Thierry Small would be better off staying at Everton than leaving Goodison Park for Arsenal or Juventus, Toffees reserve coach David Unsworth has told the Liverpool Echo.
It’s safe to say it was a rather contrasting weekend for fans of Everton and Arsenal.
While the Toffees were peeling their backs off the wall and celebrating a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were suffering their fourth successive home defeat with Burnley the latest side to triumph at the red half of north London.
As it stands, Everton are eight places and seven points ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League table.
That’s just one argument as to why Small, a teenage left-back who has caught the eye of Arsenal, Juventus, Monaco and Benfica, would be better off staying put than following in Francis Jeffers’ less-than-gilded footsteps (Daily Mail).
U23s boss Unsworth, meanwhile, has another reason.
“The one thing we can give Thierry is a clear pathway. He only has to look at Niels Nkounkou (the summer signing from Marseille). He spent a week with the U23s and then he was in the first-team squad,” Unsworth says.
“There’s always a clear pathway at Everton for all the youngsters so he’s in no better place to have a career as a Premier League footballer.”
Small, who has drawn comparisons to Bayern Munich dynamo Alfonso Davies due to his explosive pace down the left-hand side, was spotted training with Everton’s first-team squad late last week.
“Thierry is a fantastic boy. He’s been in the academy system a while and is an attacking left-back with great pace and power,” Unsworth adds.
“He has been with us for probably about a month or so now, training with the U23s, and we felt (Blackburn U23s match 27 November) was the right night to give him a debut.
“The pace, the power, how he gets forward – he’s a smashing lad. I love working with him, he’s a great boy. He’s very coachable, very approachable, honest and has all the attributes of what I like to see in young Everton players.
“He has great desire too. I’m delighted with him.”
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