It's no secret that Everton have been pretty reckless in the transfer market in recent times, with uber-rich owner Farhad Moshiri having thrown his weight around in the transfer market far too readily - and with little success.

In the six years since the Iranian billionaire took over the club, the Toffees have spent north of £560m on a string of 'talent' in an attempt to try and close the gap on the so-called 'Big Six', although have since plummeted to such depths that a first-ever Premier League relegation is very much on the cards.

One of the seemingly endless figures on that list of transfer mistakes is Cenk Tosun, with the Turkish striker having failed to ever deliver the goods for the Merseyside outfit in his four-and-a-half-year stint in English football.

Plucked from Besiktas on a £27m deal in January 2018 by Sam Allardyce, the previously prolific striker arrived with big expectations, having netted 80 Super Lig goals across both his time in Istanbul and with Gaziantepspor.

Speaking at the time, Allardyce suggested that the forward was the "best in Europe" at that price, although he has hardly looked anywhere close to such a status since then, having scored just 11 goals in 61 appearances in all competitions.

While the frequent change in manager has arguably not helped his cause - with current boss Frank Lampard the fifth permanent figure that the 30-year-old has worked under in his Goodison career - the player himself must take accountability for his own failures, having rarely looked up to scratch when he has featured.

Brief loan stints at former club Besiktas and Crystal Palace have also failed to reinvigorate the 6 foot marksman, with the 45-cap international now simply a forgotten figure among a crop of underperforming players at Lampard's disposal.

Even with Dominic Calvert-Lewin spending long stints on the treatment table, Tosun has still been unable to force his way into the manager's plans, with his only Premier League outing of the campaign to date having come, bizarrely, in the 4-1 defeat to rivals Liverpool back in December, during Rafa Benitez's ill-fated stint in charge.

In truth, the biggest blessing for all parties is that the striker is now coming to the end of his existing contract, with the club no longer having to fork out for his hefty £69k-per-week wage.

Despite that minor ray of shine, the German-born flop has still proven a costly error regardless, with almost £17m having been dished out on his wages by the time of his exit, while his total burden on the club stands at roughly £44m when factoring in his initial fee.

Even if he were not set to be leaving on a free transfer this summer, Lampard and co would likely have generated little from a possible sale, with the player's current market value at a fairly meagre £2.25m - such has been his stark decline since joining the club.

At a time of real uncertainty at the club, one thing that can at least be something of a relief for supporters is that Tosun won't be part of the squad next season.

In other news: Lampard can now axe “desperate” flop as EFC plot bid for “exceptional” £37k-p/w dynamo