Everton will have looked at Wigan Athletic with envy over Roberto Martinez favourite: View | OneFootball

Everton never saw the best of Arouna Kone, who helped fire Wigan Athletic towards FA Cup glory

Wigan Athletic achieved Premier League survival at the end of the 2011/12 campaign courtesy of a run in which the Latics won seven out of their last nine games, including an improbable victory against then-defending champions Manchester United at the Brick Community Stadium, as well as unlikely away triumphs at Liverpool and Arsenal.

This great escape effort epitomised the indomitable fighting spirit Roberto Martinez had instilled in his Latics side, who eventually finished seven points clear of the relegation zone.

But the return of 43 points the Greater Manchester outfit made that season did not tell the full story, as Wigan sat bottom of the Premier League as late on in the season as 17th March 2012, as per BBC Sport.

Martinez therefore knew that in order to beat the drop once more come the end of the 2012/13 season, the Latics would have to enjoy a successful summer transfer window, and the Spaniard signed striker Arouna Kone, who had scored 15 La Liga goals for Levante during the 2011/12 campaign.

Kone was a Wigan hero

Despite the signing of Kone, the Latics were unable to beat the drop to the Championship by the spring of 2013, but the Ivory Coast international played a major role in the club's most historic season.

Wigan won the FA Cup in 2013, an achievement no fan would swap for the feat of Premier League survival, by defeating Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in one of the biggest shocks in the competition's rich history.

In doing so, Martinez's side became the first-ever team to win the FA Cup and face relegation from the Premier League in the same season.

Kone was pivotal towards the Latics' unlikely cup success, as he scored two goals and assisted a further two in just four appearances during his side's memorable run to Wembley glory.

Furthermore, despite the 18th-place finish in the Premier League, Kone scored 11 goals and created five assists in 34 top-flight outings.

Only Henri Camara has scored more goals for the Greater Manchester club in a single top-flight season, scoring 12 goals during the 2005/06 campaign.

Everton never saw the best of Kone

After the Latics' FA Cup triumph, boss Martinez left to join Everton, replacing David Moyes who joined Manchester United, following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.

The Spaniard's former Latics star players, such as cup final goalkeeping hero Joel Robles, midfield stalwart James McCarthy, central defender Antolin Alcaraz, and Kone, all followed the manager to Goodison Park.

The Toffees faithful may have been hopeful that the Ivorian striker could emulate, or even better the form he had displayed during his tenure at the Brick Community Stadium.

However, during his first season with the Merseyside outfit, Kone failed to register a single goal contribution in five Premier League appearances.

He left the Toffees for Turkish Super Lig side Sivasspor in 2017, while the five goals he managed during the 2015/16 top-flight campaign was the best return he produced during his Goodison Park days.

Meanwhile, upon his move to Turkiye, Kone began displaying the sort of form he had shown in Latics colours, scoring 13 goals in his first Super Lig season as Sivasspor landed a seventh-place finish.

Backing Martinez after his appointment was without doubt the right move from an Everton perspective but they were left more than a little envious of Kone's Wigan stint, having seen none of that quality at Goodison Park.