Everton, few would argue, are one of the worst ran clubs in the Premier League. Since Farhad Moshiri's acquisition, a club that was upheld for many years by David Moyes has slowly regressed amidst increased investment, as managers and players alike have rinsed the club and left for nothing.
This marked a stark alteration from the years preceding the Iranian's arrival alongside Bill Kenwright, where they would instead forge top assets only to sell as soon as the price became tempting.
One statement that the Chairman once made still brings frustration to Evertonians to this day, given their trophy drought and subsequent failures, as the 77-year-old smugly claimed: "One very famous football club said to me two or three days ago 'whenever we have a problem we say 'what would the Everton board do because they always get it right?'"
What would Everton do? Well, languishing outside of the relegation zone on goal difference, as the only team not to make a signing in January despite the £45m sale of their star academy graduate, it is a question that still needs to be answered.
Tracing back through the depressing archives, numerous failed transfers crop up with each season that passed by. However, perhaps one of the most surprising failures was the £11m acquisition of Ashley Williams, who promised solidity but delivered anonymity.
How much did Ashley Williams' value drop?
Such a low fee for such an experienced player made this deal seemingly foolproof, but the former Swansea City centre-back would not translate his prior qualities into Merseyside. This made his £70k-per-week deal all the more costly.
Just 73 appearances for the Toffees led to his eventual exit in 2019 on a free, having been challenged from all directions for his poor displays.
Journalist Ben Marlow even claimed that he: "Thought he would be great for us but turned out to be a total liability. Awful defender".
Despite that, and the consensus of the fanbase likely supporting that view, Sofascore suggested that his time in Royal Blue was not as woeful as it might have seemed.
The 38-year-old's debut campaign at Goodison Park saw him record an average Sofascore rating of 7.13, upheld by a mammoth 7.9 clearances per game. However, that would drop dramatically in the season after, where a 6.84 rating was more appropriate.
What exacerbates the steady decline of the defender more than anything is the drop in valuation. From his initial £11m transfer fee, this would plummet by a depressing 84% to only €2m (£1.7m) just two years later, as per Transfermarkt, before the Wales international would depart for nothing.
Many have signed for Everton in recent years for big money, and with big reputations, yet very few have lived up to their promises. Williams in particular boasted the latter, which made his lack of impact and rapid decline particularly frustrating for Moshiri.