Tom Davies to be left with Everton ‘disappointment’ after confirmed Goodison contract snub – Paul Joyce
Tom Davies will look back on his Everton career with “some disappointment” now that he is leaving Goodison Park, according to Paul Joyce.
The club confirmed on 22 June the news that the former academy graduate will leave this summer after he turned down the offer of a new contract.
The 24-year-old made 179 senior Toffees appearances but after becoming the youngster captain in the club’s history under Marco Silva, for an EFL Cup tie in 2018 at the age of 20 [Liverpool Echo], his standing in the first-team squad has faltered amid injury and managerial turnover, to the point where Joyce suggests it has “fallen off a cliff”.
Times journalist Joyce told GIVEMESPORT: “How will his Everton career be looked back upon? When he first came through, he was extremely promising.
“He gave them a lot of dynamism and energy in midfield. He looked like a classic box-to-box player who could make tackles and drive a team forward, get involved in forward areas, creating and scoring.
“But, for whatever reason, his career has fallen off a cliff at Everton. I think he’ll probably look back, himself, with some disappointment.”
What might have been
In the early years of Davies’ time as a first-team player at Everton his performances suggested he might be the kind of figure who one-day goes down as a club-legend after hundreds of outings as a key figure.
He isn’t the only one who has ultimately fallen short of prior expectations in the past few seasons at Goodison Park, but as a homegrown player there will be some extra sadness that he wasn’t able to maintain that trajectory.
At 24 he is far from past it, and a new start where he can play more might kickstart his career again, but amid a crowded midfield he clearly didn’t see enough of an opportunity under Sean Dyche next season.
The manager must have valued his ability enough for a contract to be offered, considering the likes of Conor Coady and Yerry Mina have been let go already.
Injury doesn’t help any player, and coupled with endless managers coming and going in recent seasons it makes those who are not necessarily a guaranteed starter at risk of losing their way if each new man has different plans.
There will likely be disappointment that Davies didn’t become the long-term stalwart that some expected for Everton, but his overall time at the club was solid, and if he can find success elsewhere over the second half of his career he shouldn’t feel too bad about it.
In other Everton news, a “late” update suggests the long-awaited MSP Sports Capital deal won’t be completed for weeks yet.