The reason Shani Tarashaj remains contracted to Everton until next summer can now be revealed.
Official Football Association documents, published earlier this week, showed that the 25-year-old forward had his registration 'updated' on July 26, 2019.
Tarashaj had originally joined the Blues, in January 2016, on a four-and-a-half year deal, meaning he was due to be out of contract at the end of this month - however his association with the club was extended last summer.
But the ECHO has learnt that his contract was restructured in order to help secure him a loan move to Dutch side FC Emmen and ensure Everton could alleviate some of his remaining salary from a bloated wage bill.
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Tarashaj joined the Eredivise side on a two-year loan but the details behind the move - given the Swiss international was due to be out of contract halfway through that spell - were never explained.
But it is now understood that Tarashaj's final 12 months at Everton were restructured so that his remaining salary would be spread across two years, rather than one, in order to help ensure the loan deal with Emmen could go through.
Emmen have picked up a percentage of the player's wages - with unconfirmed reports saying they have paid £500,000 to Everton - while the Blues did not incur any new agent fees for reworking the contract.
Tarashaj, who has never played a first-team game for the Blues, will remain with Emmen until the end of next season, after which he leave Everton in June 2021.
