- Everton’s academy rejected a young Haaland after a four-day trial.
- Owner Farhad Moshiri famously baulked at paying £3.4m fee for the rising star.
- Haaland has since punished the club with six goals in five games against them.
As Everton prepare to host Manchester City this evening at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Toffees will be reminded of the sliding-doors moment that could’ve radically reshaped their recent history. Not once, but twice, the club had Erling Haaland within their grasp, only to pass on deals that now look like the greatest “what if” in Premier League transfer history.
The first miss: Erling Haaland’s trial at Everton Academy
Former Everton recruitment chief Ian Atkins, told the Liverpool Echo that Haaland was first brought over as a young teenager for a trial, having impressed the club’s Scandinavia scout Brian King
“This is when Haaland is at Bryne’, said Atkins, “before the Molde move, so he’s raw but he’s got all these great attributes you don’t often see in someone so young. He comes in for four days and the Academy decided he wasn’t good enough, something that Brian King didn’t agree with. He thought there was a real talent in there but they didn’t agree”
Second opportunity: When Farhad Moshiri blocked a £3.4m deal
If passing on Haaland once wasn’t bad enough, Everton did it again! Speaking to 5Live in 2024, former Blues winger Aaron Lennon recalled how former Director of Football Steve Walsh introduced him to a 15-year-old Haaland in the physio room at Finch Farm, hopeful that the club would finalise the deal imminently.
“I remember Erling Haaland walking into the building,” Lennon recalled. Steve Walsh introduced him to the young striker, saying, ‘Look, Aaron, we’ve got Haaland here. You know his dad, Alfie? The Leeds boy. Hopefully, we’re going to sign him.”
Ultimately, the move didn’t happen, because then-owner Farhad Moshiri balked at the modest £3.4m outlay for the youngster.
Haaland v Everton: A clinical reminder
Haaland’s personal record against Everton serves as a clinical reminder of what they missed. Since arriving in the Premier League, the Norwegian has maintained a ruthless streak against the Toffees, scoring six times in five games. This season, Haaland alone has provided more firepower than the Everton frontline of Beto and Tierno Barry combined.
Tonight the Toffees will be hoping that their two-time target will have a rare off-day and not provide yet another reminder of the historic oversight that saw them pass on a generational talent, one they must now attempt to contain rather than celebrate.
