Former Everton boss Sean Dyche kept the club in the Premier League in the 2022-23 season, securing survival on the final day of the campaign – though it was one failure in the summer transfer window following that initially saw fans question him.
Sean Dyche was tasked with prolonging Everton’s ever-present status in the Premier League, and having beaten Bournemouth in a 1-0 win on the final day of the season at Goodison Park, the club were looking to push on further that summer.
A whole host of new signings came into the club’s ranks, with Ashley Young, Youssef Chermiti and Beto all arriving to increase firepower.
But the Toffees missed out on Leeds United star Wilfried Gnonto, which at the time, had fans in uproar due to a lack of attacking talent. However, that has proven to be a blessing in disguise.
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Everton tried to sign Wilfried Gnonto in 2023 but failed to do so
Back in August 2023, Everton had opened negotiations to sign Willy Gnonto, who had handed in a transfer request at Leeds.
He was denied a move away from Elland Road that summer, despite Leeds being relegated from the Premier League at Everton’s expense. The Toffees had been in negotiations over a potential £25million deal for the Italian winger, though Leeds insisted that Gnonto wasn’t for sale.
But since then, the former Inter Milan starlet has failed to produce the goods. Just 11 goal contributions in 39 Championship matches that season saw Leeds lose in the play-off final.
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And although that increased to 15 last season with the league title to boot, it’s now been almost three years since Gnonto last produced anything of note in the Premier League.
His performance against Aston Villa on Sunday showed Everton may have dodged a bullet. In fact, Gnonto has spent 204 minutes on the pitch in the Premier League this season, with Leeds failing to score while he’s been playing.
With a yellow card and a lack of creativity vs Aston Villa seeing the Whites drop into the bottom three, Gnonto has somewhat regressed in his development and other signings that the Toffees have bought have fared better anyway.
Gnonto signing for Everton may not have seen Iliman Ndiaye join the club
With Everton struggling for creativity, it saw Iliman Ndiaye join the club instead, in preparation for the 2024-25 campaign.
It’s fair to say that his arrival has been a roaring success. The Senegal international was one of the Toffees’ best players last season, top scoring for the club, and he’s continued that in fine fashion this time around.
Had Gnonto joined Everton for £25million, it could have robbed Ndiaye of his move to Goodison Park – where he etched his name in history by being the last Everton star to score a competitive goal at the famous ground, before being the first to score at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
That has also allowed Jack Grealish to star on the left-hand side, and now Everton are a much more balanced side than if they had bought Gnonto for their ranks over two-and-a-half years ago now.