Ranking Everton's Most Expensive Transfers Of All Time (From Best To Worst) | OneFootball

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The end of summer is nearly upon Everton, but more importantly, so is the climax of the summer transfer window. Most fans across the footballing pyramid find this an exciting time, with new players, new hope, and new expectations.

However, not for all clubs, especially for the supporters. Remember the new Everton? The football club with the billionaire British-Iranian owner? The blue half of Merseyside have spent heavily since the start of the 2010s - but have been unable to achieve a finish better than 5th in the standings, and have been lingering perilously close to the relegation zone in the Premier League - only just surviving over the last two campaigns.

Having recently secured the services of Beto for a reported fee of £30 million (according to BBC Sport), the Goodison Park faithful will be hoping to see a change in their fortunes soon. Out of respect to the player, he has been left out of this list.

In this article you are going to find out what happens to a club with an embarrassment of riches, but no competent transfer strategy. All financial figures mentioned in this article have been taken from TransferMarkt and have been converted from Euros (€) to Pounds (£) at the time of writing. This may change as the economy fluctuates over time.

We will be giving a school-style report on what we think about the players listed below, and how well they grade in our eyes. No more time-wasting! Let's get stuck into the most expensive Everton players of all time.

Most Expensive Everton Transfers

Romelu Lukaku (A+)

The Belgian powerhouse was recruited after a successful loan spell at Goodison during the 2013/14 season, bagging himself a respectable 15 goals in 33 appearances in the Premier League. This impressed the Goodison faithful, who were overjoyed when Lukaku transferred to Everton from Chelsea in the summer of 2014.

The 30-year-old impressed during his time at Everton scoring 87 goals in 166 appearances, becoming the toffees record Premier League goalscorer, a record which stands to this day. It could be argued this was his best period in football, seemingly not settling at any of his future clubs. The Belgian was a fantastic asset to the Blues, who has still yet to be properly replaced following his departure to Manchester United in 2017.

Jordan Pickford (A+)

England's number-one Goalkeeper joined Everton at the start of the 2017/18 season. A young, promising shot-stopper at the time came with a big fee attached. During the last six seasons, Pickford has matured into one of the best Goalkeepers in the world, appearing at two World Cup Finals and one European Championship so far, with many tournaments to come no doubt.

Sometimes his temperament has been called into question, but this seems to have been ironed out of his game with age. The 29-year-old is now comfortably Everton's most consistent performer, an asset that is so valuable to a side battling relegation recently. It has to be said Pickford may soon be approaching a decision if Everton continue to lurk around the relegation trap door. Pickford is one signing that has been worth the money with no doubt.

Richarlison (A)

The Brazilian arrived at Goodison in the summer of 2018 with a heavy price tag attached to him. Not many supporters had seen much of Richarlison at the time. He quickly endeared himself with the blue side of Merseyside becoming a cult hero. A footballer who can create a chance out of nothing, a player who loves a fight, a player who embodied the spirit of Everton Football Club.

During his last season at Goodison, the former Watford star scored many crucial goals in Everton's quest for survival. Most notably snatching a draw at Goodison against Leicester City with another pivotal strike in the famous 3-2 against Crystal Palace, which secured the Blues survival in 2021/22. The 26-year-old will always have a place in Evertonian's hearts, a player many wish was still at the helm.

Yerry Mina (B-)

The Columbian joined the Blues after an impressive World Cup during the summer of 2018, notably scoring past his future Everton teammate, Jordan Pickford. Mina seemed to have all the assets to be a successful Premier League centre-back. However, he was ultimately let down by his body on multiple occasions. It was difficult for Mina to have a sustained period in the heat of defence, making it difficult to form a partnership with any of the other defenders at the club.

Nonetheless, the Colombian international played some vital games in Everton's last two campaigns, notably towards the end of last season with a 99th-minute equaliser at Wolves. Unfortunately, 86 league appearances in five seasons simply aren't enough to justify reported high wages. Mina joined Fiorentina on a free transfer after his recent departure.

