The summer of 2019 was one of the most recent times when Everton felt on a genuine upward trajectory. After finishing the previous season strongly under Marco Silva - wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United highlighted steady progress throughout the year - the Blues made some big moves in the summer transfer market.

They lost Idrissa Gana Gueye to Paris Saint-Germain, but signed Andre Gomes permanently along with Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

Talk of a big-money move for Wilfried Zaha simmered throughout the window, although eventually it was Alex Iwobi who was drafted in to bolster the wide options.

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Everton also signed Moise Kean.

The then 19-year-old Italian striker was arguably the most exciting arrival of all. Kean had shown flashes of supreme talent during his time at Juventus, scoring eight times in 21 games, and the sense was that with more football he would thrive.

When Everton's then director of football Marcel Brands told Kean's mother "we will take care of your son" it felt like a match made in heaven.

Sadly, that initial excitement faded quickly, as Kean struggled to make any sort of impact on the pitch in his opening appearances. Off-the-field issue became a problem too and with the team struggling for form, he was dropped from the squad for the win at Southampton due to a disciplinary matter. Kean was late for a team meeting for a second time in the build-up to the game.

Arguably the defining moment of Kean's short Everton career came the following month. After Silva was sacked, Duncan Ferguson was drafted in for an interim stint.

During the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, the Scot brought Kean on as a substitute after 70 minutes, only to take him off again 18 minutes later. The youngster trudged straight down the tunnel after his withdrawal, clearly crestfallen.

"I just needed to make a substitution to kill a bit of time," said Ferguson afterwards. "I have a lot of attackers on the bench, it was nothing against him personally."

Eventually Carlo Ancelotti came in as manager and there was renewed hope that Kean could kick on under his compatriot. The striker finally got off the mark in January in the infamous 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, although he would have to wait until the final day of the season to get his second goal for the club.

After that fixture, Kean would only make six more appearances for Everton in total. He was sent on loan to Paris Saint-Germain for the following campaign, scoring 17 times in all competitions.

He then played twice under Rafael Benitez at Everton early in the 2021-22 season, although he was sent off at Huddersfield Town in the League Cup. A return to Juventus on a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy followed and few were too disappointed to see him go.

Reflecting on his time at Everton in a recent interview with The Athletic, Kean said he struggled with the fact he was not getting selected.

"When I got there I didn't play much. I used to think, 'How am I not getting into this team, at Everton?'" he said. "Mentally, it made me evolve. I wasn’t playing and it was in dark times that I knew I had to grit my teeth and train even more.

"Then the chance to go to PSG (on loan) came along, I moved there and got everything out of myself that I could. I wasn’t playing at Everton and I knew I had to give triple. That's how it went."

After three underwhelming years with Juventus - scoring just 11 Serie A goals in that time - he joined Fiorentina on a permanent deal in the summer. After so much movement so early in his career, he seems to have finally found the right fit in Serie A.

Kean has been in blistering form, netting 15 times in the Italian top flight already and 19 times in all competitions. La Viola are performing well in sixth in the standings and last week Kean produced arguably his standout display of the season, netting twice in a 3-0 win over Inter. It was a performance that sparked up more transfer rumours, with Arsenal and Tottenham reportedly taking an interest in his £43m summer release clause.

But surely for a player who has jumped around clubs so frequently already, some stability is needed? The man himself seems to have realised as much too.

"15 goals? It's not difficult, you just have to believe," said a bullish Kean after his brace against the Nerazzurri. "I found a team that believes in me and a bit of trust. I feel great."