BadboyMustyEverton Football Club had a busy summer ahead of the 2019/20 season. The Toffees brought in several notable signings, including Alex Iwobi from Arsenal, who is now at Fulham, and young Italian striker Moise Kean from Juventus. Andre Gomes also signed for the club that summer.
However, there were also some notable outgoings, including Idrissa Gana Gueye, who joined PSG. He has since returned to Goodison Park. Nikola Vlasic also departed the club, contributing to an impressive total of £73.1m made by the Toffees that summer.
There was another sale that summer that contributed to that, although it could be a deal the Toffees regret when looking back on it.
Who Everton sold in 2019
The player in question here is Nigerian international attacker Ademola Lookman. The 26-year-old has become one of the deadliest attackers in Europe despite an indifferent time at Goodison Park.
The Merseysiders initially signed him as a 19-year-old from Charlton Athletic in January 2017, costing £11m and signing a four-and-a-half-year contract. Although he joined with a huge expectation, he struggled to live up to that in the famous Blue shirt.
He played 48 times for the Toffees in all competitions but only managed to find the back of the four times and grab two assists. Two of those goals came in the same game, away to Cypriat outfit Apollon Limassol in the Europa League.
The versatile attacker never really managed to find his best form at Goodison Park. He went on loan to RB Leipzig for the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, before returning to his parent club for the following season.
After struggling in an Everton shirt once again, Lookman made the move back to the German outfit in 2019. According to Sky Sports News, he cost Die Roten Bullen an initial fee of £16m, which could have risen to £22.5m.
Since leaving the Toffees, it is fair to say the Nigerian has lived up to his potential, and Everton may well wish they had persevered with him all those years ago.
Lookman’s current market value
26-year-old Lookman has been superb since settling down in Italy with Atalanta. Prior to his move to Italy, the Nigerian also played for Premier League sides Fulham and Leicester City, before eventually moving to the Italian outfit.
It is fair to say that the winger has been superb since joining La Dea in the summer of 2022. He has played 85 times for the club in all competitions, already scoring 35 goals and grabbing an impressive 21 assists.
| Lookman record by season for Atalanta (all comps) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| Games | 33 | 45 | 7 |
| Minutes | 1858 | 2809 | 522 |
| Goals | 15 | 17 | 3 |
| Assists | 8 | 10 | |
That included a stellar performance in the 2024 Europa League final. The Atalanta number 11 became the first player to score a hattrick in the final of the competition, seeing his side to a phenomenal 3-0 victory over Bundesliga champions and invincible side Bayer Leverkusen.
The versatile attacker, who can play in a number of positions across the frontline, has started the new campaign on fire. The wideman has played seven times this term in all competitions, scoring three times and grabbing three assists, too.
He was described as a “dynamic” attacker by football presenter Dougie Critchley, and for good reason, as his record shows.
Lookman was very much a wanted man over the summer, and according to reports could have left Atalanta. There were some giants of European football chasing him, including PSG, Arsenal and Liverpool.
As per reports, the Nigerian international could have fetched as much as £58m, and it is safe to assume he could cost just as much in 12 months if his performances continue. Incredibly, the value Atalanta set last summer was a 262% increase from what the Toffees sold him for back in 2019.
Looking back on it, Everton may well regret not keeping hold of Lookman for longer than they initially did. He has become one of the deadliest, and most sought-after wingers in Europe, and could have exploded for the Toffees as he has done now, even fetching them a huge sum of money.
Toffees fans can only look back at the deal and think about what could have been.
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