Everton have been involved in plenty of transfer sagas since their cash injection from current owner Farhad Moshiri, with some huge names being linked to unlikely moves to Goodison Park.

James Rodriguez was one stunning name who actually made the switch but back in 2016, they could’ve had the next big thing snapped up way before he had developed into the machine he is today.

Bryan King, the Toffees’ Scandinavian scout at the time, had organised a trial after recommending 15-year-old Erling Braut Haaland to the club.

Rejected because he would “lose his effectiveness” as he grew older, it is a laughable decision given his goal-scoring form over the last few years.

It remains one of the great ‘what if?’ moments for Everton in recent years, who since the departure of Romelu Lukaku have struggled to secure a regular goal scorer.

The Belgian remains their all-time top scorer in the league and scored 87 times in 166 appearances.

Around £60k was the financial outlay demanded by Molde, whereas most recently he has moved from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City for a fee of £51m.

CIES Football Observatory knows, as we all do, that he is worth much more than that, however. They place a valuation much closer to €180m (£157m) upon his head, much more fitting for the 22-year-old who already has 149 goals for his various clubs.

Upon making the move to Manchester, many questioned whether his goal-scoring exploits would perhaps come to a halt.

Nevertheless, 14 goals in his first nine appearances across the Champions League and the Premier League are indicative of a man who is destined to fire City to further glory.

There is no doubting that if Frank Lampard had Haaland under his disposal last season, there would have been no relegation battle whatsoever.

His quality seems to shine through wherever he goes, with his ability to score no matter what being labelled as a "robot" and “insane” by Elliot Hackney.

With a proper striker to replace Lukaku at Goodison Park, especially one that was destined to go to the very top, perhaps it could have seen Everton fighting at the other end of the table to the one they were last season.