The 26-year-old worked with the new Everton boss at Sunderland.
Wahbi Khazri has told L’Equipe that now-Everton boss Sam Allardyce isn’t the “greatest tactician” in the world but revealed that he knows how to motivate his team nonetheless.
Allardyce was named as Ronald Koeman’s successor at Everton last week following a month-long search to replace the Dutchman.
And the former Sunderland boss got his Toffees career off to a good start following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town at Goodison Park.
Allardyce spent £9 million on bringing Khazri to Sunderland two years ago and the 26-year-old admitted that the presence of “Big Sam” made life on Wearside an attractive proposition.
He told L’Equipe: “I don’t regret a second because it was the Premier League, a championship that attracted me, that I wanted to discover.
“And when ‘Big Sam’ calls you, a very famous coach in England, it makes you want to move.
“He may not be the greatest tactician, but he’s a great manager who makes his team work and progress.”
Everton are eight points clear of the relegation zone following back-to-back wins – including the 4-0 victory under David Unsworth over West Ham – and are 10th in the Premier League table.
They are only 10 points adrift of Arsenal in fifth and although they shouldn’t be aiming for European football this early, they certainly have the squad to enjoy a very successful second half of the season.
Whether Allardyce’s perceived lack of tactical nous undermines Everton remains to be seen, but Khazri is right – he is a manager whose CV speaks for itself and it’ll be interesting to see how the Toffees respond.
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