Everton fans were wrong about Kevin Thelwell, Nottingham Forest win proves it
Kevin Thelwell officially left Everton at the end of last season with very little of his reputation intact among the Toffees faithful.
Thelwell’s transfer dealings left a lot to be desired at Everton, and his departure was celebrated by the blue half of Merseyside.
The 52-year-old then had a catastrophic spell at Rangers following his Goodison Park exit, and was sacked by the Glasgow giants after just six months in the sporting director role.
However, amid all the criticism, several of Thelwell’s signings from his final summer at the Toffees have developed into vitally important players.
Kevin Thelwell signed three Everton stars
In the summer of 2024, Thelwell completed his final three major signings before leaving Everton, and they have all become prominent members of David Moyes’ squad this season.
The Toffees brought in Jake O’Brien from Lyon, Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa, and Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille, spending just over £40million in total.
| Player | Signed From | Price |
| Jake O’Brien | Lyon | £16.43m |
| Iliman Ndiaye | Aston Villa | £15.6m |
| Tim Iroegbunam | Marseille | £9m |
In particular, Ndiaye has flourished into a crucial player for Everton over the past 18 months and is now one of the most exciting wingers in the Premier League.
The former Sheffield United man has four goals and two assists for Moyes’ side in the top flight this season, and has linked up brilliantly with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish since the duo’s arrival.
Ndiaye’s departure to the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal has slightly stunted Everton’s attacking prowess, proving how important he is to the Toffees at the moment.
- Read More: David Moyes’ worst Iliman Ndiaye scenario comes true after worrying scenes away from Everton
Tim Iroegbunam and Jake O’Brien shine against Nottingham Forest
Ndiaye was unavailable once again on Tuesday night, but Everton were still able to claim a brilliant 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
With Moyes missing a number of other key players for the trip to the City Ground, both Iroegbunam and O’Brien stepped up, with the latter filling in at centre-back for the first time this season.
O’Brien was magnificent alongside James Tarkowski in the backline, while Iroegbunam has capitalised on Idrissa Gueye’s absence in recent weeks to show his best form in an Everton shirt.
Thelwell had to take a lot of stick during his last few months on Merseyside, but there can be no doubting the success of his final three permanent signings.
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