Kevin Mirallas: Why He Could Be the Missing Link to Push Everton into EPL Top 4

David Moyes has showed time and again that he is an utter genius in the transfer market.

No one, not even Arsene Wenger, is more frugal than he is, simply because he has to be; with Everton's perpetual debts and financial struggles, there's barely any money to go around.

That impeccable eye for talent has made the Toffees a top-half team every season.  Due to Liverpool's shocking ineptitude last season, Evertonians can now say that they are—according to the Premier League table—a better team than their crosstown rivals.

We saw the impact that one little piece of shrewd business can have on a team last season when Moyes purchased Nikica Jelavic from Rangers in the winter transfer window.

A stagnant attack was revitalized, and Jelavic was at the head of it. A lethal finisher, he put away many of the chances that lifted Everton to a seventh-place finish in the League. After finding the mark once again against Aston Villa, looks to be a big part of the squad once again.

The newest bargain addition is Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas. After his first start with his new club, Mirallas is already looking like another great buy; he will fit into Everton's system and go on to great things with the club.

Against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, Mirallas was clearly the man of the match, and his two-goal, two-assist display as a withdrawn striker powered the Toffees to victory.

His dominance surely does not come as a surprise to those who watched his play for Olympiakos of Greece during the past few years. He finished as one of the Greek Super League's top scorers during every season he played, and he led his side to the title last year with 20 goals in total.

It is no wonder, then, that Arsenal had Mirallas squarely in their sights this summer, following the departure of Robin van Persie.

Now, at Everton, it is distinctly possible that he could be the type of technically proficient European forward who could surprise everyone and lead the club to heights previously thought to be impossible.

Seriously—why can't Everton qualify for the Champions League?

This is a team that, had last season started on January 1, 2012, would have qualified for a spot at Europe's top table. The problem is—and always has been—that David Moyes' men are incredibly slow starters; it takes them longer than anyone else to get their engine revved up.

Playing a style that is conducive to Mirallas' talents, the Toffees are displaying some swashbuckling football to start the season. They have taken six points out of six, taking down the minnows that are Manchester United in the process.

All Everton needs is a spark to get them going—a pure talent whose relatively unspoken name belies his substantial skills with the ball at his feet.

In other words, Kevin Mirallas.

He can play either as a striker or out on the wing depending on what the manager needs him to do, and he has shown that he excels in either role.

Mirallas is a dynamic player with both the height and frame to be respected in the world's toughest division and the ability to make something happen with his feet. Stick him in the starting XI—as he was against Leyton Orient—and a little magic can happen.

The last time Everton supporters felt that way was when Jelavic arrived at the club, and he sprung the team to within one spot of Chelsea. With Mirallas alongside him and a flying start out of the gate, why can't Everton do better?

The answer is that they most certainly can. It is, even to the most loyal patron of Goodison Park, a hell of a long-shot, but this team is at least as likely to step up to the adults' table as is Liverpool.

What Everton needed to take the club to another level was the addition of a quality international with the skill to take everyone but David Moyes by surprise.

They might have just found him.

Follow @charliemelman