Everton finally got their man over the summer as Marco Silva arrived at the club and was given a whole host of top quality signings.
Everton haven’t quite hit form this season despite having an array of talent at the club. Before the international break, Everton held Chelsea to a draw and arguably could’ve won the game.
Following the break, Marco Silva has to start to hit a run of form if Everton are to break into the Europa League. One decision that the former Watford boss has to make is whether he continues with Theo Walcott or plays Ademola Lookman.
Theo Walcott
Signed for £20 million by Everton in January, Walcott left Arsenal after 12 years at the club. During that 12-year period, Walcott never delivered on his talent despite scoring 108 goals in 397 appearances for the club.
Playing 14 games in the second-half of the season for The Toffees, Walcott made a massive impact at the club as he scored three goals while also grabbing three assists. This season, he’s once again been a regular and has played 12 games in the league, scoring two goals to go with two assists.
While he still has incredible pace, Walcott still isn’t the lethal scorer some may have thought he would become but he still adds some dynamism to the attack.
TT Grade: B-
Ademola Lookman
Signed for £11 million from Charlton Athletic, despite being sent away on loan last season by Sam Allardyce, Lookman still has a huge future at the club and Silva should be ready to insert the youngster into the first-team.
Last year with RB Leipzig, Lookman scored five goals to go with four assists and showed just what a talent he was. This season he’s only played six games and has been mostly used as a substitute.
Silva needs to give the youngster consistent game time and should be looking to make Lookman one of the pillars of his new look Everton side.
He may not have the pace of Walcott but is far better with the ball at his feet.
TT Grade: A-
The Verdict
Walcott will often get criticised and his achievements at Arsenal will always be overshadowed by his failure to deliver on his potential.
He is certainly a valuable player to have at the club but if Silva wants to make Everton a force again, he must play Lookman. The 21-year-old just has too much talent to be constantly sitting on the bench and must be played in the side. If he is, Everton may just have a future star on their hands.
