Leroy Fer recently revealed on the Konversations With Kenji podcast that he nearly joined Everton in 2013 before an injury caused him to fail a medical.
The 30-year-old was at FC Twente at the time and ended up joining Norwich City on a permanent deal, but he still describes the failed Everton move as the “hardest moment” of his career.
He said: “(Everton) came in for me, January 2013, I think. They came in and it was going to be a big move – £10m going to Everton – but I had an injury just before that so I failed my medical.
“That was also something that’s very hard for me because Everton are a big team in England. They had big players like Pienaar, Fellaini, Coleman, Osman. That was the moment in my career that was maybe the hardest.
“You set your goal to go to the Prem, from making my debut, I said to my family it was my dream.” Fer spent one year at Norwich, making 33 appearances before joining Queens Park Rangers in 2014.
The midfielder featured 50 times for the Hoops before Swansea City came knocking in 2016. And three years later, he returned to Feyenoord. Fer has made 34 appearances for the Dutch outfit, but his deal is up this summer so he may be on the hunt for a new club this summer.
Had Fer joined Everton years ago, his career may have gone in a different direction. He showed plenty of promise early on in the Premier League, but his failure to join a stable club proved costly.