Controversial former Everton player Royston Drenthe believes he heard things he shouldn’t have done when he completed his 2011 transfer to Goodison Park. Despite possessing prodigious talent that earned him a 2007 move from home city club Feyenoord to Real Madrid, the winger’s final season at the Bernabeu was spent on loan at the Blues where, despite a smattering of impressive displays, his time was blighted by disciplinary issues.

The Dutchman, who scored four times in 27 matches, was told to stay away from the club when omitted by manager David Moyes from the FA Cup semi-final squad against Liverpool for reporting late for training. Now 37, Drenthe, who hung up his boots in 2023 after a spell with Kozakken Boys, who compete in the fourth tier of football in the Netherlands, has recalled how his agent wasn’t even present when he signed for Everton and instead sent one of his assistants.

Drenthe told Soccernews.nl: “My agent at the time couldn't be there, so one of his right-hand men came to fix the deal. He had to do that together with me.

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“So now I was there myself, and with a stranger too. Practically speaking, I heard all the details, ins and outs that were probably not meant for my ears.

“It was a bit uncomfortable, I also heard the management fee, that kind of thing. You could also see from his actions that he was not at ease because I also heard things that you should not hear as a footballer.

"Look, agents do their job too. But they are often things that are not for our ears.

“They do act very transparent, but in most cases they are not. They have been able to eat well from this transfer, yes, I am convinced of that!”

Speaking to Ladbrokes Fanzone in 2023, Drenthe also attempted to set the record straight about former Everton team-mate Tim Howard’s claim that his behaviour at the Blues was “horrific” and he had a hot tub party at Finch Farm in the middle of the night. The Rotterdam-born player insisted: “First of all, I'll say – this is something which often happens – the real story ended up being blown up massively and turned into something which wasn't true.

“Yes, I went to Finch Farm in the early hours, but only ever with friends and family who were coming over to see me. I didn't see anything wrong with it at all.”