10 best Everton transfers in the Premier League era ranked: Kanchelskis 7th, club icon in top spot
Evertonians will be hoping for more success stories in the coming transfer windows, as we look back at the club’s top 10 signings of the Premier League era.
The Toffees have endured a tumultuous few years, coming perilously close to relegation on several occasions. But it wasn’t so long ago that they were regularly challenging for European football and making deep runs in the domestic cups.
David Moyes has undoubtedly been the most successful Everton manager in recent history, and a lot of the club’s best additions came during his first stint at the club, between 2002 and 2013.
10. Phil Jagielka
Everton paid £4million to sign Phil Jagielka from Sheffield United in 2007, and he went on to become a mainstay in the heart of Everton’s defence for the next 12 years.
The centre-back was a major asset to Everton as they fought for European qualification during Moyes’ first stint in charge.
When at the peak of his career, Jagielka was one of the fastest players in the Premier League and put that to his advantage to allow him to make many crucial last-ditch tackles.
The England international made a total of 322 Premier League appearances for Everton – the fifth-most of any Toffees player to date.
Jagielka’s most memorable moment came in 2014, when he scored a stunning half volley against Liverpool at Anfield in injury time to earn Everton a point against their rivals.
He also scored a penalty in the shoot-out against Manchester United in the 2009 FA Cup Semi-Final, which helped book Everton’s place in the final.
9. Tim Howard
Another player who was crucial in the run to the 2009 FA Cup final, Tim Howard is one of the best goalkeepers Everton have had since the legendary Neville Southall.
The USA international, like Phil Neville, joined from Man Utd, initially on loan in 2006/07, before the move was made permanent for £3million the following season.
Howard, at the time of writing, has the second most Premier League appearances for the Toffees. Recording 117 Premier League clean sheets in his 12 seasons at Goodison Park, he was a reliable player between the sticks.
Like Jagielka, Howard was crucial in helping Everton reach the 2009 FA Cup Final, keeping a clean sheet against Man Utd in the semi-final before saving two penalties in the shoot-out.
He also managed to score against Bolton Wanderers on a very windy day in 2012.
8. Mikel Arteta
There aren’t too many Everton players in the Premier League era you can put in the world-class category, but Mikel Arteta was certainly one of them.
Arteta was a product of Barcelona’s academy and following a loan spell with Paris Saint-Germain, he joined Rangers in 2002 and was impressive in a two-year spell in Glasgow.
He then joined Real Sociedad in 2004, with the idea that he would make an ideal midfield partner for Xabi Alonso. However, Alonso moved on and Arteta failed to establish himself in the team.
Everton signed Arteta from Sociedad on an initial loan deal midway through the 2004/05 season. He was brought in as a replacement for Thomas Gravesen, who had joined Real Madrid.
That season, he played a vital role in Everton finishing fourth in the Premier League and earning a place in the Champions League qualifiers. He joined Everton on a permanent deal in a transfer worth just £2million in summer 2025.
Arteta went on to make 205 appearances for the Toffees, notching 35 goals and 35 assists in the process.
Arguably his most memorable goal came against Fiorentina in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Cup – a stunning strike to level the scores on aggregate, which sent supporters into raptures.
Everton ultimately lost the game on penalties, but any supporter who was there will say that moment was one of the loudest in Goodison Park’s recent history.
Arteta signed for Arsenal in 2011 for £10million, ending his six-year spell at the club.
7. Andrei Kanchelskis
Andrei Kanchelskis may have only spent 18 months with Everton, but his impact during that spell was significant enough to earn him a spot on this list.
Arriving from Manchester United for a club-record fee of £5million in 1995, during Joe Royle’s stint in charge of the Toffees, the winger brought pace, power and a directness that made him a nightmare for defenders.
His first full season at Goodison Park was particularly impressive, with Kanchelskis scoring 16 times in all competitions, confirming his status as one of the best winger of Everton’s most important attacking players.
He announced himself by scoring his first two Everton goals against Liverpool in a memorable 2-1 victory at Anfield.
His spell on Merseyside was brief, but the quality he showed, particularly in big matches, ensured he left a lasting impression on Everton supporters.
6. Duncan Ferguson
Everton brought Duncan Ferguson to Goodison Park from Rangers in 1994, with manager Mike Walker making the move for the imposing striker. It was an extraordinary transfer given Ferguson was serving a prison sentence at the time.
He was signed initially on loan by Walker, but the move was made permanent for £4million by Walker’s successor, Royle, and Ferguson played a crucial role in helping Everton to avoid relegation.
Ferguson is remembered for having a fantastic record against Everton’s two biggest rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.
Indeed, his first Everton goal couldn’t have been scripted better. With Walker gone and Royle now in charge, Ferguson opened his Everton account against Liverpool in a famous 2-0 derby victory at Goodison Park.
Ferguson also played a key part in Everton winning the FA Cup in 1995.
He was controversially sold to Newcastle in 1998, without the approval of then-manager Walter Smith, but spent just two years at St James’ Park before being re-signed by Everton in 2000.
