Yannick Bolasie’s time at Goodison Park is up, at least for the time being, as he has joined Championship side Aston Villa on a season-long loan. The 29-year-old is contracted until 2021 but has been deemed surplus to requirements by Marco Silva.
The Congolese winger has enjoyed two years at Everton with mixed success following his £20m move from Crystal Palace, and was renowned for his tricks and flicks but often criticised for his end product.
He spent much of last season on the sidelines after suffering a serious injury to his cruciate ligament, and struggled to match his previous form on his comeback. In fact, the most attention he received was perhaps from a cringeworthy rap he posted on Instagram about his Goodison teammates.
He has found himself well down the pecking order under Silva, with Richarlison, Theo Walcott, and Ademola Lookman all ahead of him, and Evertonians get the feeling that even Sandro Ramirez would be preferred in an inside forward role.
Bolasie arrived at Goodison to a warm welcome from fans, who were excited to witness his dynamic style of play and impressive skillset. It seemed to be somewhat of a choice between signing Bolasie or his Crystal Palace teammate Wilfried Zaha at the time, and the lasting impression from fans is that we signed the wrong one.
Did it ever really get going for Bolasie at Everton? For a player who never made more than 12 league starts in a season, there is a strong argument to be made that it didn’t. He made a strong friendship on and off the pitch with Romelu Lukaku, often linking up well with the Belgian. However, Bolasie’s Everton career failed to hit the heights of his mate’s.
This was meant to be the next step in Bolasie’s career, one where he would establish himself in the Premier League, as a player more than just his tricks. However, it is a shame that that has just not happened.
As Everton flops go, especially in the last couple of years, Bolasie can surely not be classed as one of the worst. However, the winger leaves the club at the age of 29,still searching for the peak of his career.
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