Kevin Campbell delivers Gbamin and Delph verdict after Everton lost 2-1 at Wolves
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Kevin Campbell has delivered his verdict on Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Fabian Delph after the Everton midfield duo were handed a rare appearance on Monday.
Gbamin, 26, was handed a start against Wolves at Molineux, marking just his fourth Premier League appearance since joining Everton in the summer of 2019.
But he was shaky throughout the first half as the home side raced into a 2-0 lead.
The Ivory Coast international was replaced by 31-year-old Delph at half-time and although the ex-England midfielder fared better than his teammate, he was unable to inspire a full Blues recovery as the Merseyside club lost 2-1, Alex Iwobi’s goal a scant consolation.
Former Blues centre-forward Campbell believes Gbamin was “poor” on Monday but stopped short of tearing into the injury-prone midfielder.
“With Gbamin, that first half…I think everyone was poor in that first half,” Campbell told Goodison News.
“Delph has got a lot more experience of playing in the Premier League and Gbamin has been out for such a long time, it’s always going to take him a little bit of a while to adjust and find the pace of the game.
“People just have to take their time and be patient with him because he’s been out for such a long time.”
Stick or twist?
Rafa Benitez must now decide whether to persevere with Gbamin for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to Goodison Park on Sunday, or drop him in favour of another midfielder.
After a decent display against Wolves, Delph has put himself firmly in contention for that spot, though Tom Davies also remains an option with Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes still absent through injury.
Against a Spurs side set to be reinvigorated by the appointment of Antonio Conte as their new manager, it may be a risk to hand another chance to Gbamin, who looked cumbersome and short of confidence on Monday.
It’s certainly not an ideal scenario with the Wolves game the first time Delph has played since August 21, but he may be required to start on Sunday given the lack of options available to Benitez.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher slammed these Blues players on Sky Sports Monday Night Football v Wolves.
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