Everton, in their seemingly never-ending pursuit to return to the top, have thrown money at every problem.
Farhad Moshiri boasted little experience within the footballing industry prior to taking control of the club but was inundated with cash from his various business ventures.
Therefore, he saw fit that any issue could be solved with a shiny new player or swiftly replacing a manager.
The club's owner soon came to understand that in football, and the Premier League especially, you have to have a plan.
Manchester City did not fumble their way to the top; Sheikh Mansour had it all planned out, and the money was merely supplementary to their successful model.
There are many examples of the Toffees’ misguided spending that outlines the difference between themselves and the Cityzens, but arguably few more so than Cenk Tosun.
How much did Cenk Tosun cost Everton?
With the start of the 2017/18 campaign having disappointed, as the club momentarily dipped into the relegation zone, Moshiri’s rashness came into full effect as he dismissed Ronald Koeman in favour of Sam Allardyce, to ‘save them’ from a scrap for survival of which they were never really in.
Clearly a short-term appointment, it became particularly baffling that the Iranian allowed the journeyman boss to spend at all in his one window in charge.
But instead, £27m was unloaded on Turkey international Cenk Tosun, as an answer to their Romelu Lukaku-sized absence.
Whilst the fee alone drew criticism, the fact he was also handed a five-year contract on £60k-per-week made the deal even more questionable.
Unsurprisingly, the 31-year-old was not a hit on Merseyside, featuring just 61 times across that period, scoring 11. It was no surprise to see him branded “toothless” by journalist Luke Gardener too upon hearing Crystal Palace’s interest in signing him back in 2020.
Allardyce would be sacked at the conclusion of that season despite guiding them to a more than respectable eighth, whilst Tosun remained at Goodison Park until his contract ended last summer.
When accumulating both his wages and initial fee, across the 231 miserable weeks he spent at the club, the current Besiktas forward cost the club £41m.
The striker was one of many players signed under the new owner, who has sat on a huge wage before leaving at a cut price. It is a miserable trope that has now become synonymous with the Moshiri reign and has led to fan unrest too.
Evertonians deserve better, and had their untold riches been spent alongside a well-thought-out structure, perhaps the Toffees might be perched alongside Man City rather than at the opposite end of the table.
