Everton star was persuaded to leave in January but Toffees blocked a move

Arnaut Danjuma was persuaded to depart Everton for Lyon during the winter transfer window by Memphis Depay, as reported by Foot Mercato.

Despite Depay’s advice, Everton refused to sanction the move due to the inability to secure a replacement for Danjuma at Goodison Park.

Everton were on the verge of securing a replacement before changing course and expressing interest in Lyon’s Irish center-back, Jake O’Brien. However, Lyon promptly ended negotiations for Danjuma and opted to acquire West Ham’s Said Benrahma instead.

Danjuma, aged 27, has participated in 20 matches across all competitions this season but has only managed to score two goals. He has been sidelined for the last four games following an injury sustained against Fulham on January 30th.

The fact that Everton reportedly sought loan deals in January suggested they were open to letting him go, unless they were prepared to recall Jack Harrison to Leeds.

Danjuma has displayed occasional glimpses of his talent, which should position him as an asset under Sean Dyche this season. However, overall, his transfer has not delivered the impact that he or the club had anticipated.

Currently, this situation does not benefit either party, as the Dutch international is sidelined due to injury, rendering him unable to contribute positively to the team’s efforts.

Due to limited options in the winter transfer window, Everton found themselves with little room to maneuver and ultimately failed to bolster their squad.

However, they managed to prevent the squad from being weakened despite interest in key players like Jarrad Branthwaite and Amadou Onana, whose recent form suggests their absence would have been a significant blow.

Everton are in a strange position at this moment in time as they have the point deduction saga looming over their heads, while at the same time the Toffees are trying to fight for their Premier League survival every week.