Romelu Lukaku has cited Everton’s lack of ambition as a driving force in his refusal to sign a new contract.
Talks between the striker’s representatives and the Blues broke down earlier this week despite an offer to make him the highest-paid player in the club’s history.
Lukaku has two years remaining on his existing Goodison Park deal and had been in negotiations over a new five-year extension since last summer.
But the Belgium international believes that Everton’s lack of movements in the transfer market, despite Farhad Moshiri’s investment, is hindering his prospects.
He said: “Obviously stuff is changing and stuff is happening.
“But there were some players that we could have got, that I knew the club could have got, and they didn’t get – and they are playing in this league.
“I am not saying names, but they are doing well.
“Everton as a football club has a great history. But the future has to be written.
“Because we always talk about the teams of the 80s and 70s and if you look it was great.
“But we as players, we want the fans talking about us instead of us talking about them. You want to be remembered as well.
“No matter where you play you want to be remembered. You cannot only be remembered by scoring goals, you want to be remembered by winning trophies.
“That is what the fans want. So instead of living in the past, you have to think ahead.
“How this club has to grow, how this club has to improve, which player does it want to bring in so you can challenge for the big trophies?
“Sometimes I will speak to Vincent Kompany who was at Manchester City when it all happened.
“He said, ‘Rom, one summer I just came in and boom, boom, boom, boom… Robinho from there, that guy came in, this guy came in, this guy came in’, and then everyone was criticising them.
“But at the end [they won] league titles, FA Cup here, League Cup there. That is what we want as players.
“If you don’t win a trophy there is something that has gone wrong because if you have the belief that you can do something, you can do it.
“Nothing is going to stop you. That is how I think. Sometimes in my games I am like, ‘today it is going to happen’. And it happens.
“Sometimes it doesn’t happen but at least you have to give it a go.”