With the January transfer window known for its mixed results, some teams often fair better than others. Unlike their Merseyside rivals, Everton have sadly had more misses than hits.
The window provides an opportunity for struggling sides fighting relegation to sign an impactful player to get them out of a rut, however, several promising transfers have failed to work out for Everton.
The January transfer window is not known for huge deals like the summer time, as clubs are often not willing to spend a great deal of money and players can find it hard to make an impact half way through the season.
Here we dive into a list of January transfers who struggled at Everton, discover where they signed from, why Everton signed them and why did they ultimately did not work out.
1. Cenk Tosun
Cenk Tosun for £27m from Besiktas in January 2018. The German arrived after establishing himself in Turkey with Besiktas and Gaziantepspor respectively. Hopes were high for him after scoring 41 goals in 96 Turkish league appearances but 61 games, 11 goals and six assists later Tosun did not have the impact the Toffee’s had hoped for. He came in after Sandro Ramirez failed to establish himself and the thought of him and Richarlison was something for the Everton fans to be excited about but unfortunately it didn’t work out. A failed loan move to Crystal Palace in January 2019 failed to see him make any improvements having scored once in five games. Photo: Alex Livesey
2. Donny van de Beek
Donny van de Beek on loan. The Dutchman joined Manchester United in the summer of 2020 after being part of a historic side which saw them narrolwy miss out on the Champions League final. Despite scoring in his debut for the Red Devils, he saw little playing time afterwards and failed to secure a place under managers Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Ralf Rangnick. He joined Everton on a loan deal along side Delle Alli but failed to make an impact. He made seven appearances and scored one goal. It was hoped that his experience in midfield would help Everton after a terrible start to the season which saw manager Rafa Benitez was sacked. He was one of Frank Lampards first signings as Everton’s boss. His time at Everton was similar to Lampard’s as manager, full of hope but underwhelming failing to achieve anything. Photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
3. Eliaquim Mangala
Eliaguim Mangala from Manchester City on loan in 2018. A name many will forget, the Frenchmen joined the Toffee’s in 2018 after falling out of favour in the Manchester City team, only playing nine games before he joined. His Everton career was over before it started, playing just two games, with one of them being his debut against Arsenal getting beat 5-1. He would then play against Crystal Palace before suffering ligament damage to his knee ending his time at Everton. Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
4. Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott from Arsenal January 2018 for £20m. After breaking through the ranks at Arsenal competition for places and injuries sadly derailed his Arsenal career. He spent over 10 years in London, making over 300 appearances. A move to Merseyside hoped to a fresh start for the Englishmen. After making 85 appearances for club he faile to revilitise his carrer like he had hoped. He eventually became a forgotten player in the Everton side. His best season for the blues came in 2018 when he made 37 Premier League appearances scoring five goals. Fans had hoped for more of the same the next year but were disappointed to see otherwise. Photo: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images