Frank Lampard may have made big Everton mistake with new contract offer for Jonjoe Kenny
By Andrew Maddox.
Jonjoe Kenny could be on the verge of signing a new three-year contract at Everton, to the surprise of many with The Times reporting a new deal is on the table.
Despite once looking promising, the right-back has struggled for game time and form for a long time now.
At 25-years-old, he is no longer a youngster with time to develop, meaning Everton should not be patient with him.
The last two years have been a hammer blow to Kenny’s reputation, after an underwhelming loan spell with Celtic and playing a bit-part role in one of the worst Everton teams in recent memory.
With his contract ending this summer and Kenny falling out of the team towards the end of the season, it was expected that he would finally be shown the door.
Yet, Frank Lampard is giving him another chance.
An undeserved lease of life
Players often get called liabilities these days, but the term is appropriate when used to describe Kenny.
Comparing him to Seamus Coleman and Alex Iwobi, who became a stand-in right-back under Lampard, the numbers do not look good, as per FBref.
His tackles won per 90 minutes is the lowest of the three, his percentage of tackles won is significantly lower than Coleman and he completes the fewest blocks per 90.
The attacking numbers are not much better for Kenny.
He has just a 33% dribble success rate, more than 20% lower than the other two, and he completes the fewest carries per 90 out of the three. Kenny also progresses the ball the least out of the three, carrying the ball 40 yards less per 90 than Iwobi and Coleman.
The most damning statistic of all however is that Everton conceded 1.24 goals more per 90 with him on the pitch compared to with him off the pitch.
While his passing is marginally better than his competition, it is not enough to make up for his other shortcomings.
Clearly, Kenny drags the rest of the Everton defence down, leaving people to assume that the decision to keep him must be a financial one.
In other Everton news, one Manchester City ace has already been touted for a major move to Goodison Park this summer
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook for 24/7 updates on Everton plus more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell