Can Everton find success in the damaged goods market again? | OneFootball

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

The transfer window has only officially been open a few weeks, but already there has been some fan frustration with a lack of credible reports of incomings.

Movement, however, has started. Hayden Hackney has arrived from Middlesbrough for an initial £16.5m, while an agreement has been reached with Chelsea to bring back Tyrique George on a permanent basis.

Hackney and George represent two talents on the up, a market most Evertonians would encourage the club to focus on. But there’s an argument that it hasn’t always been the most successful route, with Adam Aznou and Tyler Dibling two names of similar profile who are yet to make the desired impact. George himself saw limited minutes last season during a six-month loan, afforded a solitary Premier League start.

It left me wondering what exactly are the markets that Everton are operating in this summer?​

Everton do not have the financial power of the Premier League’s wealthiest sides, and while Hill Dickinson Stadium and its associated new revenue streams will help bridge the gap, this will take time.

Nor do Everton have the carrot of European football. As alluded to earlier, the Toffees, too, are yet to show that the club is an ideal environment for young players to develop, a path Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace can all credibly offer, though it is one David Moyes has mentioned as part of the plan.

There’s an argument that Everton’s best signings of recent times all have one thing in common: They’ve been under appreciated at high-profile clubs.​

James Garner played only seven senior games for Manchester United. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall spent a season on the sidelines at Chelsea. Iliman Ndiaye’s miserable move to Marseille was supposed to be the Champions League platform he craves. Even Jack Grealish, signed on loan last summer, needed a fresh start and to be loved again.

Signings that have stuttered elsewhere come with risk, but so does second-tier shopping, as seen with Hackney, or the pursuit of players from outside Europe’s top leagues. Thierno Barry was signed after scoring 11 La Liga goals for Villarreal, a decent return by anyone's metric, and still struggled to settle. There’s risk to every deal.

​So is the 'damaged goods' market one Everton can find success and value in again?

Liam Delap is one name who fits this profile, and there has been some objection to regular reports of Everton interest. What had appeared a coming-of-age campaign at Ipswich Town was followed by a season looking out of his depth at Chelsea.

​Delap hasn’t become a bad player overnight, even if his time at Chelsea has been truly torrid. Neither has Nicolas Jackson, Lois Openda, Ben White, or some of the other names linked with Everton during the silly season.

​Confidence is not there to go out on a limb and champion any of these deals with full faith, but likewise, they shouldn’t be met with such apprehension. Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah are just some of the flops-turned-Premier League success stories, brought about by changes of environment.

​Everton, in recent history, have had some success too.

Mike Doyle 3 Posted 05/07/2026 at 16:37:18

Going back further Harry, both Andy Gray and Peter Reid would have been considered damaged (injured ) goods when we signed them - and they worked out well.

Perhaps the best example in my football-watching lifetime was how Brian Clough and Peter Taylor blended damaged goods/past it players (e.g. Kenny Burns, Dave Mackay) with top class talents (e.g. Colin Todd, Peter Shiton) to create title winning sides at Derby & Forest.

Dave Abrahams 4 Posted 05/07/2026 at 17:35:52

Mike (3), Mike it was Taylor who discovered most of those players and Clough signed them. They played together at Middlesborough, Taylor was the goalkeeper there and they stayed together for a long time but fell out and never made it up and although Brian went to Taylor’s funeral it was too late then.

David West 5 Posted 05/07/2026 at 19:01:31

Arteta & Pienaar both similar, Ndiaye even ?

There's sometimes players that don't suit clubs, leagues, teams or managers.

This market is a risk, but all transfers are risks, players out of favour or not fitting in usually come at a discount so maybe a lower risk, higher reward ( see Ndiaye)

Jackson could be one I'd chance a loan to buy on, pace we just don't have and he would give us another dimension, even if he's not clinical, would make opposition defences drop a good few yards against us.

Dale Self 6 Posted 05/07/2026 at 19:21:59

Xhaka is an example of a player not at his best under the heavy pressure at a European club. Goes to Sunderland, and as the anchor of that team gets back in Europe.

There was a discount worth paying in that instance. It took someone like Le Bris to build around him.

Ian Bennett 8 Posted 05/07/2026 at 19:42:50

Nicolas Jackson or Jonathan David are two players that could prove their worth.

Oliver Molloy 9 Posted 05/07/2026 at 19:54:33

Richarlison & Lakuku ( fit ) all day long

Iain Love 10 Posted 05/07/2026 at 19:57:41

David Kovacics metrics are very similar to Hackneys. Fine player but but we want someone to get the best out of him. Now Elliot from the dark side is worth a punt to my mind.

The game seems to be moving towards young fast and technically gifted youngsters complemented by one or two old heads.

IMO we have enough old heads and should be looking at youngsters with pace although I would have liked to have kept Ashley Young for another year last season and I would love Richy back here.

Iain. Gana, Tim & Alcaraz could all be leaving. Leaving us with KDH, Garner, Armstrong, Hackney & Rohl it's a really young MF. It's would definitely not be enough in my view. And they all will need resting at times, see how goosed kdh was come last 2 months of the season.

An experienced player may come In ( please not soucek) or gana kept to play less minutes. Either way our MF could do with a dominant CM like a kovacic, it's lightweight in my view.

Still not enough attacking threat at all.

Still just got two strikers who basically aren't fit for purpose in the duration of it and looking at the wider picture, if we are happy to finish 13th again go for it.

Still got zero pace in the fullback berths and the central defence lacks pace, we are all just hoping and praying that Branthwaite somehow stays injury free.