Amadou Onana (B-)

Amadou Onana joined Everton at the beginning of the 2022/23 season after impressing at French outfit Lille. The young midfielder has all the assets to be a fantastic box-to-box midfielder, however is still raw in terms of his decision-making. No doubt Onana will go on to bigger and better things once he develops as a footballer, but at the moment Everton seems a good fit for his development and the level they are at.

Still only 22 years old he has plenty of time to develop his weaknesses, it is hard to judge the player based on just 34 appearances last season. It would be fair to judge Onana at the end of this season.

Alexander Iwobi (C)

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The Nigerian arrived at Goodison Park during the 2019/20 season, after transferring from Premier League rivals Arsenal. Iwobi was questioned from the start, as Evertonians believed they had only acquired his services due to missing out on Wilfried Zaha at the final hour.

Another footballer who divided the fanbase at times with glimpses of brilliance sometimes ruined by a poor decision in the final third of the pitch. The 27-year-old cannot be questioned in terms of work rate, a player who always puts a shift in for the cause, a trait appreciated by most sets of supporters. Iwobi will be vital once again, in what is looking like a tough season for the toffees.

Michael Keane (C-)

The English defender joined the toffees during the summer of 2017, at the time a defender known for his aerial presence in a solid Burnley defence. It could be argued that Keane has had a solid Everton career so far, however, Keane is seen as a player that 'has a mistake in him' by the Toffees supporters even after his 176 Premier League outings for the Blues.

A player seemingly very much a 'confidence player' has undoubtedly had some great periods at Everton, equally paired with some dreadful performances, falling out of favour under Frank Lampard. However, current boss Sean Dyche seems to favour Keane over the younger defenders at the club, we will likely be seeing Keane at Everton for some time yet!

Gylfi Sigurdsson (D)

One of the earliest transfers in the Farhad Moshiri era, a battle that dragged on over a long summer, until Swansea City finally agreed a deal to let the Icelandic midfielder depart for a reported fee of £42 million according to transfermarkt. Initially, Evertonians were delighted with the new acquisition, memorably scoring a world-class strike from the halfway line during a European qualifier in Split.

However, it could be argued this was one of the player's best moments in a blue shirt, registering just four goals in his first league season at Goodison Park. The former Swansea man divided the fan base in L4, showing glimpses of class at times but at the same time being labelled as a 'luxury' player whose work rate could be questioned in end-to-end games. His Everton career was cut short due to issues off the field.

Ben Godfrey (D-)

Arriving from Norwich in the summer of 2020, Godfrey initially showed a lot of promise. Blessed with bags of pace, the England youth defender looked to have all the characteristics of a Premier League defender. However, he is another player that features sporadically, his case not helped by an early season leg break during a home match against Chelsea in 2022.

However, after two England caps and plenty of time to develop, Godfrey could still flourish at Everton. The 25-year-old is a versatile footballer who has great powers of recovery, even if he has made a mistake. Maybe sometimes he can be over-enthusiastic and aggressive, but maturity comes with age in football. Another transfer which the jury is still out on!

Moise Kean (E)

The young Italian rocked up at Goodison during the 2019/20 season, very much an unknown but exciting quantity at the time. Initially, Kean struggled to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, registering just two goals in 29 appearances, poor performance paired with a reported lack of discipline off the field, cumulated with the fans not taking to the 23-year-old.

His last act in an Everton shirt came during a League Cup match at Huddersfield town; Kean initially scored a great goal which was unfairly ruled out by the linesman for offside. Then, just minutes later he engaged in a tussle with a Huddersfield player resulting in the Italian being sent off. After numerous loans, Kean has recently departed back to his boyhood club, Juventus.

Yannick Bolasie (F)

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Signed at the start of the 2016/17 campaign from Crystal Palace, Bolasie excited Blues fans, being one of the most expensive signings the club had ever acquired at the time. However, the Congolese winger's time at Goodison never got going making only 14 league appearances in his first campaign.

Unfortunately, he ruptured his cruciate ligament and was never really the same player arguably for the rest of his career, losing that speed and power associated with great wingers. After periods abroad, notably in Portugal, Bolasie is now without a club.