Everton let Nathan Holland leave Goodison Park in 2017 for West Ham and the Toffees academy product is now bossing it in the Hammers U23 setup.
Everton is known for its impressive academy, boasting plenty of talented youngsters that come through its ranks, some even going on to star for the Toffees at senior level.
However, one Everton academy product who was allowed to leave Goodison Park just under three years ago is now making a name for himself at another Premier League club, with their fans clamouring for his first-team inclusion.
In January 2017, Everton parted ways with Nathan Holland, who joined West Ham United on a three-and-a-half-year deal, and even at the time, the move surprised many in football, as was reported by the Liverpool Echo.
It didn’t take long for Holland to begin making his mark at the London Stadium and, after one game against Fulham in February 2017, West Ham’s academy manager at the time, Terry Westley, compared the youngster to one of the greatest British football players of all time.
“I’d probably say Nathan Holland [was brilliant], particularly in the first half,” Westley was quoted by the Liverpool Echo as saying. “What a talent we’ve got on our hands. He was skipping past players, reminding me of a really young Ryan Giggs. I think he particularly caught people eyes tonight.”
At the end of the 2018-19 season, Holland became the latest youngster to commit his future to the Irons, joining the likes of Declan Rice, Grady Diangana, Ben Johnson and Nathan Trott in extending their deals at the club that term.
This season, the 21-year-old currently boasts an impressive tally of 12 goals in just 17 appearances (Soccerway), and given the senior team’s current form, some of their fans are getting increasingly vocal in wanting Manuel Pellegrini to pick him.
Football is beset by moments which appear baffling once hindsight is applied, but given how well he is progressing, could Holland’s departure from Everton be a particular point of regret for the Toffees academy contingent?
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