He’s now playing like Haaland: Everton must regret selling 19-goal star
da roleta： Everton’s decision to bring back David Moyes as manager has certainly made the once rocky ship under Sean Dyche stable again, with the Toffees way away from relegation danger now in the Premier League.
da supremo： Examining the table further, Moyes’ reinvigorated troops are amazingly 15 points above the drop zone, with their predicament under Dyche far bleaker, considering the former Burnley boss was sacked when his lowly team were just one point above the dreaded bottom three.
It’s all down to a number of players who presumably felt shackled under the previous regime now playing with more freedom and drive in their game, but other duds at the club over the years haven’t always been so quick to turn their fortunes around.
Everton's biggest mistakes in the transfer window
Everton have fallen victim to a number of different clangers in the transfer market in recent memory, notably in forward areas.
The £27m capture of Cenk Tosun in 2018 is certainly near the top of the list of damaging buys with the Turkish attacker only firing home a weak 11 goals from 61 games to never truly live up to his weighty price-tag.
It seemed as though the forward positions were doomed for a while, with Sandro Ramirez another notable flop having scored just once across 16 forgettable matches at Goodison.
But, mistakes during the Farhad Moshiri were restricted to the forward line. Around a similar time a certain Davy Klaassen further entered the building from Dutch titans Ajax for £23.6m in 2017 in what proved to also be a huge waste of money.
Related Everton's most expensive sales of all time
The Toffees have received some huge fees over the years.
Whilst Tosun at least had his bright moments at Goodison Park, the Dutchman’s entire 16-game ordeal in England was a rough watch, culminating in just one assist and no goals.
While the players in question have still not really revived their careers elsewhere, the same cannot be said for a certain Moise Kean…
Why Moise Kean is now being compared to Haaland
Kean’s short-lived time on Merseyside will also sting like Klaassen and Tosun do, considering the Italian attacker cost a whopping £27.5m to obtain back in the summer of 2019.
Unfortunately, the promising Italian never settled with a lacklustre return of four strikes from 39 games souring the big switch. Things only went from bad to worse for the attacker when interim manager Duncan Ferguson substituted him onto the pitch at Old Trafford, only to withdraw him from the action 20 minutes later.
It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, that he then headed back to Italy and Juventus permanently in 2023 after a ropey four-year spell.
However, back in familiar surroundings in Italy with current employers Fiorentina, Kean is finally showing off the goalscoring prowess that made the Blues fork out that high amount, with the one-time Everton dud collecting a bumper 19 goals this season from 30 games.
Remarkably, he’s now being compared to some of the game’s elite with FBref’s similar players tool denoting that the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Benjamin Sesko and a certain Erling Haaland are all statistically alike during the 2024/25 campaign.
How Kean compares to Haaland – last 365 days
Stat – per 90 mins
Kean
Haaland
Total shots
3.10
3.71
Shot-creating actions
1.78
2.19
Attempted passes
10.88
12.26
Progressive passes
0.95
0.85
Progressive carries
1.24
0.91
Touches in attacking penalty area
4.39
6.38
Stats by FBref
Looking at the table above, it’s clear to see why so many similarities are being drawn between the Fiorentina ace and Haaland. The Norwegian, of course, is an elite superstar but both players in question are content with being poachers, rather than progressing play for their side.
In the current side, Kean could be perfect for Moyes as a secondary option up top away from Beto, with the 25-year-old also once praised for his “fearless” approach in attack by Thomas Tuchel that would have stood him in even more good stead to right some past wrongs at Goodison Park.
But, it seems his only possible route back into the English game is with Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s Gunners reportedly eye up a move.
Related Everton must regret selling "incredible" Ballon d'Or nominee for £22m
Everton must regret the sale of a £22m star who is now worth more than double
1