Nigeria and Everton star, Alex Iwobi, is coming to the end of his contract at Goodison Park so we thought we'd take a look at five possible destinations for the Super Eagle. Iwobi has never played outside of the Premier League before and is currently enjoying his best campaign in terms of individual performance and is a star of the Nigeria national team where he has 63-caps and 10-goals.
The Toffees take on Bournemouth on the final day of the season and with injuries to a couple of key players, the Everton faithful will be looking to the likes of Iwobi to provide the inspiration needed to secure all 3pts and their place in the top-flight of English football.
How to solve a problem like Iwobi?
No Everton fan, including myself, will deny that Alex Iwobi isn't hardworking, but we will tell you that he is inconsistent to a level that is so frustrating for the fans that pay to watch him and the rest of the team week in, week out.
This is an issue that has plagued Iwobi throughout his career so far and one that saw him sold by Arsenal, where he showed flashes of his brilliance, to Everton in 2019. Amazingly, despite making his Premier League debut in 2015, Iwobi has only completed one campaign in which he has started more than 30-games, often being taken in and out of the team at both Arsenal and Everton.
| Team | Years at Club | Premier League Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 2019-present | 120 | 6 | 11 |
|
| 2015-2019 | 100 | 11 | 16 |
The reason for this is his inconsistency. Iwobi is the type of player who sees a lot of the ball, and is great at carrying the ball forward but is far too often let down by his decision-making in the final third, missing simple passes or lofting aimless crosses into the box. For an attacking player, Iwobi has a very poor finishing record, never scoring more than three goals in a single Premier League season despite getting into a lot of good positions.
Despite this criticism, Iwobi is enjoying his best-ever Premier League season right now, producing 7-assists for a Toffees side that have lacked their main goalscorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin for most of the season. The Everton fans like Iwobi despite having the odd clash with the Nigerian during his time at Goodison Park but they feel very frustrated with him at the same time as he is clearly a competent player that should be scoring more goals and getting even more assists as he does for the Super Eagles.
Who would want a player like Iwobi?
This article may suggest that Iwobi is leaving Everton this summer but that might not entirely be true. We know that Everton had opened up contract talks with the Nigerian star but decided to halt proceedings until the club knew more about which league they would be playing in next season, after all, you don't want a 100k-per-week player when you are playing in the Championship and you know that money is going to be tight. Here are five clubs we could see Alex Iwobi playing for next season.
Everton
Iwobi seems to have really found his feet at Goodison Park this season and the Everton fans are starting to see the best of him now that he has a particular role in the team that allows him to provide assists for his teammates.
Onana, Garner, Iwobi midfield trio next season 🙏 https://t.co/STJ8xBmBZL
— ✈️ (@evertonfinest) May 22, 2023
Newcastle
Newcastle will be looking to strengthen their squad this summer and while Iwobi might not be someone you'd expect a team on the up like Newcastle to go for, he does have Champions League experience and would probably accept being a squad player.
Fulham
If Iwobi wanted to stay in the Premier League and at the same time return to his home city, then Fulham would be the obvious choice. Wages wouldn't be an issue for Fulham and with Willian only getting older, Silva will be looking for a like-for-like replacement and might fancy taking a punt on a free transfer like Iwobi who has plenty of Premier League experience.
AC Milan
The Italian giants have had a poor season by their recent standards and will be looking to bring in some fresh faces over the summer. AC have enjoyed success with the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud and Tiemoue Bakayoko making the move from the Premier League to Milan in recent seasons. Iwobi would enjoy the slower pace of Serie A and could prove a real success like his fellow countryman Ademola Lookman has at Atalanta.
Los Angeles FC
It could be too early for Iwobi to make the move to the MLS but his laid-back attitude might suit the sunny shores of Los Angeles. Gareth Bale enjoyed success at Los Angeles FC and I'm sure the Nigerian would love the idea of playing alongside the likes of Carlos Vela and Giorgio Chiellini.
Conclusion
We can't offer you any betting tips on where Alex Iwobi might end up next season but we will know more once the final round of Premier League fixtures are over. If Everton fail to stay up then the chances are that they will let Iwobi go in a bid to reduce their inflated wage bill. Iwobi will attract a lot of interest from clubs all over the world if he is available on a free transfer and the 27-year-old will have a lot of thinking to do as to his next move. Will money, location or personal ambition decide his next destination, or perhaps a combination of all three? We believe that there is a good chance that we will see Alex Iwobi in the Premier League next season but it might not be with Everton.
