Sky Sports pundit disappointed as Everton face unavoidable Emilio Lawrence exit to Man City
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Former Everton captain Kevin Campbell doesn’t want to read too much into the reasons for teenage talent Emilio Lawrence leaving the club.
Fabrizio Romano reported on Twitter on 10 July that the highly-rated Scottish youngster was to leave Goodison this summer, with champions Manchester City the favourites to sign him, and Football Insider subsequently confirmed the blue half of Manchester had overcome the red half for the 16-year-old.
But while Sky Sports pundit Campbell is disappointed to see the attacking midfielder go he doesn’t believe it is indicative of a wider problem in terms of the club’s stature currently, since sometimes it cannot be avoided at any team that young talent might wish to move on.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News he said: “I think it’s a very difficult one because of the position the player plays and how a player feels.
“Sometimes these things happen. Players want to change because they want to go to another club.
“Sometimes we can try to put it on something when it totally means something else.
“The fact of the matter is Everton do pretty well in holding onto their talent.
“Every club, and I mean every club, losing talent at some stage.
“Even the top teams lose talent. I wouldn’t put it too much on stature of the club or anything like that.
“It’s just part and parcel of being in the academy.”
Despite only being 16 Lawrence has already turned out a handful of times for the Toffees’ under-21 side, after performing well for the under-18s.
That is signal of the potential he has, as is the fact that some of the biggest clubs in the country were ready to move for him.
While Everton are struggling currently, with financial issues affecting other areas in turn, there is still plenty to sell the club to an emerging talent, not least the presence of manager Frank Lampard, so while the mega-rich Premier League winners will obviously feel like a better option for some there doesn’t need to be a full-scale exodus of young talent.