite showing promise, it was clear that Sandro was going to play at the lowest fiddle, competing against the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and thus he signed for Malaga and scored 16 goals across 31 matches. Everton had caught his scent and lodged a £5m bid for a highly-regarded talent. It was accepted.
Anticipation was rife, but Sandro failed to adapt to Premier League life and managed just 16 outings for the Toffees before returning to his homeland on a loan deal. He spent two further seasons on Everton's books but never played again, instead hopping across the Spanish scene with various top-flight outfits. His one goal was posted against Atalanta in a 5-1 Europa League defeat.
It was a case of the wrong time for the now 29-year-old Sandro, who after departing in 2020 has since proved that he can throw down with the best of them and produce some impressive results in La Liga, having notched 49 goal contributions across 197 career appearances.
The Huesca star has actually scored six times this season, which remarkably means that he is outproducing every single star in Dyche's squad. He even recently scored against former employers Barcelona in an emphatic victory at Camp Nou.
It's impressive stuff, and frustrating to think that Everton's attacking options have been so poor that they are being outdone by one of the biggest flops of the Moshiri era.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka Related
[Everton must regret selling "superstar" who's now like Saka & Musiala](https://www.footballfancast.com/everton-must-regret-selling-ademola-lookman-whos-now-like-saka-musiala/ "Everton must regret selling "superstar" who's now like Saka & Musiala")
Everton sold a top talent several years ago, and he's now proving himself to be of the elite class.