Frank Lampard set himself a challenge on transfer deadline day in signing Dele Alli, as the new Everton manager must now avoid repeating Marco Silva’s costly Alex Iwobi mistake.
Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri showed his support for Lampard’s vision at Goodison Park by sanctioning Alli’s late arrival. The England icon had only signed his two-and-a-half-year contract earlier on Monday before Chairman Bill Kenwright would agree a deal with Spurs.
Kenwright struck initially favourable terms for the midfielder’s move to Merseyside. The Blues have signed Alli permanently for free, but will owe Tottenham £10m after his 20th appearance. He also cannot reach the threshold until next season due to being cup-tied.
However, future add-on clauses can take the fee Everton owe Tottenham for Alli’s transfer to £40m, per Sky Sports. The bonuses relate to his personal performances at Goodison, as well as the Toffees’ successes as a team. Lampard was also key to convincing Alli to join.
But Lampard needs Alli to rediscover the sort of form he has lacked in north London for the past two-years. His career hit reverse more than stagnated since Spurs sacked Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019. Now, Lampard must do what Jose Mourinho could not.
Lampard must revive Alli to his Pochettino-levels at Everton
Alli produced his best football for Tottenham under Pochettino, and Lampard must revive him to those levels following his transfer to Everton. The 25-year-old hit 10 goals in his first Premier League term in 2015/16 and followed it with 18 the next, plus nine assists in each.
He recovered from a slight dip to score eight and assist four in 2019/20, with two goals and an assist coming in 2020. He has since only scored once and assisted once in 25 games.
If Lampard cannot revive Alli’s career at Everton, the transfer could tarnish his tenure like Iwobi for Silva. The former Blues boss enthused he ‘fits exactly the profile of player I want’, via the Mirror, after signing the Nigerian winger from Arsenal in a deal that can hit £34m.
And like Alli for Lampard, Moshiri backed Silva with Iwobi. The Liverpool Echo note the Toffees owner even went against their then-Director of Football Marcel Brands to push through the deal. Brands was certain Everton would not sign Iwobi for an initial £28m fee.
Iwobi has struggled to live up to his price tag during his two-and-a-half terms at Goodison so far. The 25-year-old has scored just three goals and offered three assists in 68 Premier League appearances. He has also only started seven of his 13 outings so far this season.
While 75% of the fee Everton could pay Tottenham for Alli’s transfer comprises of add-ons, the £40m price agreed shows the support Moshiri has put in Lampard as his next manager. But it could also become a sticking point in the future if Alli becomes Iwobi 2.0 at Goodison.
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