Ahead of tonight’s game against Leeds United, we reflect on some players who’ve featured for both teams.
5 – Olivier Dacourt
Dacourt’s debut for the Blues also happened to be the first league game I went to as a 6-year-old season ticket holder. We drew 0-0 with Aston Villa.
A gifted and combative midfielder, his time at the club was brief, spending just one season at Goodison Park.
Best remembered for a left-footed worldie in the 1998/99 Merseyside Derby. His only other goal in royal blue came in a 5-0 win over Middlesbrough.
4 – Jermaine Beckford
Another player who spent just one season at Everton and scored a Merseyside Derby goal at Anfield.
A decent finisher, Beckford scored 8 league goals in 34 games during the 2010/11 campaign, netting 10 in all competitions.
Best remembered for a stunning solo effort against Chelsea, running the length of the pitch before deftly lifting the ball over Petr Cech in front of the Gwladys Street.
3 – Jack Harrison
A two-year loan spell saw Harrison occupy Everton’s right-wing for a couple of uninspiring seasons.
He worked hard, but his end product was modest. In 74 games for the Toffees, Harrison contributed four goals and four assists.
Best remembered for a beautiful left-footed strike in a 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
2 – Nigel Martyn
Everton have had some top goalkeepers over the years, and Nigel Martyn is up there with the best of them.
Truly one of Moyes’ best signings, the veteran was a standout player during the 2004/05 season, helping the Blues qualify for the Champions League.
The only regret is not signing him much sooner in his career. To think, we may not have brought him in all if Richard Wright hadn’t fell out of his loft.
1 – Dominic Calvert-Lewin
He scored some massive goals for the club over a nine-year period, with a total of 57 in 239 Premier League games.
Granted, it’s a low bar given some of the donkeys we’ve watched lead the line, but he’s one of our best forwards of the modern era.
His contribution deserves to be acknowledged and I’ll give him a swift clap when his name is called out this evening.
However, let’s not get overly sentimental; he’ll be out to hurt us tonight. His time at the club ended on something of a sour note.
There’s few things I fear more on behalf of Everton’s defence than an in-form centre-forward with an axe to grind.
He’s got nine goals in 20 league games for Leeds this season. However, we all know his strengths and his weaknesses, as do (presumably) our starting XI, given how most of them played alongside him.
