Everton have been in a state of ebb and flow for quite some time now, and while Sean Dyche's tenure has been far from seamless, there is a sense that the squad could enter the ascendency if cards are played right.
Of course, the plane of uncertainty that lies ahead for Everton is beyond the control of Dyche and the players, who have navigated through a tumultuous year to perch in 15th place in the Premier League with two fixtures still ahead, 11 points above the dreaded dotted line.
Having been stripped of eight points due to breaching Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules on separate occasions, the Toffees are in troubled waters, with the conundrum compounded by prospective buyers 777 Partners, a Miami-based investment firm, facing a lawsuit in the USA, facing allegations of fraud, facing the prospect of ruination.
But the unflappable fight from the Evertonian squad has instilled a sanguine sense of hope that this club could rise again. After all, points deduction aside, Everton would be just three points away from the top half of the division.
Only the top three teams have conceded fewer goals than Dyche's Blues, with the defensive axis of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite working wonders.
Branthwaite's emergence, in particular, has come at the perfect time following Yerry Mina's departure on a free transfer last summer, ravaged by injuries that stopped his chances of succeeding at Goodison Park. It all could have been so different.
Yerry Mina's Everton career
Picture this: it's 2018, Marco Silva's Everton have just completed the £27m transfer of centre-back Mina from none other than Barcelona following the Colombian's terrific performances at the 2018 World Cup.
Everton had recorded successive top-eight finishes under Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce and would finish eighth again in Silva's only full term at the helm – Mina's first, in 2018/19 – but everything unravelled soon after, Everton started to sink toward the lower levels of the English top-flight, where they fight at present to free themselves from.
22/23
7
7
2
21/22
13
11
0
20/21
24
23
2
19/20
29
25
2
18/19
13
10
1
Unfortunately, the Colombia international managed to play only an intermittent role in the Toffees' campaign, starting just ten Premier League matches as he battled against foot and hamstring issues.
He enjoyed more frequent roles across his second and third campaigns on English shores, with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm since the 2019/20 term's midpoint.
But his niggling problems precluded him from ever finding a prolonged run of form to live up to the £27m price tag, with his wages rather hefty too.
1.
Jordan Pickford
£125k-per-week
2.
Yerry Mina
£120k-per-week
3.
Abdoulaye Doucoure
£120k-per-week
4.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
£100k-per-week
4.
Amadou Onana
£100k-per-week
4.
James Tarkowski
£100k-per-week
The fact that he earned more than Dominic Calvert-Lewin highlights just how influential Mina was supposed to have been for the Merseysiders.
Calvert-Lewin has hardly been injury-free himself while on the Everton books but he has scored 68 goals and supplied 17 assists across 245 appearances, having been praised as a "monster" by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his success as the focal frontman.
In fairness, Mina has earned an effusive remark or two throughout his career too, with The Athletic's Patrick Boyland hailing the "absolute colossus" for one excellent Everton display.
At least the 6 foot 5 titan managed to play a pivotal part in Everton's closing stage last season, starting the final four Premier League fixtures and scoring an all-important, last-gasp equaliser in the campaign's penultimate fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He salvaged a draw, he might just have salvaged top-flight status, with the team then fuelled to beat Bournemouth on the final day – a game, by the way, that saw a Herculean defensive effort form Mina toward the 1-0 victory, playing the full 90 minutes and winning a whopping eight duels.
It's unfortunate that Mina has suffered such a tough time on the fitness front, with Silva speaking on his "unlucky" record back in 2019 – unaware of the mounds of problems yet to materialise, like a dark, infiltrating stain on his career.
But it can't be looked past, Mina failed to live up to the price tag at Everton and it's ultimately a move of bitter regret, with the funds probably better placed elsewhere back when he signed – had the powers that be got it right, the rot might just have been stopped before it spread.
Yerry Mina's transfer value in 2024
Oh to drift back to the halcyon days of 2018. Mina must certainly look back on this stage of his career with wistful longing, having now fallen by the wayside with damage that threatens to be irreparable.
The ball-playing defender has all the skills to be a high-level defender; his erstwhile stint with Barcelona proves his natural ability. But injuries have ravaged his chances of building a career of true prosperity, with his current market value a gloomy reflection of such issues.
According to Football Transfers' Player Valuation model, the South American is marked with a £1.7m worth in 2024, with his inability to put his time on Merseyside to bed after transferring to Fiorentina sending his career into more of a detrimental spin.
After ending his career with Everton last summer, the rangy defender's move to Florence was supposed to be beneficial, with the ostensibly slower pace of Italian football better suited to his athletic fragilities.
But after featuring just four times – all from the bench – in the opening half of the current Serie A campaign, La Viola's newly-promoted divisional rivals Cagliari canvassed a proposal and welcomed the injury-riddled giant to their ranks in January.
Admittedly, he has found a small measure of success over these past few months, starting 11 of 13 league fixtures since his cross-state switch, scoring in each of his past two matches and winning 69% of his duels, as per Sofascore.
Given that Jarrad Branthwait has won 67% of his duels in the Premier League this season, it's clear that a different tale would have been painted were Mina's injuries not so… incessant.
A talented defender, a wonderful player, a commanding leader. Mina's move to Everton can only go down as a failure but given the nature of his troubles, the Evertonian faithful would be all smiles if he could sustain a positive run of form over the coming campaigns.
6/10 Everton star who lost 100% duels might not play again after Luton
He produced a poor display during the draw last night.
ByEthan Lamb