Over the years, Everton have held their fair share of exciting talents on the books, but have slumped into the mire of late, spending the past few Premier League campaigns battling against relegation.

Last time out, Frank Lampard was dismissed in January and master of security Sean Dyche was appointed in his stead, successfully orchestrating success in retaining top-flight status if not exactly kicking on and climbing the table.

The season before, Everton suffered a similar fate, with Lampard replacing Rafa Benitez in a nearly identical pattern, manufacturing an impressive run of results to escape the danger.

This season, the Toffees' start to the campaign threatens similar misfortune, with just one point from four games despite some impressive summer captures, and Dyche will be hoping that his new acquisitions will click together and restore the Goodison Park machine.

Beto

£25.8m

Youssef Chermiti

£15m

Jack Harrison

Loan

Arnaut Danjuma

Loan

Ashley Young

Free

In the 2021/22 term, it was none other than Richarlison who galvanised his Merseyside teammates into action at the business end, with his prolific success under Lampard's wing integral in the fight for survival, but it was this vibrant-hued purple patch that prompted his sale to a divisional rival.

How much did Everton sign Richarlison for?

Under the stewardship of Marco Silva in the bright summer of 2018, Everton welcomed a 21-year-old Richarlison to the fold from Watford in a deal worth around £40m, a move ridiculed for its exorbitance upon announcement

However, beloved presented Gary Linker hailed the "bargain" after the Brazilian's emphatic brace on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers, kickstarting a maiden year on Merseyside that would see him reap 14 goals across all competitions.

The bemusement over his high transfer fee likely comes from the fact that he had only graced English shores for one year, completing an £11.5m transfer to the Hornets the year before, and while he plundered five goals from his first 12 outings in the Premier League, he would yield no further goalscoring success across his remaining 26 appearances.

What would ensue for Everton will leave the ace, now aged 26, a fondly recalled character, full of energy, zest and swagger – an embodiment of the commitment the Toffees support strives to see and a menace for opposing defenders.

While Richarlison's signing came as the Blues' current slump commenced – indeed, his first season at the club was his highest Everton finish in the English top-flight – he was an integral and reliable forward, and his eventual sale was perhaps inevitable.

How much did Everton sell Richarlison for?

In the dying days of June 2022, The Athletic's David Ornstein provided the news to sink Everton hearts, stating that Richarlison was set to undergo a medical with Tottenham Hotspur after an agreement in principle was agreed between the respective English outfits.

And then, at the turn of the month, Tottenham announced the £60m signing of the dynamic forward, penning a five-year deal and leaving former managing director Fabio Paratici waxing lyrical over the "fighter", calling him "perfect" for the Spurs project.

To say it hasn't worked out thus far would be a bit of an understatement; the 45-cap international – who has 20 goals for Brazil – has only posted four goals and assists apiece for the Lilywhites since his expensive arrival.

Branded a "joke" by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino for his woeful efforts over the past year, Richarlison has fallen by the wayside and is struggling to capture the smallest vestige of his former vigour.

When it rains, it pours – an old, cliched adage. But an apt proverb, and one which underlines just how far Richarlison has taken his foot off the gas.

As the FBref chart from above delineates, Richarlison's time at Spurs has been anything but auspicious, and while he has retained core values such as his aerial prowess and presence in the danger area – ranking among the top 8% for aerial wins and the top 13% for touches in the attacking box per 90 – he has drastically declined in regard to goalscoring, netting at a rate of just 0.07 per game over the past year.

This is a far cry from his reliability at Everton, hitting double digits across three of his four Premier League campaigns at Goodison Park.

The talent is undoubtedly still there, with his former Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti – one of the most successful managers in history – detailing his effusive thoughts on the gem.

The Italian revealed: "I said to him, you want to fight for the Ballon d'Or, you are a fantastic physical player with a lot of talent, but don't lose this. I think that Richarlison is great in my opinion because he is a modern striker, because he can play right, left in the middle without problems. He is clinical in the box."

How much is Richarlison worth now?

According to Football Transfers, the 5 foot 10 forward is now valued at £33m, a shocking £27m decline from the fee paid by Tottenham only 14 months ago.

There are, understandably, large segments of the Everton support who will still rue the day of the "important" – as he was called by journalist David Prentice – phenom's sale, especially after his talismanic role in securing Premier League safety in 2021/22.

Indeed, the South American star scored ten goals and supplied five assists from 28 starting appearances in his final league term with the Toffees, and while he only boasted four strikes to his name going into April, his form in the decisive culminating period demonstrated his worth and then some.

Indeed, Richarlison – who was on £110k-per-week – plundered six goals and two assists across the final ten games of the term, instrumentally proving himself as his side's "match-winner" – as he was dubbed by former Blues forward Kevin Campbell.

Nothing lasts forever, however, and it was maybe a prudent move for the club to cash in while his transfer value was at its zenith; the forward had a contract running until 2024, and Everton were resigned to cashing in when Spurs came calling to ease their fraught position in balancing the books to comply with financial fair play (FFP) regulations.

Now with Dyche at the helm, Everton have not yet returned to lasting form in the Premier League, and will need a new focal point to step up and spearhead an ascent this term, and while there remains a hint of poignancy over Richarlison's departure, the Toffees hit the jackpot and secured a lofty sum for a player who served the club well.