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Split was both beautiful and nightmarish in late August last year.

The ancient city baked in the late summer sun but the air was decidedly more frosty as the threat of violence lingered.

Ugly scenes in the first leg of the Europa League play-off round had overshadowed Everton's 2-0 win at Goodison, forced Uefa to open an investigation and left the Blues needing to issue strongly worded travel advice for fans heading to Croatia for the second leg a week later.

But relations between the clubs remained strong as they sat down, in the hours before kick-off and as the atmosphere on the streets left you nervous, to negotiate the transfer of Nikola Vlasic.

Director of football Steve Walsh had helped bring the young Croatian to Everton's attention before the Europa League draw had pitted the sides against each other and the first leg, on August 17, had given Ronald Koeman the chance to run the rule over him.

(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Everton's manager liked what he saw and talks, over what would eventually become a £10m transfer, continued before his side fought back to draw 1-1 at the Stadion Poljud thanks to Gylfi Sigurdsson's remarkable goal and Jordan Pickford's penalty save.

The Blues had progressed but, so too, had discussions over the signing of Vlasic and Koeman, further impressed with the talented midfielder, would ask the club to make the deal happen.

There was still work to do and Everton had only a week to complete the transfer but sealed the then 19-year-old's signing on deadline day, making him become the ninth senior signing of the summer and taking their spending towards £140m.

'Unwilling to accept a bit part role again'

Yet less than 12 months after Vlasic joined Everton, he had left the club.

Signed by Koeman, he would find game time limited under caretaker boss David Unsworth and the Dutchman's replacement Sam Allardyce.

Marco Silva, Vlasic had hoped, would revive his Blues' career but on August 15, with no assurances over his chances this season , a loan move to CSKA Moscow was finalised.

Vlasic, at this stage, is not intent on returning to Everton and has made an impressive start to life in Russia, with a goal and an assist in the opening six league games as well as stand-out performances.

(Image: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)

But it is in the Champions League where he has really showcased his ability, scoring once and claiming an assist as CSKA drew 2-2 with Viktoria Plzen in their opening game, before scoring the winner against the European Champions Real Madrid in the second match in Group G.

Should he maintain his current form then he will not be short of offers in the summer.

Vlasic had enjoyed Silva's training sessions and ideas but with no guarantees about playing time, he told the Everton boss he would rather spend the season on loan.

He was told to train away from the first-team with Ashley Williams, Kevin Mirallas and Cuco Martina.

Given that Vlasic considered himself one of the best midfielders at the club, he was unwilling to accept a bit part role again.

One of Koeman's best Everton signings

Rewind 11 months and Vlasic made a promising debut in difficult circumstances, coming on as a late sub as Everton emerged from the international break with a sobering defeat at home to Spurs.

The teenager was rewarded with a place in the starting XI for the ill-fated Europa League opener against Atalanta but while an atrocious Everton performance saw Koeman apologise to supporters, Vlasic was the only player to emerge with credit.

Vlasic would be rewarded with appearances in six of the following eight games (including coming off the bench to score against Apollon Limassol) but his manager, the one who had pushed for his signing, was in a rut he would not get out of.

On October 23, Koeman was sacked after a run of three wins in the opening nine league games and would be replaced by David Unsworth as caretaker boss.

(Image: Colin Lane)

After Koeman had left he made sure to tell Vlasic that he had been one of the best signings he'd made for the club.

However, with change in the air, the Croatian was not picked for the squad to face Chelsea in the League Cup and was again left out of the trip to Leicester City in the league.

When asked on Twitter about why he was not playing, Vlasic's sister - the Olympic high jumper Blanka - confirmed that he was not injured and that he had been dropped for tactical reasons.

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Walsh, it is believed, was unhappy with Blanka commenting publicly on team affairs and made his feelings known to her brother.

Vlasic remained on the fringes, even dropping into the under-23s to play in the mini-derby at Prenton Park, but played in the Europa League defeats to Lyon and Atalanta before earning a place on the bench for the league squad, coming on for cameos against Southampton and, in Unsworth's final game, against West Ham.

Sam Allardyce was waiting in the wings but a new manager would not change which way the wind was blowing.

A "difficult" first season showed no signs of easing

In early March, Allardyce would speak about the “difficult” first season Vlasic was experiencing.

After playing eight times under Koeman, he had only made as many appearances up to that point.

And following Allardyce's assessment, Vlasic would only add three more appearances.

Big Sam had spoken about him able to “flourish” next season but we'll never know if he planned to give him the platform.

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Not that Vlasic relished the prospect of another season under Allardyce's style of football and felt that with the manager delegating some of the work on the training pitch at Finch Farm to his backroom staff, he was fighting a losing battle to change the manager's perception of him.

A season that had promised much petered out with underwhelming performances against Southampton and Huddersfield, as Allardyce gave him a chance, before dropping him from the squad for the last game at West Ham.

Vlasic would miss out on a place at the World Cup and watched as Croatia reached the final in Russia.

He would end up there, however.

New season, new manager and new hope

As Marco Silva, sacked by Watford in March but still on Everton's radar, watched from afar he would have been unable to form much of an opinion on Vlasic.

It was only on July 3, when he took his first session at Finch Farm, that the Portuguese coach got the chance to see the youngster in person.

(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

The young midfielder liked what he saw in Silva's methods, he was relieved that there was coach in place who promoted the opposite to Allardyce, and headed into the summer hopeful.

Vlasic would come off the bench in Austria to score twice in the 22-0 rout over ATV Irdning, and was used as a sub against Bury, before starting against Lille in Portugal.

Read why Everton boss Marco Silva sent Vlasic out on loan

Everton's fringe players were disappointing that night, the young Croatian included, only Mo Besic emerged with credit, and Vlasic would play just 10 minutes more of pre-season.

A number of clubs had already enquired about taking him on loan but Silva had been determined to take as long a look at the player as possible before giving him an answer over his short-term future.

But in early August, Vlasic was training with Williams, Martina and Mirallas, away from the rest of the squad, and talks stepped up for him to find a new club.

Playing in his correct position

Vlasic will spend the season in Russia and is being deployed as either a No10 or No8 - positions he feels bring the best out of him.

The 20-year-old often found himself on the wing for Everton but does not consider it anything like his best role in the team and has made an impressive start to life with CSKA.

Having picked up just two points from their opening three games, since Vlasic's arrival Moscow have won 10 points from a possible 12.

He still has a squad number at Everton, No27, but it remains uncertain if he'll ever pull it on again.