Arnaut Danjuma 10

Arnaut Danjuma officially became an Everton player in July 2023 after joining the Blues on loan from Villarreal, six months after dramatically walking away from the same deal to join Tottenham instead. The Dutch forward had been all set to sign a loan deal with Everton in the final week of the January transfer window but as the club awaited the final paperwork from the Spaniards, Danjuma was tempted away by the advances of Spurs whom he joined for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

The Londoners didn't opt to re-sign him in the summer, either for another loan or on a permanent basis and though AC Milan had reportedly expressed strong interest in his services, Danjuma opted to remain in the Premier League with Everton.

He arrived on a season-long loan with reports claiming that the deal involved a £3.5m fee but no buy option was written into the agreement between the Toffees and Villarreal.

The Lagos-born Dutch international made only one start at Spurs and scored two goals in all competitions but had a record of almost a goal every two games in Spain and notched 17 in 52 appearances for Bournemouth as he helped them back into the top-flight two years ago.

According to Daily Mail Sport there was "no bad blood" between Everton and Danjuma despite his snub of the club at a time of upheaval when Frank Lampard had just been sacked and there was uncertainty over who the new manager would be.

He made his debut as a substitute in the 2023-24 season opener against Fulham and was handed a full debut against Wolves two games later as Everton struggled for striking options in the absence of the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Danjuma wasn't able to make much of an impact leading the line as the Toffees went down to a third successive defeat to start the new campaign but goals in his next two appearances, a late winner at Doncaster in the Carabao Cup and an important equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Sheffield United suggested he might become an effective weapon for Sean Dyche, particularly off the bench.

That would be the only Premier League goal he would score for the Toffees, however, and after making just two more appearances between October and late December, he finally got to make rare back-to-back starts in January 2024 against Aston Villa and Fulham before suffering ankle ligament damage at Craven Cottage.

That sidelined him for the next nine matches and though he returned to the squad and was named among the substitutes for the run-in, he was not called upon by Dyche again. With his loan spell ending, it was highly unlikely that he would return to Goodison the following season.

FactFile