Everton’s recruitment has been hit-and-miss over the last decade.
Everton spent a fortune under Farhad Moshiri, but the approach didn’t appear coordinated. Former director Steve Walsh would often recommend one player before the manager opted to go for his own choice.
Walsh wanted to sign Francesco Acerbi in 2017, but that move never materialised, and now the Italian centre-back is gearing up to play in a Champions League final with Inter.
The former Leicester chief also recommended Alexander Isak when he was just a teenager, but again, Everton didn’t get that deal over the line.
Recruitment has clearly been the main issue at Goodison Park in recent times, and Duncan Ferguson tells a story about how the club didn’t listen to his opinion about a £27m signing, who turned out to be a flop.
Duncan Ferguson urged Everton not to sign Cenk Tosun
Ferguson, speaking in his audiobook ‘Big Dunc’, told the story about how he urged Everton’s recruitment team not to sign Cenk Tosun back in 2018.
“Me and Sammy Lee, who had come into the club with Sam Allardyce, got called into a recruitment meeting,” the 53-year-old explained.
“Normally, Everton didn’t want me in there because I tell it how I see it. I went into the meeting with all of them, the technical director Steve Walsh is in there.
“And they’re all talking about Cenk Tosun of Besiktas, raving about him, let’s take him they all said.”
Everton’s recruitment team told Ferguson to tell Sam Allardyce if he had any issues.
Duncan said: “Boss don’t take him… he can’t run, but more importantly, he looks like an old man.
“How old is he? ‘27’ somebody replied. Everyone else was laughing and going you can’t say that Dunc. Well I am saying it.
“My point was Tosun didn’t look like he was good enough for Everton. He didn’t look vibrant. He didn’t look like somebody you wanted to take.
“He doesn’t look quick enough, I said.”
Ferguson was right about Tosun
Turns out, Ferguson was bang on about Tosun as he failed to make the grade on Merseyside.
The Turkish forward just couldn’t adapt to the Premier League and was let go on a free transfer four years later.
