Anwar El Ghazi admits he found his ill-fated Everton spell ‘really tough’ to accept with Frank Lampard overlooking the Aston Villa loanee during his time at the Premier League outfit, speaking to The Athletic.
The two-time Dutch international won’t look back on the 2021/22 season with much fondness.
After falling out of favour under Steven Gerrard at Villa Park, El Ghazi joined Everton on loan in January and looked set for a fresh start under Rafael Benitez; a coach who, while admittedly a bit of a disaster at Goodison Park, had succeeded in getting the best out of mercurial widemen Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray.
El Ghazi, however, was never given an opportunity to prove his worth on the blue side of Stanley Park. For the second time in a matter of months, the former Ajax forward was rueing a change in the dugout; Benitez suffering the same fate as Dean Smith just three days after El Ghazi.
El Ghazi never started a Premier League game on loan at Everton
“I had a good conversation with Rafa Benitez at Everton,” El Ghazi recalls.
“He was playing with wingers. (Benitez) didn’t understand why I wasn’t playing at Villa and (said) he would love to have me. He told me there was competition but that I would get a chance. He said he knew I could score goals.
“I was really excited. Everton is a big and great club. But, three days after I signed, it was unlucky because Benitez was sacked.”
El Ghazi played just 11 minutes of Premier League football during the most forgettable of loan spells before returning to Villa Park at the end of the season. The 27-year-old is now back home in the Netherlands, joining PSV Eindhoven for a bargain £2.5 million.
“Frank Lampard came and I tried to work hard and keep going and show the manager what I could do. But the system, and in his pecking order, I didn’t get a chance,” El Ghazi adds.
“I never had a proper opportunity at Everton. And I’m not going to lie, it was a really tough period for me. Really tough.”
El Ghazi is enjoying his time back in the Eredivisie, scoring three times in six league games so far. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side are just one point adrift of league leaders Ajax as things stand.
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