Former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi has stated that his move to Fulham during the summer suited all parties.
The 27-year-old completed a late transfer to Craven Cottage in a £22m deal where he reunited with former Everton boss Marco Silva.
Silva signed the Nigerian international during his time at Goodison Park in a £28m deal with Arsenal back in 2019.
Indeed, the pair will now link up at Fulham, and Iwobi has revealed that the move seemed like the ‘best solution’ for both himself and the Toffees.
Speaking with The Athletic, Iwobi was asked whether the financial uncertainty at the Blues played a part in his departure.
Iwobi responded: “There was a lot of talks behind closed doors — there are things that I’m not allowed to say — but I feel like it was a decision from the club and from me that the best solution was to leave.
I hope they do well, I have a lot of respect for them and left on good terms.”
Alex Iwobi worked hard but lack of preferred playing position perhaps hindered him
Iwobi’s time at Goodison Park was mixed at best, with the former Arsenal man a fringe player for a long time, utilised sparingly in various positions including a brief experiment as a wing-back under Carlo Ancelotti.
Indeed, it was not until Frank Lampard played the 27-year-old in his preferred position of central midfield that Everton began to see some return from their investment.
Iwobi began to have an influence on games from the middle of the park and though inconsistent, it was clear that he had to be played centrally to see him at his best.
However, following Lampard’s dismissal, his successor Sean Dyche opted to use Iwobi as a right winger, where he played for the second half of last season.
Everton overspent on Iwobi and few would have expected to recoup as much as £22m from the club’s investment.
With that in mind, his departure does seem to be the ‘best solution’ for all parties.