Sean Dyche has confessed that he did not want Everton to sell Alex Iwobi to Fulham after he left Goodison Park late on deadline day.
The Nigerian winger was a constant for the Toffees last season as they nearly avoided relegation from the Premier League, but he moved to Craven Cottage late on deadline day for a cost of £22 million.
Dyche’s options for Everton’s 2-2 draw against Sheffield United on Saturday (2 September) were limited as a result of Iwobi’s departure, with the Toffees’ manager placing two goalkeepers on his seven-player bench.
Speaking to TNT Sports before of kick-off on the state of his squad, he said: “We didn’t want Alex (Iwobi) to leave, but you have to be good at the reality of the situation.”
“It isn’t perfect. We’re overburdened. The club’s business model is evolving.”
The only upside for Toffees fans in terms of the team was that Dwight McNeil was fit to start at Bramble Lane in Iwobi’s absence.
Tough times
The situation at Goodison Park does not appear to be improving with each passing day, with Dyche clearly irritated by the loss of Iwobi so late in the transfer season, which has left his already thin team short on choices.
In recent seasons, there haven’t been many consistently good performances in the blue Everton shirt, but Iwobi is perhaps one of the few who can be called a genuinely impressive performer despite the Toffees’ troubles.
The Toffees are going through a difficult financial era, and they are unlikely to be able to reject down £20 million+ bids for a player who has showed no intention of signing a new contract as the Nigerian enters the final year of his contract.
Everton’s first point and first goal of the season in the draw with Sheffield United should be the start of a more positive spell at Goodison Park, and with the international break approaching, they should be able to field a full bench against Arsenal.
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