Paul Merson ‘shocked’ by Everton transfer news live on Sky Sports today
Paul Merson has admitted he is “shocked” by Everton allowing Alex Iwobi to join Fulham this summer as they need to keep their best players.
The Nigerian winger looks set to join the ranks at Craven Cottage in a deal worth £20 million [Dom Smith, 1 September], before the transfer deadline, with Iwobi already arriving for his medical with Marco Silva’s side.
Iwobi started every game of the Toffees Premier League season in the 2022/23 campaign and has made two appearances so far this year, often being one of the few bright sparks and the decision to allow him to leave has left Merson confused.
Speaking on Sky Sports News on Friday (1 September, 14:38), he said: “I’m shocked, Everton need to keep their players. I thought Iwobi was one of their better players last season in a terrible season and the season before.
“For me, I’m quite shocked by it, to be honest. Very shocked. It’s a good signing for Fulham.”
Brave call
Everton already look to be on the back foot this season with plenty believing they will be involved in another relegation scrap and the decision to let Iwobi leave Goodison so late in the window has left many more than just Merson perplexed.
The winger has been one of the few shining lights in otherwise dreadful seasons at Goodison, but with a year left on his deal, the Toffees may view £20m as a good return for a player who could otherwise leave for nothing in 12 months.
However, Everton and Dyche need to ensure that come the end of the season, they are still a Premier League outfit and should they fail to replace Iwobi that may become a much harder task. They remain interested in Leeds’ winger Wilfried Gnonto, but Leeds have remained reluctant to let him leave.
This could be a transfer call that lives long in the memory of Everton fans, for all the wrong reasons and does appear to represent an unnecessary risk for the Toffees to take so close to the end of the window. The impact of Iwobi’s departure may not be felt for a while yet, however.
In other Everton news, Neal Maupay is set to join Brentford on a loan-to-buy deal