Tim Cahill is rightfully one of Everton’s most admired players, having played 226 Premier League games and scored 56 (mostly forceful) goals.
Since Cahill’s departure to Shanghai in 2012, there hasn’t been a player who has left the same imprint in such a focused term as Cahill.
Many of Cahill’s successors fell foul of his greatness, as did many of his defences and corner flags.
There wasn’t really another player ready to fill the committed role that Evertonians yearned for, as there were often flash-in-the-pan forwards who lit up Goodison for a season and then left. There were some strikers who didn’t even light it up. They weren’t cut out to
lace the boxing maverick’s boots: Sandro, Cenk Tosun, Neal Maupay, Salomon Rondon.
Everton signed Neal Maupay for what reason?
Everton signed Brighton’s Maupay on a three-year contract for £15 million in August 2022. He was similar in stature to Cahill, could mix it up at times, and was relatively prolific with the Seagulls, scoring 26 goals in 102 appearances.
It was possibly a case of ‘too good to be true’ as the Frenchman’s first goal for the club exhibited the same fan-favorite determination and fire as Cahill.
Brilliant close control followed by a wicked turn and shot combo into the bottom left corner was all too familiar against West Ham. The cherry on top? The corner flag has been bolted. Instead of the Aussie’s signature punch combo, Maupay enthusiastically hoofed the flag.
Greg O’Keeffe of The Athletic wrote the following: “After showing a timely slice of quality to provide the winning finish, he gave one of the Gwladys Street End’s corner flags the type of assault they haven’t received since the days of another fiery fan favourite, Tim Cahill.”
Was he gonna carry on Cahill’s legacy? No, it does not. Unfortunately, this was one of the few displays that provided treasured comparisons back to better days, and Maupay gradually went into a period of hardship comparable to the team surrounding him.
His poor performances and troubles were highlighted in August 2023 by a flood of harsh internet criticism he received from his own fans after failing to convert a series of chances in a 1-0 defeat to Fulham.
