While Everton have suffered a turbulent few months with off-the-field issues resulting in a ten-point deduction, manager Sean Dyche has impressed this season with the Toffees' Premier League status in their own hands with 13 games remaining.
Dyche's side currently sit in 17th place, outside the relegation zone on goal difference ahead of Rob Edwards' Luton Town. However, had the Merseysiders not received that points deduction for the FFP breach, the club would be sitting in 12th and comfortably clear of any potential relegation to England's second tier.
The financial problems behind the scenes at Goodison Park have prevented Dyche from bringing in any new signings, with the former Burnley boss only able to work on a shoestring budget.
The Englishman has often put trust in some of his younger first-team members, such as Jarrad Branthwaite and James Garner – with the pair both cementing their places in Everton's starting eleven.
However, the manager has been let down by some of his senior first-team members this season, with one player, in particular, struggling with the demands of the Premier League.
The fee Everton paid for Michael Keane
Everton forked out a huge £30m for defender Michael Keane from Burnley during the summer of 2017, with Keane impressing for the Clarets in a season where they survived by six points.
Keane impressed in his first season at Goodison, starting 30 times over the course of the campaign and helping the Toffees secure an 8th-place finish in the Premier League, with his former side Burnley finishing five points ahead – reaching the Europa League qualifiers.
The defender remained a crucial part of the Toffees' backline for the 2018/2019 campaign, with Keane making 33 appearances in the top flight and looking good value for his hefty price tag.
His place as a starting centre-back would remain until the 2022/23 season, with the defender starting to allow mistakes to creep into his game. His mistakes, coupled with the signing of James Tarkowski, saw his game time drop, with Keane only featuring 12 times in the Premier League last season.
Michael Keane's market value in 2024
Now aged 31, Keane finds himself as Everton's third-choice centre-back behind Tarkowski and emerging talent Branthwaite, who has been subject to £50m interest from multiple other Premier League outfits.
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Keane, who is "always struggling" according to talkSPORT's Perry Groves, is now only worth £4m, as per CIES Football Observatory – a drop of £26m from the fee the club paid for him six years ago.
The defender has only featured seven times in the league this season, with the one-time Manchester United man having 18 months left on his current contract at Goodison.
The defender, who earns £80k-per-week, only averages 0.9 tackles per 90 in the last year – ranking in just the bottom 10% among his peers across Europe's top five leagues. Keane also has a pass completion rate of 72%, with his figure in the lowest 2% of other centre-backs in Europe's top five divisions.
With Keane – who was reportedly told he could leave last month – on such a high wage, the club may look to move him on in the summer, with the United academy graduate now looking like a shadow of his former self.