Kevin Thelwell in talks with Alex Iwobi camp over new Everton contract – Frank Lampard
Kevin Thelwell is in talks with Alex Iwobi’s camp over a new contract at Everton says Frank Lampard, who called him one of the best in the league.
The Nigerian international has been a leading part of the set up since the former Chelsea man took over, having moved inside from the wing to a central midfield spot.
As a leading Premier League midfielder for many years himself Lampard recognised qualities in Iwobi that could flourish there, and believes he is now a leading talent at the position in England, with a new deal being worked on by the Goodison Park director of football as a result.
In his pre-match press conference before the Tottenham game on Saturday (15 October) the manager said: “He’s one of the best midfield players in the league in my opinion, in terms of being a six [or] eight.
“It’s all his work. All I’ve done is support him.
“It probably helped that I was a midfield player and I understood that some of the things he had I wouldn’t want to go up against. I thought they were restricted on the wing and opening up the pitch more centrally was a big help for him.
“I’m really pleased to see his development. I just want more from him because I think with what he’s got, attribute-wise, there’s still more to come.”
On the new deal he said: “I know that Kevin is speaking with Alex’s people on that front, so we’ll see how that one develops.”
Deserved
Lampard spoke during his press conference about proving people wrong who believed he would be the first manager sacked this season.
But Iwobi has been doing plenty of that himself, with his reputation growing almost by the week during 2022. He seemed like exactly the sort of signing that too often hasn’t paid off under Farhad Moshiri when he arrived from Arsenal for a fee of up to £34million.
But he has made a major step up to become one of the first names on the team sheet now, despite significant Everton recruitment in midfield over the summer.
His energy and commitment have been unleashed in a central role, while the wonderful finish he produced in the defeat to Manchester United on Sunday (9 October) showed he still has dangerous attacking talent.
If anybody deserves a new contract at the club as a reward for their work over the past year then Iwobi is the one, and fans will be hoping that the new and improved version of the 26-year-old is here to stay.
At that age and with his current level of performance he could easily be a fixture in the centre of the park for the Toffees for the next five years, if he can stay fit and on form, and if this deal can be negotiated successfully.
The most recent result was disappointing, but considering some of the turmoil over the past year Thelwell and Lampard are doing an encouraging job with Everton, and securing Iwobi’s future could be as valuable as any of the new signings.