Everton wanted to sign striker Daniel Jebbison under Rafael Benitez, and it turns out the forward had a connection to the Toffees.
Harrison Armstrong turned in another impressive display for Preston North End on Friday night.
The Everton teenager helped PNE recover from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in a rousing comeback at Deepdale.
Toffees fans who tuned in will have been impressed with Armstrong and will have seen some familiar faces in action.
PNE trio Lewis Gibson, Thierry Small and Lewis Dobbin all spent time in the Everton ranks, and one of Armstrong’s teammates almost joined Everton some years ago.
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Daniel Jebbison featuring alongside Harrison Armstrong after Everton bid
Some Everton fans may remember a 1-0 defeat at home to relegated Sheffield United in May 2021.
The Blades deployed then-teenage forward Daniel Jebbison in attack, and he marked his first Premier League start with the winning goal.
Just months later, Everton tried to bring Jebbison to Goodison Park.
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The Liverpool Echo noted that Rafael Benitez wanted to sign Jebbison and believed that he could really develop him into a quality striker.
A tall and rangy forward emerging from the Sheffield United ranks, Jebbison naturally drew comparisons with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The pair could have linked up at Everton, but then-Blades owner Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud admitted rejecting a bid from the Toffees.
“We were in desperate need to sell some players to cover the deficit [after relegation from the Premier League], but we held on to our best players,” said Prince Abdullah on the Sheff United Way podcast.
“We got an offer from Everton for Jebbison, but refused to sell him because we think he will be the future of the club,” he added.
Sheffield United saw Jebbison stay for three more years, scoring just one league goal in that time.
Bournemouth pounced for Jebbison last summer, and his first Cherries goal came against – you guessed it – Everton.
That goal came in an FA Cup tie last season, before Bournemouth sent Jebbison on loan to PNE for more experience.
Jebbison is back under his former Sheffield United boss, Paul Heckingbottom, and he scored the winner in that win over the Blades on Friday.
Jebbison is yet to really develop into the striker Benitez envisaged, but he and Armstrong are certainly playing well together at Deepdale.
Daniel Jebbison on his personal connection to Everton
The Canadian international may have missed out on a move to Everton in 2021, but his connection to the Toffees goes back a little further.
Speaking on PNE’s official website, Jebbison admitted being offered a deal to join Everton as a kid.
Jebbison chose Sheffield United and then haunted Everton by scoring his first Premier League goal against the Toffees.
Jebbison loves that moment, but added that he actually slept in Everton bedsheets the night before his big goal at Goodison Park.
“I would say that was my biggest ‘wow moment’. Because you know, I dreamt of that moment,” said Jebbison.
“Funny story about this, actually. My oldest brother went on trial at Everton, and there was a really nice guy called Bob Bennett who gave us Everton clothes and Everton bedsheets.
“That night before the game, for some reason, I had my Everton bedsheets on, so I slept in them and then ended up scoring against them. It’s funny how life works, it’s like it had to be Everton of all clubs,” he added.
Jebbison has a long way to go in his development, but with David Moyes visiting PNE to keep tabs on Armstrong, the striker could yet impress the Everton boss and make himself a target for the future.