Big-picture failure (Age and wage bill)
What makes the sale of Aznou even more befuddling is that it is counterintuitive to what the board has reportedly mandated Max Eberl and Christoph Freund to do moving forward- reduce the annual wage bill and the average age of the squad.
With the departure of the thrice-capped 19-year-old Moroccan international after the additions of 29-year-old Jonathan and 20-year-old Tom Bischof, albeit on free transfers, the average age of the squad has only gone up. With the imminent acquisition of 28-year-old Luis Diaz from Liverpool, who would reportedly earn €14 million per annum, both the squad’s average age and wage bill would then take another hit.
If the purpose of the sale of Aznou was to raise funds, then the reported selling price of €9 million plus €3 in add-ons hardly offsets the €75 million to be paid for Luis Diaz (No disrespect intended towards the Colombian international). Fans will be hoping that a buy-back clause was part of the sale agreement with Everton, or at the very least, a sell-on clause was included.