The 2019 summer window was a significant time for Everton Football Club. The Toffees splashed the cash to bring in some expensive stars and also made a couple of sales that helped to fund those incomings.
Attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi joined the club from Arsenal, and striker Moise Kean made an exciting move from Italian giants Juventus. The club also brought Andre Gomes in on a permanent deal after a loan the season prior, and Fabian Delph joined from Manchester City. Idrissa Gueye and Nicola Vlasic were two of the notable outgoings.
However, there was one sale that summer, that of Ademola Lookman, that the Toffees might well wish they had never commissioned.
Why Everton might regret selling Lookman
It has been a fairytale few months for former Everton man Lookman. He has been in phenomenal form for his current club Atalanta, even though he never showed the best of his ability at Goodison Park.
In 48 games for the Merseysiders, the Nigerian winger managed just four goals and two assists, with only one of those strikes coming in the Premier League. Lookman was loaned to RB Leipzig in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, before making the move to Germany permanent in 2019 for £22.5m.
He bounced around a few clubs after leaving Goodison Park. The former Charlton academy starlet also played for Fulham and Leicester City before finally settling at Atalanta. It is fair to say the winger has taken Italy by storm.
In 96 games for La Dea, he has scored an impressive 43 goals and has 23 assists to his name. After a stellar season in 2023/24, he finished in 14th place in the Ballon d’Or rankings, ranking above the likes of Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka.
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This term, the Atalanta number 11 has 11 goals and five assists in 18 games in all competitions. His latest outing saw him score against Real Madrid in a 3-2 Champions League defeat.
Despite the fact he was playing against the likes of Jude Bellingham, who got the crucial third goal for Los Blancos, Chris Hamill of The Athletic said he was “the best player on the pitch”.
Lookman is not the only player Everton have sold in recent years who is now playing to the same levels as Bellingham. James Rodriguez has been thriving and is surely someone they regret moving on.
James Rodriguez’s life after Everton
The year after moving Lookman on from the club, Everton snapped up James Rodriguez from Madrid for a reported £12m, where he linked up with former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who coached him at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Aged 29 when he made the move to Merseyside, Rodriguez was in his prime years after some tough seasons beforehand. He was excellent for the Toffees, described as a “genius” by football statistician Statman Dave.
In 26 appearances in that famous Blue shirt, the Colombian international scored six times and grabbed eight assists.
Perhaps the attacking midfielder’s finest game for Everton came against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League. Everton won the game 4-2, with Rodriguez getting two goals and an assist.
His stats on Sofascore show just how dominant he was that day, having 74 touches of the ball and creating two chances. In fact, his stats from that entire season were fantastic.
Stat
Number
Starts
21
Goals
6
Assists
4
Big chances created
11
Key passes per game
1.8
Dribbles completed per game
1.5
Duels won per game
4.7
Since leaving Everton for an undisclosed fee, Rodriguez has played in Qatar, for Greek giants Olympiacos, in Brazil with Sao Paolo and finally back in La Liga for Rayo Vallecano.
He was also spellbinding for his country in the 2024 Copa America. The 33-year-old scored once and registered six assists as Colombia reached the final but lost to Argentina.
His form has subsequently seen FIFA nominate the former Madrid midfielder for the Men’s XI in The Best awards. He is nominated alongside the likes of Bellingham for a place in the best men’s side of 2024.
Reflecting on his short career at Goodison Park, Everton fans may well wish they still had Rodriguez at the club. He has been back at his creative best and is getting international recognition alongside players such as Bellingham, which is no mean feat.
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