Alex Iwobi, a former midfielder for Everton, claimed that his summer transfer to Fulham was advantageous for all parties involved.
The 27-year-old completed a last-minute £22 million switch to Craven Cottage, where he rejoined former Everton manager Marco Silva.
In a 2019 £28 million transfer from Goodison Park to Arsenal, Silva acquired the Nigerian international.
Iwobi has admitted that the pair will now team up at Fulham and that the transfer seemed to be the ‘perfect solution’ for both himself and the Toffees.
Iwobi was questioned by The Athletic about if the Blues’ financial instability contributed to his leaving.
Iwobi retorted, “There were many discussions held behind closed doors — there are things I’m not allowed to speak — but I feel like the club and I both agreed that leaving was the best course of action.
Iwobi acknowledged that they will now work together at Fulham and said the trade appeared to be the “perfect solution” for both him and the Toffees.
The Athletic questioned Iwobi about if the Blues’ precarious financial situation affected his decision to leave.
I feel that the club and I both agreed that leaving was the right course of action, Iwobi said. “There were many discussions made behind closed doors — there are things I’m not allowed to mention — but there were things I’m not allowed to speak about.
Alex Iwobi put in a lot of effort, but perhaps his lack of a favorite playing position impeded him.
Iwobi’s tenure at Goodison Park was, at best, uneven. The former Arsenal player spent a considerable amount of time on the periphery and was only sometimes used in a variety of positions, including a brief stint as a wing-back under Carlo Ancelotti.
In fact, Everton didn’t start to see a return on their purchase until Frank Lampard used the 27-year-old in his favoured position of central midfield.
Iwobi started to make an impact on games from the middle of the park, and despite his inconsistency, it was obvious that he needed to be placed in the centre of the field to perform at his peak.
Iwobi played right winger for the second half of last season, but after Lampard was fired, Sean Dyche decided to deploy him in that position.
Few would have predicted that Everton would recover as much as £22 million from its investment in Iwobi, who they overspent on.
In light of this, it does appear that his leaving is the ‘best solution’ for all concerned.
