A surprise £9 million signing made in August 2017, shortly after Everton had knocked his Hajduk Split team out of the Europa League, Nikola Vlašić was never given the proper opportunity to thrive at Goodison Park, although a solid career in some of Europe’s top leagues lay in his future.

Aged just 19 at the time of his arrival, Vlašić began his career with Hajduk Split and came to the attention of the Everton manager Ronald Koeman, and director of football, Steve Walsh, when the clubs met in the preliminary round of the Europa League. Vlašić had already captained the Croatian side and made nearly 100 appearances at the time of the move.

‘Nikola is one of those players who can play a big part in Everton's future and in what we want to achieve as a club,’ Koeman said at the time of signing the player.

Vlašić’s introduction to life in England was, however, soon undermined by the dysfunction that defined Everton during Farhad Moshiri’s time as owner. Koeman was sacked before the end of October 2017 and caretaker manager David Unsworth preferred more established players as he sought to stabilise the team’s form during his five-week stint.  Vlašić would find his chances similarly limited for the remainder of the season under Koeman’s successor Sam Allardyce.

Seeking more regular playing time, Vlašić joined CSKA Moscow on loan for the 2018/19 season. His impressive performances in Russia led to a permanent move, where he became a pivotal figure for the team, contributing significantly with goals and assists over multiple seasons and also establishing himself in Croatia’s national team.

In 2021, Vlašić returned to the Premier League, signing with West Ham United, who paid £25.7 million for the player. He made 19 league appearances during the 2021/22 season, scoring once.  To gain more playing time, he was loaned to Torino for the 2022/23 season, where his performances earned him a permanent move to the Serie A club in 2023.

On the international stage, Vlašić earned 57 caps and scored 8 goals for his country.  Notably, he was part of the Croatia squad that reached the 2022 World Cup semi final and later finished as runners-up in the 2023 UEFA Nations League.