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Always smiling but never good enough, Everton are right to ditch Yannick Bolasie

Mathew Nash

Wed 22 August 2018 20:00, UK

When Everton snapped up Yannick Bolasie in 2016 it seemed a good deal from the Toffees. The Merseyside club needed wide options and Bolasie had just had an excellent season at Crystal Palace. The £25 million price-tag undoubtedly raised eyebrows. However, ti was hoped the DR Congo star could provide ammunition to his good friend Romelu Lukaku and send Everton up the table.

He is also a great character. A bag of tricks with a mercurial way to his game, Bolasie plays with a smile on his face. Everton fans certainly grew to like Bolasie very quickly.

But his career at Everton was swiftly jeopardised. In December of his first season, Bolasie ruptured his ACL and was ruled out for several months. In the end, he was out for over a year.

Upon his return, Bolasie had lost none of his verve and enigmatic moments. However, he was at a different Everton. The Toffees were bumbling on and off the pitch.

It soon became clear that for all his talent and likeability, Bolasie was not good enough to take Everton into the Premier League top six.

His end product is often frustrating, his decision making is poor and defensively he is a liability when tracking back. He did not pose a big enough threat in front of goal and drew ire from fans on numerous occasions when a shot sailed wide,or a cross looped out-of-play.

Through it all, the Everton winger smiled and that is appreciated. At no point did it feel Bolasie was not giving it his all for the team or that he did not want to be there.

But his all is not good enough and his style not suited to new manager Marco Silva. With a loan move on the cards and an eventual permanent exit inevitable, his Everton career of 32 games, two goals and four assists across two seasons will be considered a flop.