Everton in new contract talks with Alex Iwobi

Everton are in talks with Alex Iwobi over a potential new contract for the attacking midfielder, manager Frank Lampard has confirmed.

Having risen through the youth ranks at Arsenal and earned first-team promotion in 2015, Iwobi finally gave up on the idea of a future in North London four years later and agreed to join the Toffees, for a fee reported at around €30 million. Since then, he’s made a total of 107 appearances for his current club, scoring eight goals coupled with 11 assists in all competitions.

This term, the 26-year-old played every minute of every match, nine in the Premier League and one in the Carabao Cup, which highlights his importance to the way Lampard wants his team to play. His current contract expires at the end of next season, but the club and the manager obviously want him there for longer than that.

“I know that Kevin [Thelwell, director of football] is speaking with Alex’s people on that front,” Lampard told the press ahead of Everton’s trip to face Tottenham Hotspur.