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Behind the scenes at Finch Farm, Everton’s new director of football Marcel Brands is working to secure new signings ahead of Marco Silva’s debut season.

Last summer was meant to herald the start of a new dawn, with significant investment in the squad. Ultimately, however, it was a season to forget.

Brands has already indicated that Everton will seek to offload players before spending again, with Ramiro Funes Mori already departed and several others set to follow in another summer revamp.

Farhad Moshiri intends to elevate the club into the top six, but it has not happened yet. After last summer, when the likes of Davy Klaasen proved to be disappointments, more value is being sought after. For Everton to take the next step, recruitment has got to improve.

Taking a look at past performance in the Premier League era makes for fascinating reading in terms of transfer net spending.

According to transfermarkt.com, Everton's overall net transfer spending since the Premier League was inaugurated in 1992, the period within which accurate data is available, accumulates to £203million, which is £7.8million per year on average (figures are up to the end of the 2017/18 season, so does not include transfer movements of this summer, such as the sale of Funes Mori).

Only six teams have been ever-presents in the Premier League era: as well as the Blues, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal have also played in all 26 seasons since 1992.

Everton’s net spend in that time is the lowest of all those sides, with Arsenal closest to them at £269million. Across Stanley Park, Liverpool have invested more than double in transfer fees with a £445million net spend, while Chelsea and Manchester United have spent around quadruple – £845million and £837million respectively.

Sigurdsson was the largest acquisition at a club, while Romelu Lukaku has been the biggest sale at £75million to Manchester United.

Of the 13 teams to have played more than 10 Premier League campaigns, but are not ever-presents, three teams – Aston Villa, Newcastle and Sunderland – have spent more than Everton despite spending fewer seasons in the top flight.

Blackburn Rovers have the best net spend since 1992 for the seasons they have spent in the top flight at less than a million pounds, but they have only featured in 18 campaigns and have been out of the Premier League since 2011/12.

Historically, over the 26-year Premier League era, Everton have shown to be shrewd, getting relative value for the money they have invested.

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

Value per point

Everton have accumulated a total of 1373 points since the beginning of the 1992/93 season up until the end of last season, which is the lowest amount of the ever-present six.

In terms of spending per point gained, Everton are fifth in the ever-present six, with a net spend of £148,000 per point, second only to Arsenal in terms of value.

Manchester United have been most successful with 2102 points earned, almost 800 more than the Blues, while Spurs are closest to Everton with 1524.

The Gunners, who have won the Premier League three times, have got the best value from transfer fees at £142,000 per point gained, with Liverpool third, behind Manchester United and then Chelsea.

The Reds have a net spend of £254,000 per point gained, ahead of Spurs at £206,000, with Manchester United splashing out £398,000 and Chelsea highest with £455,000 spent on transfer fees per point.

Value per victory

In the 26 Premier League seasons to date, Everton have won a total of 362 matches, with biggest margin of victory seven goals to one.

Both Southampton (November 1996) and Sunderland (November 2007) were hammered 7-1 at Goodison Park, with Gary Speed scoring a hat-trick in the former and Tim Cahill and Yakubu both securing a brace in the latter.

There have been 287 draws and 351 defeats in that time, with 307 clean sheets kept.

Like with value per point, Everton are again fifth in terms of the value of their transfer spending compared to the number of wins, having shelled out a net sum of £560,000 per Premier League win on average.

Again, only Arsenal boast a better win-to-net spend ratio, having spent £495,000 per victory. Their net spend is around £66million more than Everton, but have won 182 more times in the same period.

Liverpool and Tottenham are again third and fourth placed respectively, with the Reds spending £892,000 per point and Spurs spending £744,000 – both more than 50% more than Everton.

Chelsea have spent the most at over £1.5million per victory, with Manchester United second at more than £1.3million

(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Value per goal

Everton have scored a total of 1303 goals in the Premier League, with Lukaku’s 68 in 141 appearances between 2013 and 2017 the most one player has managed. He also has the Everton record for the most in a single Premier League season, scoring 25 in 2016/17.

As with the number of points gained and the number of victories, Everton place fifth in the value league of those ever-present Premier League teams.

Everton’s net transfer spend works out at £156,000 per goal, again only beaten by Arsenal, although this time only marginally with the Gunners spending £152,000 per goal.

Chelsea spent £495,000 per goal, Manchester United spent £435,000, while Liverpool come in at £264,000, ahead of Spurs at £212,000.

Last summer’s ill-fated moves, then, were a blip according to this data; Brands can do better this season than Steve Walsh managed last summer having arrived from Leicester City to much fanfare, but ultimately to little effect.

(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Last season, having spent £69million net, a club record outlay, Everton averaged a spend of £1.4million per league point. Historically, though, the Blues have spent far more effectively, and that form needs to be regained quickly.

Everton’s net spend this summer is almost certain to be positive again as they try to beat last season’s points total.

In terms of value for their investment, Everton have proven to be at the very least where they should be over the Premier League era, if not ahead of that when the financial might of Manchester City, who have only played 21 Premier League seasons since 1992, is factored in.

To make the next step, which is what Silva has been brought in to do, recruitment is the key. Spend wisely – as Everton have proved in the past they are capable of – and catapulting to the next bracket of teams in the Premier League could be possible.

Moshiri’s millions may not have paid dividends as yet, but the statistics show that continue to spend – and get back to doing so wisely – and it will not be long before recruitment pays off.