Everton has been the home to many top talents over the years, with the club able to develop numerous young prospects.
Jarrad Branthwaite is one of the latest to shine at Goodison Park, arriving from Carlisle for just £1m back in 2020, with the centre-back now an established member of Sean Dyche’s first-team.
The 22-year-old had huge interest from Manchester United during the summer transfer window – but the Toffees’ valuation of £80m failed to be met with the youngster still plying his trade on Merseyside.
Wayne Rooney is another player who started at Goodison, coming through the club’s academy before making his first-team debut back at the age of 16.
He eventually joined United for £27m – going on to be the Red Devils’ all-time top scorer and establishing himself as one of England’s best-ever players.
However, the club recently made a move to sign another young talent who could potentially become another fan-favourite during his time at Goodison.
Armando Broja’s stats since 2022
On deadline day, Everton clinched the loan signing of striker Armando Broja from Chelsea, with an option to buy on a permanent basis next summer.
He’s been brought in to try and combat the club’s poor goalscoring record, which has seen them score just two goals in the opening three league outings of the new season.
However, his record in recent times doesn’t fill many supporters with hope, with the Albanian only registering three goals over the last two seasons.
Broja did suffer an ACL injury back in 2022, with the striker needing consistent game time to reach the levels the club need if he is to be a success at Goodison.
His subsequent goal record is lower than a player who departed the Toffees just a couple of years ago, with the former Everton man finding his feet after a tricky few years on Merseyside.
The former Everton man who has shone since leaving
In an attempt to take the club to the next level, Everton decided to fork out £27m for the signing of Turkish striker Cenk Tosun back in January 2018.
However, the move for the forward was a disaster, with Tosun only scoring 11 goals in 61 appearances – subsequently leaving the Toffees on a free transfer at the end of his contract in 2022.
Since leaving England, the Turkish talent has recaptured his goalscoring form, scoring 29 goals in all competitions for Besiktas – a tally that is 26 goals higher than new signing Broja.
2017/18
991'
14
5
2018/19
1,050'
25
3
2019/20
290'
5
1
2020/21
44'
5
0
2021/22
6'
1
0
The 33-year-old registered a staggering 18 goals during his first campaign back in Turkey, before notching a further 11 goals in all competitions last season.
Whilst his time at Everton was a disaster for everyone involved, it’s great to see Tosun finding the back of the net again – showcasing the talent that saw the club pay £27m for his services.
It may be in a lower-quality division than the Premier League, but his nouse for finding the back of the net is something which the club is desperately looking for at the moment.
The signing of Broja may help rectify the club’s current situation, but Tosun has demonstrated that he is still capable of starring in front of goal, with the Chelsea loanee needing to hit the ground running if he is to be a success under Dyche this season.
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ByAngus Sinclair Sep 4, 2024