Everton have opened preliminary talks with Alex Iwobi over a potential new contract at Goodison Park.
That’s according to a recent report from Football Insider which claims that the Toffees are keen to tie down the player for the ‘long-term as a reward for his performances’.
Everton signed the Nigerian from fellow Premier League side Arsenal in the summer of 2019 for a reported fee of £34m. Since then, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 107 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists along the way.
To highlight how important Iwobi has been for Everton in recent months, only Anthony Gordon (30) has made more appearances for the club under Frank Lampard than the former Arsenal attacker (27).
In addition, Iwobi – who has been lauded as “sensational” by journalist Peter Guy – is one of only two players at the club to feature for every minute of league action this season, clearly making himself a favourite of the current manager.
Across his nine league appearances this term, the Nigerian has made more key passes (17) and passes into the 18-yard box (13) than any other player at the club.
His performances in the league have earned the £90k-per-week midfielder an overall rating of 6.96/10 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest rated outfield player in the squad.
Having delivered as many assists (three) so far in the current campaign as the rest of the Everton squad combined, this also shows just how important he is for Lampard, who would surely be delighted to see the 26-year-old pledge his future to the club by signing a new deal.
If Everton can tie down Iwobi to a new and improved deal at Goodison Park, this will surely be a very welcome bit of news for everyone connected to the club, especially if he continues to deliver on the pitch.
