Alex Iwobi: Expecting  Big Money  From  Goodison Park 

After a scintillating performance for Everton, the Merseysider’s hierarchy have decided to reward Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi with a handsome contract. Though the details of the contract have not been made known, feelers coming out of Goodison Park says Everton agreed to a ‘big-money’ deal for the Nigeria international

According to sources, Everton have agreed to the terms of a new contract with Alex Iwobi and the 26-year-old is set to put pen to paper on an extended deal after transforming his Goodison career this season in a new central midfield role.

Everton have been in talks with Iwobi for months and have now secured a breakthrough in negotiations ahead of the January transfer window.

The former Arsenal has accepted Everton’s contract offer and landed a ‘big’ pay hike on his current deal, which is worth around £90,000-a-week and runs until the summer of 2024.

He has started all 15 of Everton’s Premier League matches this season, completing 14 of them, and became instrumental to the team’s set-up under Frank Lampard.

Iwobi has already provided six assists for his teammates this term, with five of them coming in the league, and scored in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.

The 58-times Nigeria international had previously been used almost exclusively as a winger in his Everton career and during his time at Arsenal.

However, his transition into midfield has given him a new lease of life and he was thriving alongside Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana before the mid-season break.

Iwobi joined Everton from Arsenal in the summer of 2019 and has now made 114 appearances for the club in all competitions.

At the Gunners, he played 149 times after graduating from their youth team set-up.

Iwobi has been “phenomenal” for Everton in the past nine months and has proven former Crystal Palace chairman, Simon Jordan wrong after previous criticism.

The Nigerian international is on the brink of signing a new long-term contract to remain at the club, and despite some characteristic trashing of the squad, the manager, and the owner, former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan admitted Iwobi has been a silver lining.

During a discussion with Jim White and Danny Murphy on talkSPORT he had to take time out of criticising everything else about the current direction Everton are heading in to praise the former Arsenal man.

Speaking live on talkSPORT on Wednesday afternoon Jordan said: “Anyone can spend money. Anyone can say, ‘I’ve spent £500million’. Ok, fantastic. But who did you spend it on and what does it look like?

“It looks like now a team that is sinking. I don’t think Frank Lampard’s the answer but that’s for others to decide.

“It does come to something, because I was massively critical of Alex Iwobi but I have to turn round and say that his performances over the last six to nine months at that club have been nothing short of phenomenal.”

Iwobi has certainly earned a new contract with a major break out under Lampard which has made him one of the first names on the team sheet.

He looked like exactly the sort of overpriced and underwhelming signing that has derailed the operation under Farhad Moshiri when he was signed from Arsenal but deserves huge credit for adapting his game.

If even Jordan, who is never shy in pouring scorn on the goings on at Goodison Park, has to admit that he deserves praise then he is clearly doing plenty right.

He is part of an Everton side which is slowly starting to look substantial when looked at from back to front, but the gaping holes in attack are what is currently holding things back.

Cementing himself as perhaps the only truly consistent performer in the Toffees’ midfield, Iwobi has scored one goal and delivered six assists across those showings.

Now that domestic football is set to return following the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup, some behind-the-scenes rumblings have been going on at Goodison Park  regarding Iwobi’s future at the club.

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Everton have agreed the terms of a ‘big money’ new contract with Iwobi after months of talks.

The report reveals a ‘breakthrough in negotiations’ ahead of the winter transfer window and claims a significant pay increase is coming the Nigerian’s way.

In addition to providing more assists in the league than any other Everton player this season, Iwobi has also made more progressive passes (49) and key passes (27) than anyone else in Lampard’s squad.

The former Arsenal figure has also shown how useful he can be off the ball as well as only Amadou Onana (20) has won more tackles in the middle third of the pitch than Iwobi (12).

His overall performances have earned the midfielder a season rating of 6.75/10 from WhoScored, making him the third-highest outfield player at the club.

This backs up why his performances this season have been lauded as “exceptional” by Frank Leboeuf. It also makes it easy to see why the Toffees have been so keen to tie the player down to a new deal at the club.

Meanwhile, Iwobi has been praised by his Everton teammate, Amadou Onana for his contributions in the centre of the park for the Toffees so far this season.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Onana paid tribute to both Iwobi and Idrissa Gana Gueye after returning to Merseyside following his World Cup group stage exit with Belgium.

Onana says he has been so impressed with the midfield duo since arriving at Goodison Park and cannot wait to get back out there on the same pitch as them.

“In terms of the midfield three (alongside Gana and Iwobi), I feel it worked. I feel quite comfortable playing with Gana and Alex as they’re amazing players and they make it quite easy for me. “Playing as a number eight or in a deeper position in the number six, I don’t mind. Wherever the gaffer needs me, that’s where I’m going to play. I feel I have the ability to play in both