Future of Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin in doubt
Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin could be on his way out of the club, local journalist Andy Jones has suggested.
The Ivory Coast international joined the Toffees from Mainz for £25m in the summer of 2019, but has played just six games for the club, largely due to consistent injury struggles.
However, he has been fit for the majority of the current campaign but still only made two appearances – one of which was a one-minute substitute cameo against Tottenham Hotspur.
Writing in his latest piece for the Liverpool Echo, Jones argued that Rafa Benitez’s decision to bring on 18-year-old midfielder Tyler Onyango in the closing minutes against Manchester City on Sunday, instead of Gbamin, shows that the Ivorian’s future is in doubt.
“You can’t help but think that the current pecking order looks bleak for his prospects,” he wrote.
“Those injured players won’t be on the sidelines forever, and the optimum window for Gbamin to perhaps break into the side is slipping away as others in the squad return to full fitness.”
Failed move
Regardless of how much emphasis you place on Benitez’s choice of substitute in the 90th minute of a game that Everton were losing 3-0, it’s fair to say that Gbamin looks like a player with little chance of succeeding at Goodison Park.
While the last two campaigns have seen the midfielder suffer from terrible luck with injuries, this season was meant to finally be his opportunity to show what he can do.
You could argue that he deserves more of a chance, but when Benitez started him against Wolves at the beginning of this month, Gbamin failed to impress and was taken off at halftime.
As Jones states, if there was ever a time for the 26-year-old to make his mark, it is now; Abdoulaye Doucoure, Andre Gomes and Tom Davies are all out injured.
With Doucoure poised to return in a couple of weeks, there is the possibility that Gbamin will not even be in the matchday squad in a month’s time.
In other Everton news, a Toffees player faces an injury setback with the club fearing that he could be out for longer
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