Some recruits fail at Everton because they’re just not good enough but for all his undoubted ability there has arguably never been a major signing who looked so entirely ill-suited to succeeding at Goodison Park as Davy Klaassen.
The Dutchman celebrates his 31st birthday today and while that’s a relatively advanced age when it comes to professional footballers, he remains at the peak of his powers having departed Ajax for a second time last summer to join Italian giants Internazionale. It was a transfer from a four-time European Cup-winning club to one who had lifted the trophy some three times, demonstrating the kind of pedigree that Klaassen possesses.
But while the attacking midfielder is now gracing the San Siro having been a fan favourite at the Johan Cruyff Arena for many seasons, he looked like a fish out of water in L4. Appearances can be deceptive with Klaassen though.
His balding pate gave the impression that he was older than his age of just 24 when he arrived at Goodison Park in a £23.6million deal back on June 15, 2017 – on the same day that the club also signed goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who has gone on to make 264 appearances for the Blues. However, like Everton’s ‘Prodigal Son’ Wayne Rooney – one of a trio of number 10s snapped up that summer alongside Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson – the Dutchman has now undergone a hair transplant.
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I never considered returning to Everton until Duncan Ferguson helped change everything
Klaassen didn’t really have any locks to lose when arriving in England but keeping with the Biblical references, he seemed to suffer a Samson-like weakening of his strength from the moment he pulled on a
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