Everton have enjoyed a quietly impressive campaign in the Premier League. While the final fixture, away against title-chasing Arsenal, is as ominous as they come, Sean Dyche's squad have battled through adversity to finish comfortably away from the relegation-threatened pack.
And that's despite being handed an eight-point deduction due to financial breaches, with their 15th-place and 40-point standing belying the fine football that, without the penalty, would place them 11th in the Premier League, behind tenth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion only on goal difference.
Everton's future is shrouded in uncertainty but the players – and Dyche – have done their job. Though that doesn't mean that everyone in the squad has been up to scratch, with Ben Godfrey seeming to have failed to live up to his once-lofty potential.
Ben Godfrey's season in numbers
Godfrey, in fairness, has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent months, starting 13 matches in the Premier League this season after featuring for just one minute across the only 16 fixtures of the year.
Principally playing at right-back, the dynamic ace has averaged two tackles and 3.4 clearances per game, as per Sofascore, though he's not proven himself to be a confident distributor, completing only 71% of his passes and, despite this waywardness, averaging 0.2 key passes per match.
He's aggressive and he's passionate – described as a "monster" in the past by journalist James Whaling – but the 26-year-old is not the long-term solution in a starting role for any place in the backline.
A sharp defensive player, yes, but Godfrey is flawed and one-dimensional, ranking among the top 14% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for interceptions, the top 1% for clearances and the top 4% for aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref, but also ranking among the bottom 4% for passes attempted, the bottom 7% for pass completion and the bottom 6% for progressive carries per 90.
If the right offer is tabled this summer, Farhad Moshiri will certainly be considering his options, recouping a portion of the hefty fee parted with to bring him to Goodison Park.
How much Ben Godfrey has cost Everton
Everton need to ameliorate their struggles against financial fair play regulations and the convoluted takeover process, and cashing in on Godfrey might be a good way to go – also freeing up the wage bill quite considerably.
Godfrey takes home £75k per week at Goodison Park, working out to around £4m a season, and for a player who has offered such a mediocre, bit-part role over the past few campaigns it's questionable as to whether Everton are getting bang for their buck.
23/24
15
13
6.76
22/23
13
10
6.32
21/22
23
23
6.51
20/21
31
29
6.78
He's enjoyed comparative levels of success at intervals placed throughout his time at the Blues outfit but given that he was signed from Norwich City for a whopping £25m, he's hardly repaid the faith.
Indeed, according to Football Transfers' player vaulation model, the Englishman is now worth just £4m, really emphasising how poor some of his performances and attempts to muster up some fluency have been.
Dyche might be playing him at the moment but this is more down to a lack of options than anything, with Nathan Patterson currently sidelined with a hamstring issue.
His hesitancy to field the dynamo likely stems from his shocking displays toward the backend of the 2022/23 term, where Godfrey was chastised for his performance against Manchester United. Stuart Pearce said: “It’s awful defending. If I was Dyche I would take Godfrey off the pitch. I think he’s having a disaster.
"Even at this stage of the game I’d get him off the pitch, because he’s going to cost you a goal.”
Godfrey will be pleased with his efforts over the past several months – notably picking up a 9/10 match rating by The Liverpool Echo after Everton's stunning 2-0 win over Liverpool – but he's proved himself inconsistent and unreliable after an impressive start to life on Merseyside, reflected in his market depreciation.
Everton might be inclined to renew the defender's terms once the ownership situation is sorted out – but perhaps it would be better to cash in. After all, he's rinsed of them a pretty penny.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
