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Everton struggling to keep Iwobi

According to PUNCH Sports Extra, Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi’s statistics from last season highlight why the club may struggle to retain him during the current transfer market.

Iwobi was one of the few Everton players who performed well despite the club’s disappointing finish to the season. The team narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day, enduring a challenging campaign under managers Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche.

While Dyche brought some stability towards the end, significant improvements are needed for Everton to have better fortunes next season, and retaining Iwobi will be crucial to that.

Iwobi played in all 38 Premier League matches last season, contributing two goals and eight assists. He also covered an impressive distance on the pitch, ranking among the top players in terms of kilometers covered. According to the official Premier League website, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse covered the most distance with 433.38km, followed by Pascal Gross of Brighton with 418.88km. Declan Rice of West Ham sits in third place with 412.95km, while Iwobi is fourth with 405.77km.

In addition, Iwobi was named Everton’s best player of the 2022/23 season, establishing himself as a consistent performer for the club over the past two seasons. His contract is set to expire in June 2024, leading to speculation about his future. Iwobi delayed renewing his contract with Everton due to concerns about the club’s Premier League status.

During an interview with PUNCH Sports Extra at the Super Eagles training camp in Lagos for their 2023 AFCON qualifier against Sierra Leone, Iwobi expressed his desire to play in Europe’s elite competition again, referencing his previous experience with Arsenal.

Nostalgically, he stated, “Of course, everyone wants to play in the best competition in the world, especially since I’ve played in the competition before. I would like to aim for that and get there. Wherever I am next season, we have to wait and see.”

Iwobi made a total of nine appearances in the Champions League for Arsenal during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, scoring one goal. His goal came in Arsenal’s 4-1 away victory against FC Basel in 2016.

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