Disaster for Everton as failed £20m January signing fires relegation rivals towards safety

Everton’s failed pursuit of former Loreint winger Dango Ouattara came back to haunt them once again this weekend after he scored a late-gasp winner for Bournemouth against Tottenham Hotspur.

His January move may prove to be a sliding-doors moment for both the Cherries and the Toffees in the race to avoid the drop as the 21-year-old could prove to be the difference maker.

Everton offered a deal to the player during the winter transfer window, but he opted for a move to their relegation rivals at the last-minute.

Since then, he’s settled into life in England and has been a key outlet for the Cherries, recording one goal and three assists - including the winner at Spurs for what could be a crucial result for Gary O’Neil’s side.

At the same time, the Toffees slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to high-flying Fulham, a loss that has left the clubs level on points with 18th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Differing fortunes have only illustrated that the failed £20m move to Goodison Park may be the catalyst for Bournemouth’s escape and Everton’s downfall.

The Burkina Faso forward had recorded six goals and six assists in the first half of the Ligue 1 season and he has settled into life in England fairly quickly to help his side move up to 14th after spending the majority of the season in the bottom three.

Everton allowed Anthony Gordon to leave for around £45m in the January window and failed to replace him with any attacking reinforcements and that could be detrimental to their hopes.

Just ask Virgil Van Dijk as he fell victim to the former Lorient player’s incredible pace, which left the Dutch international for dead and allowed him to provide the match-winning assist against Liverpool earlier this year.

Failing to replace Gordon and not securing a player like Ouattara - a young, exciting talent with raw pace and the ability to play on either flank - is a big blow. They also missed out on Arnaut Danjuma, who also scored in the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, as well as Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Ounachu.