With 60 Premier League goals for Everton, Ferguson remains the club’s second-highest scorer in the division.
5. Romelu Lukaku
Everton’s best striker of the Premier League era, Everton have still never really replaced Romelu Lukaku since his departure six years ago.
Lukaku was initially signed on loan from Chelsea in the summer of 2013, and impressed hugely under Roberto Martinez, notching 15 Premier League goals in his first season with the Toffees.
The Belgian forward joined Everton permanently the following summer for a then-club record fee of £28million, and spent two more seasons with the club.
Lukaku scored an impressive 68 Premier League goals and despite only spending four years at Goodison Park, and remains the club’s leading scorer in the division.
Lukaku was sold to Manchester United for £75million in 2017 and you could argue that he has never replicated the form he showed with Everton since, having had spells with other top sides such as Inter Milan, Chelsea (again), Roma, Napoli and now Fenerbahce.
4. Tim Cahill
Everton cult hero Tim Cahill is one of the best examples of Moyes’ success in signing players from the lower divisions.
Everton paid just £1.5million to sign the Australian from Millwall in 2004, and he went on top have a successful eight-year stint with the club.
Known for his brilliant aerial ability despite not being particularly tall, Cahill had a fantastic goalscoring record despite mainly playing in midfield.
Like Ferguson, Cahill also had a fantastic record against Liverpool, scoring five times in 15 appearances against the Reds.
In total, he scored 56 Premier League goals for Everton, making him the club’s fourth-highest scorer in the division.
Cahill is also remembered for his trademark celebration – his corner flag shadow-boxing routine.
Cahill had a fantastic international career, too, having chalked up 108 caps for Australia and scoring 50 goals in the process. He remains his country’s all-time highest scorer.
3. Leighton Baines
Another iconic signing during the Moyes era, Leighton Baines joined Everton from Wigan Athletic in a deal worth £6million in 2007.
The Kirkby-born left-back had to wait for his chance to nail down a spot in the starting XI as when he initially joined he was behind Joleon Lescott in the pecking order.
Lescott eventually moved to centre-back and that’s when Baines took the chance to make the left-back position his own.
Across 13 years with Everton, Baines made a total of 420 appearances for the club, contributing 39 goals and 64 assists in the process. At one stage, he was undoubtedly one of the best left-backs in Europe.
He became known as a penalty and free kick specialist. Memorably, he scored two brilliant free kicks in the same game in a dramatic 3-2 away victory over West Ham in 2013.
Baines also earned 30 caps for England, and could consider himself unlucky to have been competing with another top left-back, Ashley Young, for a place in the starting XI.
Having retired in 2020, Baines is now part of Everton’s coaching set-up, working as Moyes’ assistant manager.
2. Jordan Pickford
There is a very strong argument that Everton would not be a Premier League club if it not for Jordan Pickford’s heroics in recent seasons.
The goalkeeper signed for the Toffees from Sunderland in a deal worth £30million in 2017, while Ronald Koeman was manager. The transfer made him the most expensive British keeper in history at the time.
Interestingly, Moyes was the manager who gave Pickford his first consistent run in the first team when he was Sunderland boss, with the shot stopper making 29 Premier League appearances in the 2016/17 season.
Pickford, who was 23 when he joined Everton, became an instant starter at Goodison Park. He gradually improved over the years, and has now established himself as one of Europe’s best keepers and England’s undisputed No 1.
He has won five Premier League Save of the Month Awards at the time of writing – the most of any player in history.
He was also given the Premier League Save of the Season Award for a stunning stop in a 1-0 win against Chelsea in 2022 – a crucial victory for the Toffees as they battled to avoid relegation.
Pickford remains the first name on the team sheet and looks set to remain a vital player for Everton for years to come.
1. Seamus Coleman
Arguably the best value-for-money signing in Premier League history, Seamus Coleman signed for Everton from Sligo Rovers in January 2009 for just £60,000.
The Irish right-back has since become an iconic figure in Everton’s history, having captained the side during one of the club’s darkest periods.
Multiple Everton managers have spoken highly of Coleman’s contributions on the pitch, but also off it, with his leadership qualities in the dressing room proving invaluable in difficult spells.
In his prime, Coleman was a lightening-fast wingback and one of the best players in his position in Europe. With Baines on the opposite flank, the duo were a formidable force together.
Across a 17-year stint with the club, the full-back made 435 appearances across all competitions, notching 28 goals and 29 assists in the process.
Coleman was made captain in 2019, following Jagielka’s departure from the club. Coleman wore the armband until leaving Everton when his contract expired in 2026, remaining skipper despite going through periods of being sidelined with injury.
Coleman’s last goal for Everton was one of huge importance. In the midst of a relegation battle, the full-back scored a brilliant goal from a tight angle in a 1-0 victory over Leeds United, who ultimately dropped to the Championship.
He is Everton’s all-time leading Premier League appearance-maker, having played 374 times for the club in the division.
Everything now points towards Coleman having a career in coaching, and it would be no surprise to see him working with Everton again soon.
