Marcel Brands is set to earn Everton a small windfall this summer thanks to a sell-on clause negotiated in the deal that saw Nikola Vlasic join CSKA Moscow for £13.5million. The Toffees have arguably been left to rue their decision to let the attacker leave Goodison Park prematurely in 2019 after he struggled to establish himself on Merseyside under Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce and Marco Silva respectively.
Everton have a sell-on clause for CSKA forward Nikola Vlasic (Image: GETTY)
However, at the time, Marco Silva was unconvinced by the player and his side was already stacked with attacking options as he looked to clear the decks.
The 23-year-old was initially picked up after impressing in a Europa League qualifier against Everton in 2017 for Hadjuk Split.
But the sacking of Koeman in October saw his hopes of making the grade in the Premier League fade.
Under Allardyce, opportunities were few and far between and he was forced to play out of position at wing-back.
Now Vlasic operates as a No 10 or No 8 and is expected to feature for World Cup runners-up Croatia at this summer's European Championships.
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Everton let Nikola Vlasic leave for CSKA Moscow in 2019 (Image: GETTY)
He was still raw and inexperienced when he first arrived at Everton, the same summer that three No 10s were questionably signed in the form of Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen.
“Some players had an advantage over me," Vlasic recently said, in an interview with The Athletic. "If Rooney wants to play No 10, he deserves it. There was also Sigurdsson who was a record signing at the time. I’m not stupid, I understand football and how it works. I knew I wouldn’t play No 10."
Roma are also interested in the Croat, who looks destined to leave CSKA before the beginning of next season.
Surprisingly, he has already made it clear he would not be interested in an immediate return to England to right his previous wrongs.
Instead, he wants to be challenging for titles and playing regularly in the Champions League after developing a taste for winning in Moscow.