Where's every signing Everton made under Carlo Ancelotti? | OneFootball

Highlights

Everton have had a rocky couple of years, with the Toffees having gone from regular mid-table finishes in the Premier League, to fighting relegation battles year in and year out.

But one of the brighter spells from Everton's recent history came when legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti rocked up at Goodison Park, taking over the Merseyside outfit midway through the 2019/20 campaign. Ancelotti, a six-time winner of the European Cup as both a player and a manager, caught the Everton faithful's imagination during his short-lived spell at the club.

So to celebrate, GIVEMESPORT have looked back at all the signings made by Ancelotti as Everton manager to see what they're doing with their careers now.

7 Jarrad Branthwaite

While he may have originally been signed for the academy, Jarrad Branthwaite was the only addition made by Everton during their first transfer window under Ancelotti.

Joining from Carlisle United for a sum believed to be in the region of £1 million, Branthwaite did manage to squeeze his way into the senior side at the backend of the 2019/20 'Covid campaign', making his debut as a substitute during a 3-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2020.

A loan to Blackburn Rovers would follow, before Branthwaite briefly returned to the Everton senior side for the second half of the 2021/22 season, only to be loaned back out to PSV Eindhoven at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign.

Nowadays, Branthwaite is a fixture in the Everton starting-11, having established himself under current boss Sean Dyche.

6 Niels Nkounkou

From one current Toffees star to a player who featured just seven times for the first team before departing the club, Niels Nkounkou arrived at Goodison Park with plenty of promise but failed to live up to lofty expectations.

A free transfer pickup for Everton during the 2020 summer transfer window, Nkounkou was snapped up by former Director of Football Marcel Brands, after the left-back's contract at Olympique de Marseille expired.

The Frenchman spent the majority of his Everton career out on loan, with spells at Standard Liege and Cardiff City coming before a permanent switch to Saint-Etienne in January 2023. Nkounkou wouldn't stick around in France too long though, with the 22-year-old now contracted to Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt.

5 Allan

One of the most expensive signings from the Ancelotti era, midfielder Allan joined from Napoli in the summer of 2020 for a reported £25 million fee.

A favourite of Ancelotti's from his time as Napoli boss, the Brazil international was ushered straight into the Everton line-up, playing 26 times across all competitions during his first season in England.

Primarily deployed in a defensive midfield role, Allan would rack up a total of 56 appearances during his two-year stint at Everton, prior to signing for United Arab Emirates side Al Wahda. It represented a hefty loss in the financial department for Everton, with the midfield anchor leaving on a free transfer.

Since moving to the Middle East, Allan has played just over 30 times for Al Wahda, but things could be about to change once again for the former Napoli man, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season.

4 James Rodriguez

The standout signing from Ancelotti's time as Everton manager, James Rodriguez's move to Goodison Park sent shockwaves across the football world when he joined the Premier League side in September 2020.

Splashing around £20 million on the Colombia international, it was the third time in his career that Rodriguez had linked up with Ancelotti, having been managed by him at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

However, the drop off after coming from those European giants to playing for Everton proved too much for Rodriguez, as he'd end up leaving the club almost as quickly as he arrived.

Managing just one season in the Premier League, Rodriguez originally left for Qatari side Al-Rayyan, to then return to Europe for a season with Olympiacos, only to sign for his current club, Sao Paulo, in July 2023.

3 Abdoulaye Doucoure

One of the more successful signings made by Ancelotti, Abdoulaye Doucoure did at least remain at Goodison Park beyond the Italian manager's swift departure, where he is still plying his trade to this day.

Another £20 million purchase, Doucoure joined from Premier League strugglers Watford in the summer of 2020, penning a three-year deal with the club.

Making close to 100 appearances for Everton during that initial three-year period, the Toffees activated a one-year extension to his deal at the backend of the 2022/23 campaign.

The now 30-year-old is due to be out of contract once again at the end of the current campaign, with Everton having a decision to make about whether they renew the £120,000-per-week earner's deal once again.

2 Ben Godfrey

A smart pickup made by Ancelotti and Co. at the time, Ben Godfrey was the fifth and final signing made during the 2020 summer transfer window, with the defender joining for, you guessed it, £20 million.

The young centre-back was signed to plug a gap in the Everton defence, with Godfrey making an impressive 31 Premier League appearances during his maiden campaign.

However, that number would drop to 23 in the following campaign and then just 13 the season after, with the ex-Norwich City man appearing to have fallen right down the pecking order under current boss Dyche.

Now into the final 18 months of his £75,000-per-week contract, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Godfrey leave Everton in the coming transfer windows.

1 Joshua King

And last but not least, the forgotten man of Ancelotti's spell with Everton; Joshua King joined the club on a lesser-seen six-month contract in January 2021.

The 62-cap Norway international's deal at Bournemouth was due to run out at the end of the 2020/21 season, with Everton only willing to offer a short-term contract to bring him to Goodison Park.

Failing to score in his 11 outings for the club, King wasn't offered a renewal at the end of the campaign and left the club following the expiration of his deal.

Joining Watford for the 2021/22 campaign instead, King would once again be on the move at the end of that season, as he joined his current side Fenerbahce in July 2022.