Adam Jones has been speaking on the latest instalment of the Royal Blue podcast, where he claimed Everton need to invest in a new right-winger over the summer.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have struggled with consistency this season, highlighted by their ongoing five-game winless run, which followed a three-match winning streak.
A 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last time out saw summer-signing James Rodriguez put in a magnificent performance against the capital club in a central attacking midfield role, rather than the usual right-wing position that he has predominantly played over the course of the current campaign.
The Colombia international’s fine display saw Jones call for Ancelotti to use the 29-year-old in that position more often, but he was less than impressed with Alex Iwobi, who was charged with replacing Rodriguez out wide.
He said: (15:52) “That’s probably where we should be looking to use James from now on, and I think that’s maybe why it’s a little bit disappointing that we haven’t really got, I mean, I know Iwobi played on the right-hand side on Friday, but I don’t think he was particularly impressive in his hour on the pitch.
“So, I’d say Everton haven’t really got somebody who can play out on the right. James is probably our best right midfielder at the minute, but he’s also our best number 10, which is a little bit concerning. And, you know, it’s probably something that needs to be addressed in the summer.”
TIF Thoughts on Everton’s right-wing problem…
Iwobi joined the Toffees for around £35m in the summer of 2019 but has failed to impress throughout his time at Goodison Park, scoring just four goals in 62 games for the Merseyside outfit.
Everton could still finish inside the top six in the Premier League table this season, however, if Ancelotti wants to extract more consistency and quality from his players, then an improvement on Iwobi could be required this summer.
In other news: ‘As far as Ancelotti is concerned’ – Journalist drops big Everton summer claim