Everton: Is it worth renewing interest in Lamine Kone?

After having a bid for Lamine Kone rejected last summer, should Everton return to make another offer, with the defender now likely available for less money?

Hindsight can often be a wonderful thing in the world of professional sports, especially when things don’t go as anticipated. (And let’s be honest, the media are the worst for criticising events after the fact.) However, in relation to Everton, we can now look back on an incident which actually worked in their favour.

Last August, as reported at the time by the Daily Mail, the Blues offered £18 million for Sunderland’s Lamine Kone. Despite only arriving in England seven months earlier, he had made an excellent impression on the rest of the Premier League in just 15 games.

The French-born defender actually travelled to Merseyside, in anticipation of a deal being agreed. However, the bid was rejected by Sunderland, in part because then manager David Moyes had no replacements lined up.

This had a negative effect on Kone, who had even told Moyes he wanted to leave Sunderland. And even though he eventually signed a new five-year contract, he appeared disinterested on the pitch, playing nowhere near as well during the next season, which ended with the Black Cats being relegated.

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Interestingly, this sequence of events could work in Everton’s favour. As reported by Shane Callaghan of HITC.com, Sunderland would apparently now be prepared to accept just £7 million for the 28-year old.

Considering how much Everton were originally going to pay, getting the same player for £11 million less would be an excellent piece of business. However, there are a couple of questions to consider.

The first is to ask why Kone is available at such a reduced rate? Yes, part of it relates to Sunderland being relegated, but is it also due to his poor performances last season?

This in turn leads to the second question – do Everton still actually want to sign the physical centre-back? Was his play during the 2016/17 campaign impacted by a combination of playing on a poor team and being unmotivated after not leaving, or was he just not as good as first thought?

You could argue that at just £7 million — small money in today’s crazy world of the Premier League — Kone is well worth the gamble. In addition, as noted by Callaghan, manager Ronald Koeman needs to start considering a replacement for Ashley Williams who, despite still playing well, will turn 33 next month.

Overall, we should be clear there is no indication Everton are preparing to renew their interest in Kone. However, if the Blues do decide to make another move for the Ivory Coast international, everything has fallen perfectly into place – without the benefit of hindsight.

Next: Why Everton's pursuit of Josh King makes sense

Where do you stand on Kone? Should Everton make another bid for the defender, or are some things best left in the past? Share your thoughts in the comments section.