Everton and, in particular, Farhad Moshiri have a reputation for making bad transfer decisions with over £500m spent over the last six years and their most recent relegation battle proves they have nothing to show for it.
The Toffees now find themselves in reported financial turmoil as they attempt to pump money into their new riverside Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium whilst trying to keep the club's neck above water in the top flight, with the side a game away from losing their Premier League status.
As a result, Moshiri, Frank Lampard and the powers at Goodison Park have work to do to ensure they can identify the right players at the right price this summer as they are in no position to be continuing on the path of reckless spending that once was, and instead should be making smart business decisions when it comes to improving the team.
One player that has been recently linked with a move to the blue side of Merseyside is Adama Traore in a deal believed to be worth £20m, and if the reports are true then Everton could be heading for yet another disaster next season.
The 26-year-old Wolves outcast who was slammed for his "poor decisions" by journalist Muhammed Butt, was shipped off to La Liga via Barcelona for the second half of the most recent campaign on loan after failing to make little impact on the team down in the Midlands.
In Traore's 20 league appearances for Bruno Lage's side, the Spaniard scored just one goal and delivered no assists to his teammates, hardly living up to his "unstoppable" tag in the words of Darren Bent.
He also lost possession of the ball every 3.1 touches on average per game and missed three big chances, proving that he is not effective in delivering an end product when deployed in the forward line.
One thing Everton are desperate for next season are goals, as Frank Lampard's side scored 23 fewer than they conceded this season which contributed to putting them in a dangerous position at the bottom of the table. In fact, Richarlison was the side's top goal-scorer with just 11 strikes in all competitions.
Everton cannot afford to make mistakes of the past, and Moshiri should consider the weaknesses found in Yannick Bolasie that could quickly become a similar scenario with Traore. Bolasie was a prolific dribbler just like the Wolves winger but similarly had no end product when it came to goal contributions.
Bolasie scored just two goals and contributed four assists in 32 appearances for the Toffees after signing a five-year deal with a transfer fee of £25m back in 2016, and after seeing out his contract on various loan deals left the club in 2021 on a free transfer.
With that being said, Moshiri must learn from his mistakes and avoid making any more signings that can't deliver a reliable impact on the team going forward, otherwise Everton could find themselves in a similar situation as they were last season or worse.