Everton’s academy have produced some fantastic players over the years. Of course, the best of the bunch is legendary figure Wayne Rooney. The former England international burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old in 2002, before leaving the club two years later in 2004 for Manchester United, where he became their all-time top goalscorer.
In more recent times, the likes of Ross Barkley have come through the Toffees academy. Now playing for Aston Villa, the 30-year-old played 179 times for the club, scoring 27 goals and grabbing 25 assists.
Everton’s most recent academy graduate of note has also now departed the club, although did not leave in ideal circumstances. That player is Anthony Gordon.
Gordon’s stats for Everton
The end of Gordon’s time at Goodison Park was incredibly toxic, to say the least. He left the club in January 2023, joining Newcastle United for a fee of £45m. He handed in a transfer request at the club, having come close to joining Chelsea the previous summer, although that move fell through.
The England international is now incredibly unpopular on the Blue side of Merseyside, as the reaction to his recent penalty miss for Newcastle showed. However, he was at one point adored by the fans and had a great impact on the first team when he first broke through.
Before his move, the Toffees academy graduate was certainly a fan favourite. He became known as a dynamic winger, one who was not afraid to take on his man. His electric pace made for great excitement on the Goodison Park turf, having been lauded for his “fearless” nature by pundit Alan Shearer at the time.
In total, the Magpies number 10 featured 78 times for the club, scoring seven goals and managing eight assists in that time. On two occasions, he registered two goal involvements in the same game.
He scored twice in a 3-2 defeat to Brighton and scored and assisted against Leeds United a few weeks later.
Despite a standout 2023/24 campaign at St James Park – in which he reached double figures for goals and assists at St James’ Park – Gordon has underwhelmed this season. He has just two goals and no assists in ten games in all competitions so far.
In fact, there is another former Everton player, someone who was let go under Dyche, who is outperforming him this season.
The former Everton player who's outshining Gordon
The player in question here is Fulham attacker Alex Iwobi. The Nigerian international, who was sold by Sean Dyche in 2023 for £22m, performed well during his time for the club. He scored against the Toffees last weekend, performing a muted celebration out of respect to the Goodison Park faithful.
The Arsenal academy graduate joined Everton from his boyhood club for a fee of £28m upfront and a further £7m in add-ons in 2019. He had his moments during his time at the club and was described as “exceptional” by football statistician Statman Dave. In 140 games for the Toffees, the Nigerian attacker scored nine times and grabbed 16 assists.
The Fulham ace was particularly impressive in the 2022/23 campaign. It was a season Everton survived relegation by the skin of their teeth, and Iwobi’s two goals and eight assists were a big contributing factor.
Season
Games
Goals
Assists
2019/20
25
1
0
2020/21
30
1
2
2021/22
28
2
2
2022/23
38
2
8
2023/24
3
0
0
It is fair to say that the attacker has caught the eye during his time at Craven Cottage so far. The 28-year-old is excelling this season and is even outperforming Gordon. In 11 games in all competitions, Iwobi has two goals and an assist to his name, more goal involvements than the Toffees academy graduate.
Iwobi may well be a player Everton regret losing. Not only did they lose £13m on him overall, but he was a crucial player under Dyche and a large reason why they managed to maintain their status as one of six Premier League ever-present teams.
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