Everton's Alex Iwobi acknowledges fans after the match
Former Premier League manager and Sky Sports pundit Alex McLeish has claimed that a new contract for Alex Iwobi at Everton would be ‘perfect’.
The Lowdown: New talks
As per Football Insider, the Goodison Park outfit have ‘opened preliminary new contract talks’ with Iwobi, and are ‘keen’ to tie him down for the long-term.
His current deal expires in 2024, and so they will not want to get themselves in a situation where he only has a year left in the summer, and thus depreciates in value.
The Latest: ‘Perfect reward’
Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish has claimed that a new contract for Iwobi would be the ‘perfect reward’ for his impressive performances of late:
“It looks like Frank has found a solution.
“He seemed like one of these in-and-out players, now he has more of a strict role, in terms of the midfield. You have to track back.
“Frank will be demanding the tracking back off all of his players, but he is trying to get Iwobi and to turn him into a more complete player, rather than a flair player.
“That is how people have viewed him. He is now getting the absolute workhorse element into his game. He is not perfect yet; he did lose a couple of balls in the midfield against Man United last week.
“There is room for improvement, but he has been so good this season and I think he will only get better.
“But he’s learning new tricks of his trade and a new contract seems like the perfect reward.”
The Verdict: Thoroughly deserved
Iwobi has transformed himself into one of the Merseyside club’s most important players, and so a new contract for him on improved terms would be thoroughly deserved.
Before this evening’s game away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, the Nigeria international ranked as their fourth-best performing player in the top flight, leading the team in assists and capping off his performances with a fine goal at home to Manchester United last weekend (WhoScored).
Nonetheless, he is still only 26, and so his best years are probably ahead of him, so tying him down to a new deal would be a smart move by the Toffees.
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