By Anthony Onifade
Everton star Dele Alli has sent a message to Alex Iwobi after he completed his move to Premier League rivals Fulham on transfer deadline day.
The Toffees confirmed the departure of the Nigerian international (2 September), with Sky Sports News reporting that the fee Everton received for Iwobi’s services was around £22m (1 September).
After completing his deadline-day move to the Cottagers, Iwobi took to his Instagram account to post himself in his new Fulham colours, putting pen to paper on a long-term contract.
Alongside the Instagram post (1 September), Iwobi captioned: “New Chapter, Let’s Go!”
Everton midfielder Dele Alli responded with an emoji message of a purple heart and a star to congratulate Iwobi as he brought an end to his four-year spell at Goodison Park.
Take the mantle?
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We all know how much of a huge miss Iwobi will be for the Toffees this season as he proved to be Dyche’s most creative and influential outlet when Everton needed it most.
It’s a real shame the Blues couldn’t replace Iwobi’s quality and it will certainly be intriguing to see how the club responds to this setback and how Dyche will look to replace the Nigerian’s unique qualities in the final third.
Everton are arguably without a creative number 10 in the team right now in Iwobi’s absence which may now leave room for Alli to take over Iwobi’s mantle and finally make his mark as he continues his road to full fitness.
As much as the majority of the Goodison Park faithful may doubt Dele’s ability to replace Iwobi, he is Everton’s most closest bet to a number 10 and it’s uncertain how Everton will survive without one, which means they may have to put all their chips in the Alli basket.
His return from injury and mental health issues simply cannot come any sooner, but it could yet be another couple of months before that happens.
In other Everton news, the Toffees have seemingly put their foot down on a potential crucial player exit as Sky Sports reporter Alan Myers shares a transfer update.