Kevin Mirallas joined Royal Antwerp on a free transfer over the summer, returning to Belgium after 16 years. The 31-year-old knew he was surplus to requirements at Everton as his last appearance came all the way back in November 2017, but selling him for a fee was proving a difficult task.
The Toffees wanted £7m for Mirallas, but there wasn’t a lot of interest due to his poor form over the last two years. In 2017/18, the Belgian international made just 13 appearances for Everton and failed to score. He joined Olympiacos (January 8, 2018 – June 30, 2018) on loan but netted two goals in 15.
In 2018/19, Mirallas spent the season on loan at Fiorentina (August 4, 2018 – June 30, 2019) but scored only twice in 30 appearances. With the 31-year-old scoring just four goals in two years, it’s easy to see why clubs weren’t interested. Eventually, Everton had to cut their losses and let him leave on a free transfer to seal his Antwerp move on August 30.
Mirallas explained to Sport/Foot Magazine: “I probably could have decided earlier, for example, before the matches against AZ, because I already agreed with Antwerp, but it was delicate with respect to Everton. At the beginning of July, they were still asking between six and eight million”
In his seven years at Goodison Park, Mirallas contributed 72 goals in 186 games. He was out of favour in the last two years of his career on Merseyside, however, which is why Everton lost out on £7m. The player’s high wages and poor form made him very undesirable.