Everton stunned the Premier League on Thursday when they signed Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi on transfer deadline day.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown has warned Everton that they do not have the ‘finished article’ with new £34 million signing Alex Iwobi, while speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (9 August, 10.30pm).
The Toffees spent the summer chasing Wilfried Zaha, one of the most influential attacking players anywhere in the Premier League. But they have ended up instead with a man who, in Keown’s own words, has ‘flattered to deceive’. The vast majority of Arsenal fans will surely agree.
There is no doubting Iwobi’s potential but that’s all he is right now; ‘potential’. The Nigerian international has everything you’d want from a young winger, speed, skill and vision, and while he made great strides under Unai Emery last season he still has a long way to go to match the likes of Zaha.
“He’s not a bad payer but he flattered to deceive at Arsenal,” Keown said. “It’s his end product. Is he going to shoot, cross of pass? That he hasn’t conquered.
“He’s not the finished article.”
£34 million for a player who rose through the ranks means Arsenal have made a huge profit on Iwobi, while immediately raking back half the fee they paid to sign Lille forward Nicolas Pepe last week.
“(The price tag) is staggering. Its good business for Arsenal,” Keown adds.
So it is fair to say Iwobi has a point to prove, both to justify his transfer fee and to silence the doubters who claim that he doesn’t have that ruthlessness required to start regularly for one of the Premier League’s top clubs.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
