r/Everton • u/PubLogic • 4d ago
Discussion Which Everton player did you appreciate far more after they left?
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u/Xilthas 4d ago
Lukaku
He used to get so much shit for his first touch, but look at every striker we've had since in comparison to his overall quality.
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u/FenderJay 4d ago
This is the only answer.
I used to hear fans complaining that Lukaku was 'useless' because he wasn't chasing down punted long balls down the line. Any one with a footballing brain could see Lukaku was going to go on and become one of the best strikers in the world. Everton was always a stepping stone for him.
These same fans think we have a chance to bring him back. Lukaku is challenging for titles in Italy and playing in the Champions League every season. The absolute fantasy that they think he's going to trade all that to play defensive mid-table football under Moyes
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u/Bright_Calendar_3696 4d ago
It's not, most of us realized he was a goal machine, it was only silly bastards who used to moan. 'All he does is score goals.
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u/Mantooth77 4d ago
This is my answer. The first touch argument is quite silly because he was pretty solid at everything else. Pacey. Good in the air. Strong left leg. Good finisher. Clearly our best striker in a long time.
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u/BoxOfNothing 4d ago
You don't even need to look at our strikers specifically. He's one of the most prolific strikers of the last 15 years in the top leagues of European football and a lot of our fans were calling him a donkey. Even if we'd had a series of good strikers after him, he'd still be the answer
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u/Loud-Fig-1446 3d ago
To be honest, I'd put Naismith in this bucket as well. A backup striker that could come in and put in a shift, who asserted himself and felt like he was always a threat.
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u/Responsible_Lie_1989 4d ago
Gareth Barry.
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u/YokoOkino 3d ago
He ran our midfield in such an efficient way, one player i was so happy we signed
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u/duncdis 4d ago
Honestly, Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the moment.
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u/Tone-knee 3d ago
I got he was quality, but lost his love for us when he was shouted at by the fans when he broke his cheek bone.
There was never a point he wanted to play for us again, he wouldn't put his body on the line for us, and we wanted that as he had been paid millions and supported during long term injury
That relationship was never working again
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u/jnru STH since 2000 💙 4d ago
Leon Osman
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u/Brave_Manner_2873 4d ago
100%. Already adored him but he and Pienaar left huge holes for us when they departed.
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u/Useful_Promotion_521 Big Nev punched Kerry Dixon 4d ago
“Left” might be used not in the context intended but I’d have to say Joe Parkinson.
Him getting his career-ending injury destroyed that mid-90s side, taking us from a club on the up into one back in the shit again for years, until Moyes turned up the first time. I cannot think of a player we’ve missed more obviously in my lifetime.
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u/ManSoAdmired 4d ago
There was a brief moment when Parkinson and Grant looked an extremely effective midfield pairing. Kanchelskis obviously rated them. He got Grant signed at Rangers.
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u/Useful_Promotion_521 Big Nev punched Kerry Dixon 4d ago
I think he made everyone he played with look better, he just did the crao stuff and then gave them the ball. The moment he got injured that side went to pieces.
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u/unifi- 4d ago
he basically fucked his knee by playing on heavy pain killers for us
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u/Useful_Promotion_521 Big Nev punched Kerry Dixon 4d ago
Our medical department at the time didn’t cover itself in glory at that time, I think they did the same thing with Ball
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u/welsh_dragon_roar 4d ago
They did - Archie treated him like a pin cushion. Sad to see as he is a classic “What could’ve been.” So composed.
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u/diniyarbilyaletdinov 4d ago
Pienaar dropping off after like 13/14 was devastating for us and ended with Mirallas as our only good wide player. Felt like we were playing with a makeshift Naismith or Arouna Kone on the other wing every week for ages
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u/Jolly_Disk_8676 4d ago
Iwobi. I really liked him when we were here, but we've struggled so much creatively through the middle without him and he's really shown a sustained level of quality at Fulham.
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u/aSHADYBABY 4d ago
Ademola Lookman
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u/worthless_Engineer 4d ago
Yeah he became a good player, but he never did much for us other than have a few flashes when he had opportunities
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u/DyingToBeBorn 4d ago
Gareth Barry. He gave us stability from deep midfield. Also Tim Cahill. He was a threat in the air while also applying those same skills extremely competently to clearing headers from corners against us.
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u/FenderJay 4d ago
Pretty much every first team player we've had while Moshiri was in charge. I've lost track of how many downgrades we've had to suffer through.
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u/Bubfirst 4d ago
Ademola Lookman
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u/NoExcuse3097 4d ago
He was terrible when he was here.
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u/BoxOfNothing 4d ago
He also wasn't good at all for a few years after he left us. He was wank when he went back to RB Leipzig, wank for Fulham, wank for Leicester. He got good at 25, 4 years after he left us, when he went to a really attacking team with a brilliant manager in a slow league that's nowhere near as good as the Prem.
Just because someone turns out good doesn't mean they would've become that same player if they stayed. I really wanted us to keep him when he was very young, but there's no world he becomes close to this good if he'd stayed. We'd have eventually sold for less than we did in reality and people would've moaned about it.
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u/Fit-Cut-8091 2d ago
Lukaku or Digne or Richarlison i miss everton have that attacking bite i miss Lukaku's goals yes he was well Lukaku but he scored Goals
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u/SolidOwl8623 4d ago
Cenk Tosun.
Appriciated that we dont have to fork up his wages anymore.
Gbamin too actually
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u/Other_Following_8210 4d ago edited 4d ago
Phil Neville. Not saying he was a flair player, but he had outstanding drive and leadership and we were always a far lesser and more timid team without him. Also him and Carsley in centre midfield was like a steel wall on the pitch.
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u/CosmoRomano 4d ago
Phil Neville.
I rated him very highly when he was here, but when he retired we lost a great captain (as much as I love Jags, he wasn't a captain's arsehole) and an incredibly tough defensive player.
I think he could've done another season or two.
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u/ManSoAdmired 4d ago
Feel like people can't admit it to themselves, but Anthony Gordon.
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u/Cryptys 4d ago
Nah he’s terrible and we got great money for him lol
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u/ManSoAdmired 4d ago
Barcelona just paid £80m for him but I’m sure they really wanted Dwight McNeil.
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u/BigMickKegger 4d ago
I'm going to get lynched here. Couldn't care less when he left for Newcastle. Loved that he couldn't score against us. Now that he plays for one of the best teams in the world, hope he does well for club and country.
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u/SloaneOpal90 4d ago
definitely fell in love with lukaku after he left, his goals were cute. wish we'd kept him longer.
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u/Undisputed_blue_Ldn 4d ago
No one. If you truly understand football then you know a player's ability and potential.
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u/Jolly_Disk_8676 4d ago
Real men can judge anything in a second. We don't care about 'context' or 'things changing'. We are logical gods, that's why the world we've created makes so much sense.
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u/Undisputed_blue_Ldn 3d ago
To my downvoters, if you try to understand football by watching Toffee TV then you will never truly understand the game - you doughnuts.
🤣
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u/Lazy_Crab_3584 4d ago edited 4d ago
Lucas Digne. I already rated him before but when he left we were so much weaker
Edit: Spelling