Everton have made some solid signings in the Premier League over the past 18 months, with attacking talent flooding into the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
However, one Premier League star’s performance on Saturday afternoon has shown just why Everton chiefs will be annoyed that they couldn’t get a deal over the line for him last summer.
David Moyes has had a great start to life on Merseyside in his second spell at the club, saving the club from relegation woes and making the Toffees a genuine contender for the top half.
But a deal that Sean Dyche aimed for in Yankuba Minteh failed to go through – and his superb performances this season were summarised with another assist on Saturday.
Everton tried signing Yankuba Minteh and his assist has shown they missed a great deal
Yankuba Minteh has slowly become one of Brighton’s star players since his move to the AMEX Stadium, scoring seven goals and assisting eight inside just 32 starts.
That was compounded yesterday as he got the assist for Danny Welbeck to equalise in a 2-1 win over Brentford, before Jack Hinshelwood got the winner late on.
That assist alone is already his fourth of the season, and Minteh now sits joint-top with Jack Grealish, who has been tipped for the England squad.
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Although Iliman Ndiaye has been Everton’s player of the season so far, having Minteh as an option certainly would have been something for David Moyes to utilise.
His talent was evidently there after his loan spell at Feyenoord, when Everton tried to buy him from Newcastle. A swap deal with Dominic Calvert-Lewin was mooted, but the striker couldn’t agree terms with the Magpies.
Minteh is only 21 years of age, and his output has been outstanding for such a young player who is new to the league – so it’s a failed deal that Everton will look back at with regret.
Calvert-Lewin being released means Everton massively lost out in the long-term
Dominic Calvert-Lewin only featured in 26 Premier League games for Everton last season after the failed Minteh deal.
And, with just three goals to his name, the 28-year-old was released at the end of the season. In fact, the Sheffield-born striker only scored one goal beyond mid-September, and his departure was clearly needed.
But the fact that Calvert-Lewin departed on a free to Leeds United makes the failed Minteh transfer even more bittersweet.
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Everton got rid of their talisman anyway, and having left on a free, Minteh’s valuation will now be sky-high after an impressive 18 months in the Premier League.
In terms of FFP and PSR regulations, it would have left Everton much better off had they had hypothetically sold the Gambian in the coming months.