Everton endured a torrid January transfer window, in which they welcomed no new faces but still allowed their 21-year-old starlet Anthony Gordon to leave for £45m.
Although the boyhood blue had frustrated this season, and his exit was not wholly disappointing, the lack of dealings that followed only served to exacerbate just how big of an exit it was.
Sean Dyche was hung out to dry and now stares a monumental task in the face to keep his new side in the Premier League.
They currently sit two points adrift in 19th, and face Arsenal and Liverpool in their next two fixtures. Things don’t get any easier.
Whilst many lauded the Toffees for squeezing such an astronomical fee out of a player with just seven senior goals in 78 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, arguably it should have been a different asset that they looked to push out the doors of Finch Farm.
Favouring tall, physical strikers with a tireless work ethic, Dyche is hardly likely to look to Neal Maupay as a source for his striking woes.
Should Everton have sold Gordon?
Yes
No
The Frenchman has disappointed all season, and now given the play style of his new boss, is likely to see his chances dwindle even further despite another striker spot opening up in his 4-4-2 formation.
Having signed for £15m in the summer, the 26-year-old has only mustered 13 appearances in the league, scoring once.
This has culminated in an average Sofascore rating of 6.61, where he has created zero big chances whilst missing two himself, via Sofascore.
Standing at just 5 foot 8, he hardly aligns with the likes of Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes, Sam Vokes and Jay Rodriguez to name a few of Dyche’s former finishers, who between them stand as high as 6 foot 3 and at their shortest 6 foot 1.
This is only exacerbated by the fact that Maupay wins just 27% of his aerial duels.
What compounds his misery since moving to Goodison Park is outlined by pundit Danny Murphy, who was shocked to see Everton spend so much on him in the summer. He told talkSPORT (4th of January, 10:30am): “I was absolutely gobsmacked (when Everton signed Maupay). He’s not a goalscorer.”
This damning assessment sums up what has been a dreadful move for all those involved, that could have been salvaged had they managed to get rid.
Instead, they opted to sell one of their main assets once again with no replacement, handing Dyche the worst possible chance of salvaging this season. He has it all to do and will have to do it without stamping his own mark on this team at all.
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