Everton are on the hunt for a European place this season as they have seen an up turn in form since the arrival of serial trophy winner Carlo Ancelotti.

The club underwent a takeover back in 2016 with promises that the Merseyside club would spend the money required that would see Everton become a regular participant of the UEFA Champions League however that has not quite come to fruition. Everton have spent some big fees over the last three years on the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison, but the club are yet to feature in Europe’s elite club competition.

Here are the FIVE top earners at Everton as they attempt to gate crash the European places this year, according to Capology...

The Icelandic midfielder’s inclusion on this list will come as no surprise to many Everton supporters. Sigurdsson joined the Merseyside for a big free, reported to be around £45m and a fee that high will command a big wage for the midfielder. Whether he has justified the big pricetag and the weekly wage is yet to be confirmed, but if he can help Everton qualify for Europe this season, he will go a long way in recouping that fee.

Similarly to Sigurdsson, Pickford commanded a big fee when he swapped the Stadium of Light for Goodison Park 2017. It would be fair to say that his move to Everton has been successful for Pickford with the goalkeeper earning and maintaining the England number one shirt. His performance in England’s first ever major tournament penalty shooutout win over Colombia in 2018 epitomised the development that he has been making with Everton.

When Everton made his loan move from FC Barcelona into a permanent move in the summer transfer window last year, Gomes will have demanded a large wage. All first team players at the likes of Barcelona will be on a decent wage and with the Premier League having a reputation as one of the world’s richest leagues, Gomes might not have been keen to take a pay cut. He has taken to the Everton faithful with a string of impressive performances this season.

A surprising entry in terms of his contribution on the pitch when compared to other players in this very talented Everton squad. Colombian international, Mina, is very similar in terms of Gomes as he arrived at Goodison Park via the Nou Camp. Clubs the size of Barcelona are able to afford big wages on players around their first team and that is reflected in his Everton contract.

Another surprising entry to this list. The Brazilian arrived at Everton on a free transfer after a spell in the Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk. The little wide midfielder has been indifferent for Everton so far since his arrival but his goal contributions would not suggest that he is not one of those players command a big wage with their performances on the pitch.