Can Tim Iroegbunam evolve and become the midfielder Everton need?

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

When Tim Iroegbunam arrived at Everton from Aston Villa in June 2024, it was a transfer wrapped in scepticism.

Just days before the end of the Premier League’s financial year, and with Lewis Dobbin heading in the opposite direction for an equivalent £9m fee, Iroegbunam’s arrival was labelled as little more than a PSR loophole.

​At the time, that was perhaps justified. But two seasons on, Everton look to have got the better of that deal. While Dobbin has been sent on consecutive Championship loan spells, Iroegbunam has slowly started to establish himself as a genuine Premier League option.

​It hasn’t been without bumps in the road. A horror show against Newcastle in November saw the 22-year-old hooked at half-time, but mistakes are to be expected from a player with only 2302 minutes of Premier League football to his name. That’s the equivalent of 25 games.

​Progress has been evident, and the question now is, what is his ceiling? 

Everton have question marks over their midfield this summer. Repeatedly in recent seasons, the Blues have ranked among the lowest-possession teams in the Premier League, while it does not need data to demonstrate the dearth of creativity in the Everton engine room.

Iroegbunam solves neither of those issues, but with Idrissa Gana Gueye’s future unclear, is the time now for Tim to step into that role?

​Gueye, at his best, was an elite ball-winner. In five of his first six seasons, either side of a stint at Paris Saint-Germain, he ranked among the Premier League’s top three performers for tackles won. The Senegalese was the engine of the Everton side, snapping into challenges and distributing the ball efficiently.

Iroegbunam's ball-winning numbers are elite

​Iroegbunam, certainly, has those former traits. 

Athletic enough to handle the heat of the modern Premier League, the midfielder’s ball-winning ability has impressed. No U-23 midfielder across Europe’s top five leagues last season bettered his numbers for possessions won, defensive duels won, sliding tackles, or shots blocked per 90. He ranked second in that age bracket for percentage of duels won, and fifth for percentage of aerial duels won. 

Even amid the expected inflation of defensive numbers due to Everton’s low ball retention, Iroegbunam’s strengths are clear.

​The sticking point is the other side of his game, and there’s an argument that the traditional ball-winner is becoming a dying breed. 

Eric Cantona once labelled France teammate Didier Deschamps the ‘water-carrier’, an affectionate if slightly insulting nod to an unglamorous role that revolved around regaining possession for more gifted teammates. 

Modern football has seen a shift towards more technical number sixes. The world’s finest side, Paris Saint-Germain, utilise Vitinha as their deepest-lying midfielder, while Elliot Anderson has become the most in-demand midfielder of the summer for combining duel-winning with press resistance and forward-thinking passing. Elsewhere, Manuel Ugarte has struggled badly at Manchester United, despite being a data dream when it comes to ball-winning.

Could Hayden Hackney offer the ideal Iroegbunam complement for Everton?

​Iroegbunam’s in-possession statistics do not make for positive reading. Again judged against U-23 midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues, he’s 74th for progressive carries, 106th for passes into the final third, and 116th for progressive passes completed and key passes. He’s also yet to score a top-flight goal.

​Everton’s interest in Hayden Hackney perhaps comes as a counter to Iroegbunam’s weaknesses. Rarely have two players looked more compatible on a data graph, with the duo’s strengths being entirely opposite. With James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall offering more rounded skillsets, is that the midfield make-up that Moyes is seeking?

​Iroegbunam is not the only player in the Everton squad with question marks over him this summer, but this feels like a pivotal moment for a player who turns 23 in June. An opportunity looks likely to open up, and the onus is on him to take it.

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