Everton have often conducted poor business in the transfer market in recent seasons, with their spending partly to blame for the club's point deduction this season.

The Toffees spent a lot of money during the 2019/20 season, with the club spending upwards of £100m on players - with just one signing remaining at Goodison Park in 2024.

Players such as Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean and Jean-Philippe Gbamin arrived at the club, for fees all over £20m, with the latter leaving the club on a free transfer last summer after making just eight appearances for the Toffees.

However, one big-money signing over the last few years impressed for the Toffees, before leaving the club to hunt for European football. His departure was one that many fans were unhappy with, but it did see the club make a profit on their investment.

Lucas Digne's stats at Everton

Left-back Lucas Digne joined Everton for £18m back in 2018, with the defender having great pedigree after his spell in Spain playing for European giants Barcelona.

He made an immediate impact during his first campaign for the club, making 37 appearances for the Toffees during his first campaign - with his set-piece ability catching the eye.

His second campaign in 2019/20 was just as successful, with the Frenchman making 39 appearances for the club in all competitions, with Digne grabbing nine goal contributions - a great return for a defender.

However, the appointment of former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez would be the start of his Everton downfall, with Digne falling out of favour under the Spaniard.

Although he started all nine games at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, he would quickly lose his place in the starting lineup, with the left-back sometimes not even being included in the matchday squad.

Digne wasn't involved in four consecutive games throughout December and January, with his lack of game time leading to his departure.

Although the departure wasn't a hit with the Everton fanbase, his move to Aston Villa in January 2022 was a profitable one for the club, with the Frenchman leaving for £25m - making the Toffees £7m on the defender during his three-and-a-half-year stint at Goodison.

Lucas Digne's market value in 2024

Just over two years on from his Everton departure, the "phenomenal" defender, as dubbed by his agent Mikkel Beck, has failed to impress at Villa Park under Unai Emery, with the former Arsenal boss preferring to use Alex Moreno over the £25m man.

His lack of form has seen his value drop to just £10m - as per Transfermarkt - with the 30-year-old now worth less than current Toffees left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko, who boasts a market value of £24m - less than two years on from his £17m move to the club.

Whilst there's no debate that Digne is better going forward, Mykolenko has excelled defensively, blowing the Frenchman out of the water and being a real part of Everton's stellar defence that has the best defensive record outside the Premier League's top four.

The Ukrainian has averaged 2.7 tackles per game in the Premier League this season, with former Everton man Digne only managing to reach a tally of 1.8.

Mykolenko also dominates with regard to interceptions and clearances, with his tallies of 1.6 and 3.5 respectively, far more than the attacking full-back who's struggled at times defensively this campaign.

The Frenchman has only averaged 1.1 interceptions and 2.2 clearances, with 23-year-old Mykolenko seemingly more suited to boss Sean Dyche's defensive system.

Although at the time it was an unpopular decision to let Digne leave, it turned out to be a brilliant piece of business with the club replacing him with a younger and more defensively solid full-back who has outperformed the former Toffee this campaign.