Everton has struck some brilliant transfer deals in the past, and some of the biggest names in world football have risen through the ranks of the Toffees.
Wayne Rooney, Mikel Arteta, Romelu Lukaku, Jordan Pickford, and James Rodríguez are only a few of the more recent stars who have tasted glory with Everton.
But there are also certain names that almost landed on Merseyside until they did not. Thinking about these near-misses, I can not help but wonder if these could be among the biggest “what if” situations in Everton’s history.
The 3 best players Everton almost signed (but did not)
1. Andy Robertson
Former Everton director Steve Walsh revealed in a conversation with The Athletic two years ago that the club passed up several opportunities to sign some of the game’s brightest talents.
Walsh said that he offered Everton a deal to sign Andy Robertson when he was at Hull City but the club declined.
Looking back, missing out on this transfer seems like a glaring mistake. Robertson today is at the pinnacle of football, and it is a pity that he has been achieving glory with Everton’s city rivals, Liverpool. That is a bitter pill to swallow for any Everton fan.
The Scotsman is a world-class full-back and has been an integral part of Liverpool’s golden generation. One can only imagine what might have happened if Everton had signed him instead.
The transfer could have meant limited time for the legendary Leighton Baines, but in hindsight, it might have provided a smooth transition from an ageing Baines to a fresh talent like Robertson.
Everton could have had one of the strongest left-back duos in world football. Overall, it was a poor decision not to sign Andy Robertson.
2. Harry Maguire
Walsh also revealed that, along with Robertson, he had offered Everton the chance to sign Hull City centre-back Harry Maguire, now an established Manchester United star.
He said, “While I was at Everton, I offered them Andrew Robertson and Harry Maguire deals, when they were at Hull, and it was worth 20 million for the pair. Everton would not take them.”
Imagine that, 20 million for a defensive pairing that could have been among the most solid in the Premier League at the time. Maguire was already a rising star and had begun to make a name for himself, arguably even more than Robertson. Rejecting this signing seems even worse in hindsight.
Maguire then went on to Leicester City and, later, Manchester United. The financial outlay would have been minimal for Everton, yet they passed on it. Clearly, this was a lost gem and a moment the club will look back on with regret.
3. Erling Haaland
And then there is Erling Haaland. Yes, that Erling Haaland. The very idea that Everton could have signed him seems surreal, yet it almost happened.
Walsh recounted, “Erling Haaland, the striker with Salzburg, I had him and his dad at the club with a deal done for 4 million. The club would not back me.”
Four million pounds for Haaland. At the time, he may not have had global fame, but he was already a prodigy widely recognized in scouting circles. Even before his stellar Champions League season catapulted him to stardom, Haaland was a player with immense potential.
To have had a chance to sign him for what now seems like pennies and to have passed on it is arguably the biggest fumble in Everton’s recent history. This is the kind of story that will haunt fans for decades.
Looking at these near-misses, it is clear that Everton have had opportunities to secure some of the best talents in world football, opportunities that, had they been seized, might have altered the club’s fortunes entirely. Robertson, Maguire, and Haaland could have been transformative players for the Toffees, and yet, for reasons that are hard to justify, the club turned them down.
Sometimes, football history is defined as much by the players clubs do not sign as by the ones they do. For Everton, these three missed chances are reminders of what could have been and what might still be spoken about as some of the biggest “what ifs” in Premier League history.