According to reports in The Telegraph, new Everton director of football Marcel Brands will be holding talks with winger Ademola Lookman’s representatives in an effort to convince him that his future lies at Goodison Park.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the speedy 20-year-old has found first-team starts hard to come by for the Merseyside outfit after joining them from Charlton Athletic in January 2017, and he found himself out of favour under Ronald Koeman and then Sam Allardyce this season.
The winger – against Allardyce’s advice – chose to join Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on loan until the end of the campaign during the previous January transfer window following the signing of Theo Walcott, and he made a big impact when he was handed an opportunity to impress.
Lookman may well be tempted to look into a permanent move to Germany, but The Telegraph says that Brands, who can help take the club to the next level by completing another huge £70m deal, will do everything he can to ensure the two parties come to an agreement that would see the England U21 international stay where he is.
How did Lookman do this season?
It was a tough campaign for the attacker as he made just 16 appearances in all competitions from July through until the end of January, playing just 152 minutes of Premier League football across seven outings.
Despite impressing as a substitute in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat against arch-rivals Liverpool at the start of 2018, he didn’t play another minute for the Merseyside outfit for the rest of the month before joining RB Leipzig on deadline day.
The 20-year-old went on to score five goals and provide a further four assists in just 11 games for the German club, showing the quality and potential that he has.
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Is Brands right to convince him to stay?
He certainly is.
Everton pulled off something of a coup by fighting off interest from other Premier League clubs for the young winger, and it would be wrong of them to sell the 20-year-old without giving him a proper chance – especially after seeing his form for Leipzig.
With Henry Onyekuru set for another loan spell away and Yannick Bolasie struggling to regain his form after returning from a long-term injury, the left wing spot appears to be up for grabs during the pre-season, and Lookman has the quality to fill the role.
If Brands does succeed in his mission it will impress Toffees fans, and show that he is far more capable of completing his role successfully than his predecessor Steve Walsh.
