Ibrahima Bakayoko actually proved to be more of an astute signing on computer simulation game Championship Manager than in real life, and he certainly failed to make an impact in his on year at Everton. After scoring a notable 25 league goals in 76 appearances for Montpellier in France, Walter Smith was convinced to pay £4.5m for the Ivorians services in October 1998. However, he failed to impress on Merseyside, making just 23 league appearances and scoring a paltry four goals in the process, with just seven in all competitions. He did manage to score twice in a 2-1 defeat of Blackburn Rovers in his most impressive Everton display, but it was not enough to convince Smith to retain his services in the long term. So unimpressive were his performances for the Toffees, Everton fans referred to Bakayoko as Baka-joke-o due his poor performances and lack of goal scoring abilities. Surprisingly, the club managed to sell him to Marseille for an impressive £4m, recouping most of what they had paid for him less than a year earlier. He would later have spells in Spain, Italy and Greece before joining current club Stade Bordelais in the summer at the age of 37.
