Everton have seen a host of talent grace the pitch at Goodison Park over the years, with some fond memories looking far away as the club continue to struggle along the path of relegation.
The Blues survived the drop on the final day of the previous two Premier League seasons, with little progression shown in what has been a trialling time for the Toffees both on and off the pitch.
After starting the 2023/24 campaign goalless in their opening three league fixtures, Sean Dyche’s side seem to have found their stride in the final third, and will hope to build enough form throughout the calendar to ensure a less dramatic finish to the season.
Once direction is located, there is little denying that Everton can fix the tracks that derailed them in previous years, with so much talent traceable in their current squad, however the Blues have also lost some stars along the way.
One name that was destined to shine at Goodison was Ademola Lookman, who for an array of reasons failed to succeed on Merseyside, in a fascinating tenure at the club that may come back to haunt the Toffees as he continues to develop elsewhere.
When did Everton sign Ademola Lookman?
In January 2017, Ronald Koeman welcomed Lookman to the squad at Everton in the bid to strengthen the side’s options going forward.
The Nigerian was signed from Charlton Athletic for a fee of just £7.5m after previously impressing in League One, warranting his move to the Premier League as a 19-year-old.
Deployable as a striker and on either flank, Lookman posed a threat that Koeman identified as being a useful element to fuse into the side he was building at Everton, with the teenager admitting that the manager was a big reason why he made the move.
As relayed by Sky Sports, the former England U19 forward touched upon Koeman’s influence on the youth at Southampton, explaining that it was a “big attraction” to him making the decision to sign a deal with the Toffees.
Unlike the typical prospect in England, Lookman took a more unorthodox route to the top flight away from the academy settings of a top club, and made his name in the third-tier with Charlton.
The forward wasn’t the only player who had walked that path, which immediately led to comparisons made to another blockbuster star that had emerged on the scene in the Premier League from the lower leagues in years prior.
What was the reaction when Everton signed Ademola Lookman?
In 2015, Spurs signed MK Dons starlet Dele Alli as an 18-year-old prospect, a player that like Lookman, had excelled in League One as a youngster, rather than being nurtured through an academy.
Alli was mentioned with reference to Lookman's potential career path, with his former manager at Charlton, Karl Robinson, urging the teenager to follow in the footsteps of his former player at MK Dons.
Speaking to the Guardian, Lookman touched upon conversations he had with Robinson, saying: “I think Robinson saw a lot of similarities in our situations so he wanted me to see Dele at the highest level to show what was possible.”
He recalled his former manager taking him to watch Dele play in the Champions League to portray where hard work could take him, and years later, the first door was opened as he signed for Everton to seal his Premier League move.
Having scored 12 goals in 49 appearances for the Addicks during his time there, it was clear to see just how much potential the teenager had, identical to the thought process of Spurs as they took the gamble to sign Dele, who had scored 16 in his final campaign in League One.
On signing, Koeman reiterated his delight in capturing Lookman, assuring that the club would “take time” to develop his game with the hope that he would one day “have a big part to play”, as relayed by Sky Sports.
How many goals did Ademola Lookman score at Everton?
It didn’t take long for the teenager to repay the faith that Koeman had placed in him, as he netted on his Premier League debut in an astonishing 4-0 win against Manchester City in January 2017.
Lauded as “blistering” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the youngster continued to earn minutes with the first team in a rotational role, however things quickly changed for the Nigeria international, as his game time became harder to secure.
In a total of 36 Premier League appearances for the Blues, Lookman scored once, starting on just seven occasions, as Everton continued to hunt for a suitable manager to take the club forward as Koeman was dismissed in October 2017.
Two years after his arrival, the Nigerian left having scored just four goals in 48 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees.
What happened to Ademola Lookman?
Despite being given so much faith from Koeman, it was Marco Silva who handed the forward the most time to show his worth, in which he secured 21 Premier League appearances in the 2018/19 campaign.
Ademola Lookman Everton record
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
2016/17
8
1
0
2017/18
16
2
0
2018/19
23
1
2
Figures via Transfermarkt
Lookman quickly realised that his football wasn’t going to develop in the way he wanted it to at Goodison, which was a view shared by the club, as he was sent on loan in January 2018 to the Bundesliga, joining RB Leipzig on a half-season loan.
It became apparent that Everton’s playing style was the issue, as in Germany, he showed Leipzig his worth by recording nine goal contributions in 11 league appearances, scoring five and assisting four, prompting the Germans to sign him permanently.
There was a lot of confusion as to why the Toffees opted to sell Lookman so prematurely, given that he wasn’t handed a strong enough chance to adapt and showcase his ability in full on Merseyside.
Where is Ademola Lookman now?
There is still a chance that Lookman will fulfil expectations and follow in the path of Dele’s career success, however it wasn’t meant to be at Everton.
After his blockbuster loan spell at Leipzig, the youngster was unable to replicate such form when he joined on a permanent basis, as he endeavoured on two further loan spells back in England, joining both Fulham and Leicester City in the bid to make an impact.
Last summer, Leipzig offloaded the 26-year-old to Italy, as he signed for Atalanta where he has finally begun to show the quality that first lured Koeman towards his signature in 2017.
During his debut season in Serie A, the Nigeria international scored 13 goals and claimed eight assists in 31 appearances, given room to show his talent and play his best football after successive years of looking in different places for consistency.
Lookman wasn’t Everton’s answer to Spurs’ Dele Alli, which was a frustrating reality for the Toffees to accept, with the knowledge always there that they once had a mammoth young talent at their disposal.
