Arsenal 'forced' Iwobi to join Everton, claims Okocha

Alex Iwobi didn’t know too much about it and was left with no choice than to leave Arsenal for Everton, claims Jay-Jay Okocha.

Alex Iwobi was more or less forced to leave Arsenal, claims his uncle and Nigerian legend Jay-Jay Okocha.

Indeed, one of the most surprising moves of the 2019 summer transfer window saw a certain boyhood Arsenal fan leave for Everton.

The news came as a shock at the time cause it was completely out of the blue. There were no links or rumors whatsoever. It was a quick announcement on dead-line day. After being at Arsenal since he was nine, Iwobi moved to Everton for an eye-catching £40m fee.

Not a day goes by where I don’t think about how Arsenal managed to get £70m for Iwobi and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
— James. (@afcjxmes) March 13, 2021

Reflecting on that move, Jay-Jay Okocha says his nephew knew little about it and it was an offer the Gunners could not refuse. The Nigerian legend believes the nature of the move might have contributed to Iwobi’s slow start to life at Everton.

“I must confess that the move from Arsenal to Everton wasn’t an easy one from him,” Okocha told Goal in an exclusive interview.

“He wasn’t expecting it, it just happened.”

“He got a call that there’s a deal for him and that he must oblige that deal, which wasn’t easy for a young player who has played all his life at Arsenal.”

“I think that must have taken him 12 months to get over, so he didn’t have the best season last year with Everton.”

After a disappointing first season for Everton, Iwobi has slowly improved under Ancelotti but is yet to nail down a first-team berth. However, Okocha believes his relative will soon hit the potentials expected of him.

“You can see that now he’s a bit more comfortable,” Okocha continued. “He has finally realised that Liverpool is his home now.”

“I think that without any doubt we will see an improved and better Alex Iwobi now.”

“I’m glad with his progress so far, because I always believed that there’s room for improvement and luckily for all of us, he’s a good lad, he listens.

“[However], some of the advice I gave to him has to stay in the family!”

Since his move to Everton, Iwobi has only two Premier League goals for the club. In total, he has made 59 appearances for the Toffees, scoring four times and assisting as many.