Everton: Revival of £27 million man’s form changes fan transfer opinion

Yerry Mina joined FC Barcelona in January 2018 but it became clear within a space of a few months that the Colombian was not quite ready for the Barcelona level of football. Leveraging on vibrant 2018 FIFA World Cup performances, the Catalan club cashed in on Mina, selling him to Everton for £27.2 million, while also inserting a buy-back clause.

Back in 2018, the Toffees fielded Kurt Zouma and Michael Keane in the central defence. Mina arrived as a defender with potential but the lack of experience of playing in Europe’s elite leagues was increasingly evident in his first few games with the Merseysiders. In his first season with the club, Mina ended up making 15 appearances. The appearance number could have been much bigger had a foot and hamstring injury not ravaged his season.

There was promise but there was also apprehension. The recurring niggles and constant fitness issues remained a worry for the fans and for the team management. When a player doesn’t get an extended run in the team and is stifled due to injuries, you cannot expect him to showcase his true talent. That’s what happened with Mina. The performances dropped and so did his shoulders. The Colombian was lacking confidence, making sloppy mistakes and in turn having a negative impact in the defence.

At the start of the 2020-21 season, the onset of the Carlo Ancelotti revolution did cast some doubts on Mina. You would’ve easily found fans who’d be happy if the Toffees offloaded the former Barca defender.

Yerry Mina was not a reliable choice for Everton after lacklustre performances last term

Why would you have an injury prone, error committing defender in your ranks when the club is making its biggest push for European football under a revered coach? Even the most knowledgeable pundits predicted Mina to drop down the pecking order and becoming just another side cast.

That would’ve certainly been the case had it not been for injuries to Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite. This was the first critical point in the season. Mina had was left with no choice but to rise to the occasion and forge a strong central defence partnership with Michael Keane. In a very cliché way, it was hero time or zero time for the Colombian.

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While his compatriot, James Rodriguez, was enchanting the Everton faithful on the other end of the pitch, Mina was taking baby steps. Some performances stood out while in some he made the same old mistakes, a misjudged clearance, poor positioning and passive decision making.

Keane was turning out to be the most consistent player there is in town and on the other hand, Mina was peaking inconsistency. In one game, he could be the astute, dominative match winner and just three days later he could be the culprit, making individual errors resulting in dropping of points.

Then came the congested schedule of December. Unarguably, December being the busiest time in the fixture calendar where fixtures come thick and fast, offering minimal time for recovery, player injuries during this time become the most common phenomenon in the Premier League. If Mina’s previous injury records are anything to go by, this wouldn’t have been the best time for him. But, against the odds, the 26 year old brought out the best of him in this phase.

Mounting impressive, rock solid displays one after the other, extracting the maximum from his skill sets, Mina became the bedrock of the defensive foundation. His aerial dominance and aggressive nature were evident on both ends of the pitch as he remained a threat from set pieces too, scoring the winner against Arsenal. One telling stat that separates Mina from others and solidifies the notion that he has improved by miles is the amount of individual defensive battles he’s won this season.

Ancelotti is building a team capable of fighting for European football and Mina’s resurgence offers hope and allows one to put faith in him that despite the flaws in him because he’s constantly improving and working hard to in order to help the Toffees achieve the long standing dream.