Everton have not had much luck when it comes to recruitment in recent years, with the signing of Sandro Ramirez one such move that simply failed to work out for all concerned.

The once-promising Spaniard had appeared something of a coup upon his arrival in the summer of 2017, having signed for a bargain fee of just £5.25m after netting 14 goals in 30 La Liga games the year prior while at Malaga.

Formerly of Barcelona, the La Masia product had notably been attracting interest from fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur prior to his switch to Goodison Park, with the Toffees likely to have been rubbing their hands in glee at having won the race for his signature.

Then-boss Ronald Koeman had tipped the youngster - who had previously scored seven goals in 32 senior appearances at the Camp Nou - for a "big future" in the game, with supporters seemingly delighted at having seen such an exciting talent come through the door.

In what could potentially have been something of a sliding doors moment for all parties, reports suggest that the centre-forward had in fact looked set to join Atletico Madrid that summer, only for a transfer ban to halt Diego Simeone's approach.

That fact ensured that the 5 foot 9 marksman sealed the move to England instead, albeit with both him - and likely the club - left wishing that he had instead made the move to the Spanish capital, such were his struggles in the Premier League.

The former Spain U21 international would go on to score just once in only 16 games in all competitions during his time with the Toffees, having swiftly demanded an exit in January 2018 after hardly getting a look in under Koeman.

The Las Palmas-born striker got his wish as he secured a temporary switch to Sevilla for the remainder of the 2017/18 season, before spending the next two years back in Spain with Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid, respectively.

Ramirez hardly pulled up any trees during those temporary moves, however, having failed to score until his stint with Valladolid, finally ending what had been a 23-month goal drought against Mallorca in November 2019.

A permanent departure to Huesca ensued in the summer of 2020, although the 27-year-old has continued to struggle since then, notably scoring just four goals while on loan at Getafe last term.

Such dismal form has since seen the £3.15m-rated dud drop down to Spain's second tier, with it having been a real decline since arriving on Merseyside just over five years ago.