Everton were interested in many players throughout a busy summer, and in the end, recruited well in key areas.
It was quite clear where they needed to strengthen, and Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell got to work almost instantly to tie up shrewd and early business.
However, as the window dragged on, they became embroiled in a few transfer sagas that did not work out so well for them.
One such example came with a young midfielder, with Everton’s interest in Amir Richardson well-documented.
Everton held talks to sign Amir Richardson this summer
In an interview with Space Viola, Emmanuel Lacroix and Sebastien Szwarc, the representatives of Richardson, have since revealed how their summer panned out and how they snubbed Everton to join Fiorentina.
They noted: ‘Everton, Ajax and Fenerbahçe were monitoring his situation with great interest, which is completely understandable given his young age and considerable potential.
‘Amir had talks with all the coaches of the interested clubs, but the first to contact him was Raffaele Palladino [Fiorentina manager], with whom he had a video call. From the very beginning, the strong interest on his part clearly emerged.
‘After that conversation, Amir confided to us that he felt at ease and that in addition to his use on the pitch, we also discussed other aspects. Interest from other clubs showed later, but Amir was keen to keep his word to Palladino.
‘We had contact with Roberto Goretti [Fiorentina technical director] after Diego Tavano, the intermediary of the operation and our partner, informed us of Fiorentina’s strong interest.’
Tim Iroegbunam is still thriving for Everton
Although it might have been nice to snag a more traditional defensive midfielder, and one as impressive as Richardson, few can argue with what Tim Iroegbunam has done in that role anyway.
That is, despite football analyst Ben Mattinson branding the Moroccan a ‘freak athlete’ for his control and composure despite boasting a 6 foot 5 frame.
It is through that physical profile and technical prowess that similarities between him and former Everton man Amadou Onana grew, with many assuming he was the perfect replacement for the Belgian.
Instead, it has been the Aston Villa academy graduate who has stolen the show on Merseyside, with his emergence as a starter one of the surprise packages early on this campaign.
It’s a testament to his defensive prowess that he’s averaging a whopping 7.7 ball recoveries and four tackles per game in the Premier League, via Sofascore.
Missing out on Richardson was a blow, but if his acquisition would have hampered Iroegbunam’s development, then that is a sacrifice most would have been willing to make.
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