Abde Ezzalzouli: Everton will regret £37m transfer failure, the in-depth data is telling
Everton must be rueing their failure to sign Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli in the summer as he shines in the Champions League.
The Toffees are going well in the Premier League right now, in eighth place, but fans remain divided on how well David Moyes is doing.
Their squad was undoubtedly left short in the summer, and his side are struggling to put teams away, with four draws in their seven league games up to now.
Just two of Moyes' attackers have contributed to goals in the Premier League so far and it is clear that they needed more additions ahead of this campaign.
Everton reportedly failed with a £37million bid to sign Real Betis' playmaker Ezzalzouli late on in the summer window.
It is clear to see from his recent performances that he would have been a fantastic addition to Moyes' ranks, but a move now seems unlikely as he goes from strength to strength in the Champions League.
Abde Ezzalzouli could soon be out of Everton's reach after failed summer move
Ezzalzouli registered 15 goals and 10 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for Betis last season.
The 24-year-old was linked to Newcastle earlier in the summer, while reports in Spain at the start of September claimed that the Toffees had seen a £37m offer for his services rejected by the La Liga high-flyers.
He has bagged four goals in eight appearances across all competitions, and his latest UCL showing in their win over Feyenoord on Wednesday saw him prove his quality once more.
24-year-old Ezzalzouli has the most touches (10) in the opposition box, took the most shots (8) and completed the joint-most dribbles (3) of any player on the pitch.
He also won the joint-most ground duels (6) and the joint-most fouls (2), while creating one chance as Isco's penalty won Betis the Champions League encounter.
The Moroccan international wide man is already among the top-performing La Liga wingers for chances created (1.91), line-breaking passes (4.04), successful dribbles (1.91) and touches in the opposition box (5.32) per 90 minutes.
Everton would have been so much better off in the final third with him on their side this season, but his signature now looks like it will be out of reach as he consistently impresses in Europe's premier club competition.
Moyes has expressed frustration at his side's poor attacking returns
Everton garnered just 0.43 expected goals (xG) in their recent home defeat to Chelsea, and have missed the joint-most big chances (18) among all top-flight teams so far this season.
Ezzalzouli's arrival would have massively aided their shortcomings, but he is now surely unlikely to be on their radar despite Moyes being annoyed with his current options and their lack of ruthlessness.
The Everton manager slammed his players for their poor record in front of goal after they faced Ipswich last month, saying: "I'm actually more disappointed that we aren't scoring more goals. I'm rapping them like you wouldn't believe - why are we not getting better crosses into the box, better finishes, shooting from the edge of the box, not scoring more? That's the only thing we're missing from being a half-decent side."
They clearly need new additions in January, but can keep dreaming about the missed opportunity to sign Ezzalzouli as his stock continues to rise beyond their means.