By Peter Lynch
Everton had a “fair chunk” of the £22million sale of Alex Iwobi paid up front, according to the Liverpool Echo’s Dave Powell.
The midfielder has joined Premier League rivals Fulham on a five-year deal, as per their official club website (2 September).
Nigerian international Iwobi made a total of 140 appearances for the Toffees following his move from Arsenal in 2019.
The 27-year-old has previously played under Fulham boss Marco Silva, who signed the player for Everton from the Gunners.
“The finer details of the Iwobi deal are not known, but given its lateness it is likely that Everton had the necessary leverage to get a fair chunk paid up early so as to realise some cold, hard cash,” Powell wrote for the Liverpool Echo.
Financial boost welcome
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Iwobi’s sale is a welcome financial boost for the Premier League club, who have had a difficult time in this area in recent years.
Their financial struggles look set to continue for the foreseeable future, but at least they have balanced the books a little following Iwob’s exit.
And given how the midfielder was in the final year of his contract at Goodison Park, a £22million fee represents superb business from the Merseyside club.
That is not something that has been said of Everton in recent transfer windows, but it is certainly true in this case, with the club having been in the dangerous position of losing the Nigerian for nothing next summer.
With nine goals and 16 assists in blue, the versatile midfielder may not have had the best output in the final third, but his exit will still be a blow to manager Sean Dyche in light of the tricky season ahead.
In other Everton news, the Toffees plan to reintegrate an angry player barring an unexpected late change, according to David Ornstein.