Everton have reportedly opened talks with Alex Iwobi over potentially signing a new contract at the Merseyside club.
According to a recent report from the Liverpool Echo, discussions are at an early stage but the Toffees are keen to tie down the 26-year-old and keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.
Everton signed Iwobi from fellow Premier League side Arsenal in a deal worth £34m back in 2019.
Since then, the Nigerian has gone on to make 105 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring seven goals and supplying 10 assists along the way.
During his time with the north London club, the midfielder scored 15 goals and delivered 27 assists in 149 senior appearances, leaving him with 22 senior goals to his name throughout his career.
His latest goal contribution came during the Toffees’ recent 1-0 victory over West Ham United where Iwobi provided the assist for Neal Maupay’s winning goal that led to Everton securing their first league win of the campaign.
To further highlight how important the former Arsenal figure has been for Frank Lampard this season, he is one of the three Everton players to have played every minute of league action alongside Nathan Patterson and James Tarkowski.
In addition to that, Iwobi currently has the highest average of key passes per game (1.9) at the club out of players that have started more than two league games in this campaign, showcasing how useful he is going forward.
In fact, only Demarai Gray (22) has racked up more shot-creating actions than the 26-year-old (20) this season.
His performance in what has been one of Everton’s toughest fixtures so far this season on paper in the Merseyside Derby against Liverpool was described as “outstanding” by former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf, once again showing how vital he is for the team and the manager.
Taking all of this into account, it’s understandable that the Toffees have reportedly opened talks with the player over a potential new contract, which we feel would be very much deserved.
