Everton's summer transfer window focused on the crux of the Premier League club's problems last season; sorting out the toothless attacking impetus, as was anticipated.
Having struggled for form and fluidity up front, the Toffees languished to a 17th-placed finish, finishing the term as the division's second-lowest scorers, and to combat this, manager Sean Dyche returned for a failed January target in Arnaut Danjuma.
Why did Everton sign Arnaut Danjuma?
When Dyche was appointed in the endmost days of January, he demanded signings to rewrite the narrative of Everton's season, but signings he did not get; as the winter market slammed close its shutters, the Goodison Park side were the lone Premier League outfit to not make an acquisition.
Dyche called on fans to "stick by the team", claiming that efforts were made to bring in fresh faces after selling homegrown winger Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United for £45m, but success was not found.
One player who almost wound up on Merseyside was Arnaut Danjuma, who signed for Tottenham Hotspur on loan in the market's late stage despite agreeing terms on a short-term deal with Everton, with the uncertainty of Frank Lampard's dismissal – who played a large role in convincing the player to join the club, unravelling the prospective move.
While Danjuma did not enjoy a fruitful spell in north London, scoring twice from just 12 displays, he had been an effective figure in Spain, clinching 22 goals and supplying four assists for Villarreal after joining in a £21m deal from Bournemouth, having posted 17 goals across the 2020/21 campaign with the Cherries and been praised for his "exceptional" efforts by Jonathan Woodgate.
Having now completed a season-long loan transfer to Everton, Danjuma, aged 26, has started impressively and netted twice from five matches, including an equalising goal in the side's recent 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United.
4 games
1 goal
3.5 shots per game
7% goal conversion
0.5 key passes per game
All stats above via Sofascore (Premier League only).
The £52.5k-per-week winger has been hailed by pundit Kevin Phillips, who said: “Danjuma is a very, very good player. On his day he is a nightmare for defenders. He can create and score goals. He can hurt any defence with his pace and directness."
Given the Dutchman's fluidity across the frontline and incisiveness, perhaps Everton have unearthed the solution to Richarlison's £60m sale to Tottenham one year on, having been praised as the "complete striker" by former Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti, who also dubbed him "clinical" for his exploits on Merseyside.
How many goals did Richarlison score for Everton?
It's fair to say that Richarlison's time in north London has been anything but successful, having posted just four goals and assists since his transfer last summer and been branded a "joke" by talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino, and the Brazilian is not the one laughing.
12
4
2
20
7
3
59
20
4
56
21
4
5
1
1
All stats via Transfermarkt.
There couldn't be greater disparity from his time at Goodison Park, where the 26-year-old was revered for his menacing presence in the offensive third, netting 53 times from 152 outings and playing an instrumental role in the club's seasonal battles.
With 20 goals from 44 Brazil caps, including an “unstoppable” – as was said by journalist Sacha Pisani – acrobatic overhead strike against Serbia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he is a talented forward and it just isn't working out right now.
Competent down the left channel and in the central striking role, Richarlison boasts a dynamism to match Danjuma's, who has started life under Dyche's stewardship with promise and could now grow into his skin, adopting the mantle left by the £90k-per-week ace.
Both progressive presences, Richarlison records 2.37 progressive carries per match, while Danjuma, who ranks among the top 7% of positional peers in Europe for that metric at 2.87, clearly looks like a player capable of driving the ball into promising positions and instigating dangerous openings.
Richarlison was an impressive component of the Everton machine and remains a fan favourite, but Danjuma could now prove to be the perfect heir and play a talismanic part in the fight for success this season.