Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has stated that Everton may have made a mistake by selling Ademola Lookman to RB Leipzig, speaking to Football Insider.
The 22-year-old left Goodison Park in the summer after he spent three seasons on Merseyside and was sold to the Bundesliga outfit for £22.5m. The club’s previous manager Marco Silva replaced the Englishman with Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi, who came in for £34m. However, his move has yet to pay off having scored just once in 16 Premier League games and once in the Carabao Cup, as per TransferMarkt.
After it was revealed that Newcastle United are on the brink of bringing the former Toffees’ midfielder in on loan until the end of the season, Whelan told Football Insider that he thinks the Merseyside outfit made a mistake and that he could have done a better job.
Asked if Lookman had a point to prove after his Everton exit, Whelan said “Yeah, absolutely. They’ve sold a player there and gone out and got Iwobi who’s not really hit the heights at Everton.
“They would probably have been better off keeping Lookman, putting him into the side and giving him that opportunity. I’m sure every player, when you leave a certain club and you come back to play, they want to prove a point.
“I don’t think he needs too much to prove. He’s obviously wants to come back home and is obviously desperate for a club that will let him play in the hardest league in the world.”
Lookman struggled with injuries last season. He had trouble with his hamstring, groin and ankle which saw him miss seven games in total (as per TransferMarkt) and only feature in 21 Premier League games in his final season at Goodison Park.
While Whelan raises some fair and good points, it is important to note how Iwobi has only been at the club since August and the lack of football Lookman has played this season. If the two players are compared and using Lookman’s final season at Goodison Park, the Englishman averaged 1.1 dribbles, was dispossessed 1.2 times per game, provided two assists and accumulated a pass success rate of 84.6%, as per Whoscored. Bear in mind, 18 of his 21 appearances were as a substitute as he only made three starts in his final season. Since Iwobi’s arrival from Arsenal, he has managed 1.3 dribbles, been dispossessed 0.8 times and has a pass success rate of 79.5%.
This illustrates how much more effective Iwobi is on the ball and recycling possession for the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to get the goals they need, under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti, to climb back up the Premier League table.
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Everton fans, was selling Lookman a mistake? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
