Everton miss out as Charlie Zogs off to Villa

It's almost August and still there have been no new faces through the Finch Farm doors. And now, it seems, we are set to miss out on our number one transfer target, Charles N'Zogbia, after it emerged earlier this week that Wigan and Villa had agreed a fee of £9.5m for the Frenchman. With personal terms yet to be agreed the deal is not fully complete. But the fat lady is clearing her throat.

Joe Kinnear's best mate had been touted as being top of David Moyes' wishlist. But, with it being perfectly clear that Everton must 'sell to buy', was he ever as realistic target?

Our interest in the player was well documented. Indeed, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan revealing that "Villa are not the sole bidders, there are another couple of clubs who are desperate to sign him. It depends how much they can pay up front, because we have got to re-spend that £10m this season to replace Charles."

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"there are another couple of clubs who are desperate to sign him. It depends on how much they can pay up front."

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Registering interest in a player is all well and good but if you do not have the means to follow up that interest with a firm offer, doesn't that render the initial interest futile?

It is the equivalent of driving - in a Vauxhall Astra - to a car showroom and putting your name down on the Ferrari mailing list.

With Yakubu and Yobo still on the Everton books it was always unlikely that we would be able to rival Aston Villa for N'Zogbia's signature. The Vaughan and Pienaar money alone would not have been a sufficient amount and besides, who knows where it is?

The only way that the transfer would have been made feasible was if we'd have sold one of our big money players i.e. Fellaini, Jagielka, Rodwell, Arteta or Baines. And that would have represented taking two steps backwards in order to take one step forward.

All of which begs the question: why were we after someone we clearly couldn't afford?

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The Vaughan and Pienaar money alone would not have been a sufficient amount - and besides, who knows where it is?

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N'Zogbia would have been absolutely perfect for Everton. It is not often you see a player who possesses both versatility and flair, but Charlie Insomnia has both those things in abundance. He can play on both wings, as a central attacking midfielder or even at left-back.

His goals - 7, from the wing - saved Wigan from relegation last season and he will rightly be regarded as a hero at the DW Stadium. He has energy, pace and a deadly left foot. He is not afraid to take on his defender or curl in a shot from long range.

He is the type of player that our left hand side was crying out for last season when we failed to beat the 'lesser' sides (Wigan included). He can, with a burst of speed or a barrage of stepovers, unlock a defence and create opportunities for the team. A partnership with Baines down the left flank would have been a prolific one.

I wish him all the best at Villa - where I'm sure he will succeed - but he will unfortunately serve as another reminder of Everton's barren Summer.