Anwar El Ghazi ‘not going to lie’ about Everton loan – ‘I didn’t get a chance’ under Frank Lampard
Anwar El Ghazi endured a terrible time on loan at Everton and left the club in the summer after making just eight appearances for the Toffees.
El Ghazi fell out of favour at Aston Villa under Steven Gerrard and so joined Rafa Benitez’s Everton on loan in January to boost his game time.
However, in a crazy turn of events, Benitez was sacked just three days after the winger arrived. His replacement, Frank Lampard, also found no space in his system for the Dutchman.
As a result, the 27-year-old sat on the sidelines and barely played a part in Lampard’s survival push. He made a permanent switch to PSV in the summer but has since reflected on his frustrating loan spell.
Speaking to The Athletic, El Ghazi said: “Everton is a big and great club, but three days after I signed, it was unlucky because Benitez was sacked.
“I tried to work hard and keep going and show the manager what I could do, but the system, and in his pecking order – I didn’t get a chance.
“I never had a proper opportunity at Everton and I’m not going to lie, it was a really tough period for me. Really tough.”
Not the right fit
Ever since Lampard arrived, he worked quickly to forge a team that suits his style of play. It meant that many of Everton’s previous starters were suddenly forced to sit on the bench, and El Ghazi fell under that category.
Lampard simply didn’t believe that El Ghazi suited his style, and he was incredibly unfortunate to have landed in a loan spell which would see him pick up hardly any minutes.
Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon were Lampard’s preferred wingers, and then after El Ghazi’s loan spell ended, the club went and signed Dwight McNeil.
It worked out for El Ghazi, who is now enjoying his football once again in the Netherlands with PSV. It was sadly a case of wrong time, wrong place for El Ghazi when Lampard arrived.
But it’s hard to criticise Lampard for his decision when he did his job – keeping Everton up. He clearly had a game plan and a set core of players that he trusted, and it simply meant that others had to miss out.