Everton’s best Premier League signings of all time

Everton have been a staple in the Premier League since its inception, and while they have endured severe lows, the clubs has also enjoyed a fair degree of success. Managers at the club over the years have made some shrewd signings, especially with them working on a relatively small budget compared to other teams in the division.

Here, FootballWhispers counts down Everton's five best signings of the Premier League era.

5) Tim Howard

Tim Howard is still one of the best exports from the United States of America, as Manchester United was his first destination in the Premier League from his home land.

The shot stopper spent a year on loan at the Toffees before David Moyes realised he saw enough and the club paid just £3.5m to make the move a permanent one.

Howard played 10 seasons for the blue half of Merseyside and was up there as being one of the best goalkeepers in the division year after year, but he also set a club record 17 clean sheets in 2009, helping Everton to the FA Cup final in that campaign.

In 2012, Howard surprised the league when he scored a goal from inside his own box, as the 102-yard clearance caught the wind and tripped up Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan.

Considering the fee that Everton paid for his services, Howard has to go down as one of the best pieces of business done by Moyes and the club.

4) Romelu Lukaku

Evertonians could not believe that they had secured Romelu Lukaku's services for the transfer fee that Chelsea accepted for a player who was powering through and shining during his loan spells.

The Belgian became known for his lethal finishing, strength and pace, attributes that saw him finish second in the race for the Golden Boot in the 2016-17 season behind Harry Kane.

Lukaku scored 25 goals during that campaign, which earned him a move to Manchester United for a £75m fee, earning the Toffees a substantial profit off his sale.

While he did not achieve much with the club, Everton had a burly, efficient striker for three years and made a handsome profit when he departed the club, and it remains the team that he scored the most goals for across his career.

3) Leighton Baines

Another signing by David Moyes, Leighton Baines went on to achieve cult status at Goodison Park after his £5m move from Wigan.

Baines was consistently one of the league's best full backs, who had a unique ability to strike the football so sweetly that when he hit it, there was a high chance it was on target.

His performances for the Toffees over the years earned him 30 caps for England, in which he scored one goal on the international stage.

The Englishman was certainly one of the most exciting players to watch in his position, and if he was over a free kick or penalty, the likely outcome was that it ended in a goal.

2) Seamus Coleman

The price alone that Everton paid Sligo Rangers is staggering, considering the transfer fees that Premier League clubs pay for players in the modern day market.

Coleman was a natural leader and a well-balanced full back, who will certainly go down as a club legend, as every time he walked out onto the pitch, you would expect nothing less than 110% from the Irishman.

The defender would get up and down the pitch without must of a fuss, which his teammates benefited from the most, especially when he would get involved in the team's attacks.

The number 23 dedicated much of his career to the club, taking over the captaincy from Phil Jagielka in 2019, and while he did not win any major trophies at Everton, he certainly won the hearts of the locals.

Everton's best Premier League signing of all time: Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Ferguson's Everton career started with a loan move from Rangers, but it was made permanent with a £4m fee, which was the start of 11 seasons with the club that has led to him being an icon.

Under the tenure of Joe Royle, the Toffees were nearly always embroiled in a relegation battle, and it was Ferguson who became the face of Evertonian resistance, helping the team to finish mid-table in his first season against all odds.

In that year, the Scot helped Everton win their last major trophy, when they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley, but he was sold to Newcastle after four years.

However, after spending two years with the Magpies, Ferguson returned to Everton for a £3.75m under the guidance of Walter Smith, where he would go on to play six additional years until retirement, but such is his status at the club that he was part of the backroom staff for a while and even took charge of the team in an interim capacity in 2019 and 2022 again.