Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi’s statistics from last season have continued to demonstrate why the Toffees may struggle to keep him this summer.
Iwobi was one of the few Everton players who finished the season with his head held high despite the club’s disappointing season.
The Toffees avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day of the season, despite a difficult journey under both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche.
While Dyche brought some stability towards the end of the season, he still needs to drastically improve things if the Toffees are to see better fortunes next season, and keeping Iwobi will be critical to that.
Iwobi started all 38 Premier League games last season, scoring two goals and dishing out eight assists. He was also among the league leaders in terms of distance covered.
According to the official Premier League website, Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse leads the way with 433.38km, followed by Brighton ace Pascal Gross with 418.88km.
Declan Rice of West Ham is third with 412.95km, followed by Toffees star Alex Iwobi, who has covered 405.77km this season.
The 27-year-old was also named the club’s best player for the 2022/23 season, establishing himself as the most consistent player for the Toffees over the previous two seasons, and with his contract expiring in June 2024, he has been the subject of transfer speculation, just as he delayed renewing his contract with the Merseyside club due to their shaky Premier League status.
Iwobi expressed his desire to play in Europe’s elite football competition again during a chat with our correspondent during Super Eagles training in Lagos for their 2023 AFCON qualifier against Sierra Leone.
Of course, everyone wants to play in the best competition in the world and especially since I’ve played in the competition before. I would like to aim and get there. Wherever I am next season, we have to wait and see, Iwobi told PUNCH Sports Extra.
Iwobi made a combined nine appearances in the Champions League for Arsenal in 2015/16 as well as 2016/17 seasons and scored a goal. His only goal in the competition was during Arsenal’s 4-1 away win against FC Basel in 2016.