Everton have put their poor start to the season behind them, with a three-match unbeaten run following the dismal four defeats in a row to kick off the year.
As such, the Toffees have clambered out of the drop zone and will be confident that they can put it all behind them, especially with a favourable (on paper) run of fixtures coming up in the Premier League. Sean Dyche will be looking ahead with renewed optimism.
19/10/24
Ipswich Town (A)
17th
26/10/24
Fulham (H)
8th
02/11/24
Southampton (H)
19th
09/11/24
West Ham (A)
12th
23/11/24
Brentford (H)
11th
Let’s not forget that Jarrad Branthwaite has been sidelined for six of the seven fixtures thus far, and with the young titan set to return after the current international break, there’s reason to be sanguine.
The defensive issues of recent months have been concerning, but Branthwaite’s return will go a long way toward fixing that for good. All this fragility at the rear has made us think about what it would have been like to have Yerry Mina at the top of his game in this Everton side – unfortunately, the Colombia international scarcely claimed top fitness across his years at the outfit.
How much Yerry Mina cost Everton
Everton signed Mina from Barcelona in August 2018. The towering defender was only 23 at the time and cost £27m, which was a steep figure but seemed worth it for a player of high-standard quality.
He had just risen to fame after his performances on his nation at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, scoring an equaliser against England in the first knockout phase before the Three Lions surprised the globe with a competitive penalty shootout victory.
However, Mina would fall heavily by the wayside on Merseyside after a lasting series of injuries ravaged his chances of living up to and surpassing that initial price tag.
2022/23
7 (7)
2
0
1
2021/22
13 (11)
0
0
2
2020/21
24 (23)
2
0
5
2019/20
29 (25)
2
1
4
2018/19
13 (10)
1
0
3
Former Everton manager Marco Silva commented on the South American’s “unlucky” track record on the fitness front back in 2019, having been restricted to a bit-part role in his maiden term, but as you can see, he only enjoyed two seasons of comparatively high availability.
And when considering that he earned £120k per week during his time at Goodison Park, more than starting number nine, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£100k per week), took home both then and now, the misfire is really underscored.
Combining his transfer fee (£27m) with the centre-back’s total earnings across the five-year period he plied his trade in the Premier League, it can be unravelled that Mina cost the club from £58m in total, or, to put it another way, £760k per top-flight start.
It’s poignant, mostly because Mina – like Calvert-Lewin, who has endured his own injury woes in recent years – could have reached such loftier heights.
Yerry Mina's Everton career
Perhaps the most frustrating point of all this is that Mina is actually an excellent defender. When fit, the Colombian showcased his quality and indeed cannot be fully discredited after recovering his fitness levels at the perfect time toward the business end of the 2022/23 term.
Everton were in an imperilled position, and time was running out to craft a purple patch. He scored two goals from just seven Premier League appearances that year, but started all four of Everton’s final matches and indeed had a vital say in this proud club’s future after bundling home against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the penultimate week to salvage a last-gasp point.
It fuelled Goodison for the finale, which saw Bournemouth fended off and Abdoulaye Doucoure volley in a second-half winner to preserve top-flight status. Mina played the full 90 on his final display and kept a clean sheet, winning eight of his 11 contested duels, as per Sofascore.
He encapsulated the phrase short but sweet, putting in some colossal performances to save a club from falling. It’s fair to say that without his efforts, the Toffees wouldn’t have found the verve to avoid the maw of relegation.
Oh, what could have been. Fans will cherish the defender’s best moments, but sadly, they were few and far between for a player who arrived with a weight of expectation and took home a pretty penny besides.
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