Everton, like most clubs, have had their fair share of dodgy transfers over the years, with players such as Dele Alli and Moise Kean each springing to mind.
However, in the case of the Toffees, a bad transfer can be what makes or breaks their season. Since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, the club have been in something of a downward spiral and have failed to finish inside the top ten of the Premier League.
To rub even more salt in their wounds, near the start of the 2023/24 term, Everton were handed the most severe points deduction in top-flight history. However, as of Monday 26th February, the deduction has been scaled down somewhat to six points.
Although these additional four points have allowed Sean Dyche's men some breathing room in regard to the relegation dogfight, they are still not performing to the standards expected of them on the pitch.
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Their top goalscorer is Abdoulaye Doucoure with six goals across all competitions, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin has the joint second-most with four.
Although, for Doucoure, these numbers are more than acceptable, the fact that Calvert-Lewin is two behind him should strike worry across fans.
If their form doesn't pick up soon, it is unlikely that they will manage to find their way out of the relegation battle.
One player who hasn't been much help in keeping the Toffees up is that of Andre Gomes. The Portugal international joined the Merseyside club in 2019 for a reported fee of £22m but hasn't yet made much of an impact in recent years.
How much Andre Gomes earns
Any player arriving from Barcelona in the late 2010s is likely to have been on an extortionate amount of money and would be expecting similar with each new club that they join.
In the case of Gomes, as per Capology, the midfielder is remarkably the third-highest paid player at the club with a salary of £112k-per-week, behind only Jordan Pickford and their top scorer, Doucoure.
For any player, that is an awful lot of money, but for a player who has impacted Everton as little as Gomes has, that weekly wage is fairly concerning.
GK – Jordan Pickford
RB – Seamus Coleman
CB – Kurt Zouma
CB – Michael Keane
LB – Lucas Digne
CM – Andre Gomes
CM – Idrissa Gueye
CAM – Gylfi Sigurdsson
RW – Theo Walcott
LW – Bernard
ST – Richarlison
Since arriving at the club, he has played a total of 106 games with just three of those appearances coming this season. During that time, he has amassed a mere 11 goal contributions, which, from a midfielder, is not the sort of return you want to see.
In comparison, Doucoure, who has represented the blue of Merseyside for two years fewer, has had 15 additional goal contributions which puts into perspective how poorly he has played.
Indeed, Gomes has had his fair share of injuries as he has missed a total of 53 games whilst employed by the Toffees, but, his returns still should have been better.
How much the top players at Everton earn
As Gomes earns £112k-per-week, this salary puts him on a much higher amount than that of Everton star-boy, Jarrad Branthwaite.
The defender has had something of a breakout in 2023/24 and has cemented himself in the Toffees' starting XI, with some valuing him around a mega £100m ahead of a potential summer move. That said, despite being one of their key players, he only earns a slender £35k-per-week.
#1 Abdoulaye Doucoure
£130k
#2 Jordan Pickford
£125k
#3 Andre Gomes
£112k
#4 Dele Alli
£100k
#5 James Tarkowski
£100k
#6 Amadou Onana
£100k
This is nothing short of incredible and shows that he earns just over a third of what Gomes does despite playing each week-in and week-out.
In addition, in just this season alone, the 21-year-old has played in more games than the Portugal international has over his last two seasons in Merseyside.
Hence, why, in the summer, Dyche needs to find a way to bring Gomes' time at Goodison to an end. It would free up some crucial room in their wage budget in order to strengthen their team in the areas it needs to do so, especially if they manage to retain their Premier League status.
