Sky Sports’ Joe Thomlinson, who presents Saturday Social, believes that Jordan Pickford has rescued Everton numerous times – and without him, they’d comfortably be in a relegation battle.
Everton only managed to avoid the drop last season in their last home game, and during that run towards the back end of the campaign, Pickford pulled off numerous top-class saves as the Toffees just about held their nerve in the run-in.
Some may have been worried that his form could have dipped in the new season, but thus far, he’s shown he is capable of maintaining those levels with a quality display against local rivals Liverpool, while he currently boasts the second-best save percentage in the Premier League (as per FBref).
Speaking on the Football Daily YouTube channel, Thomlinson was full of praise for Pickford and the form he’s shown at Everton – particularly under Frank Lampard
He said: “I think Pickford is the best shot-stopper in England at the moment, I think his distribution has gone from strength to strength. I think classically, the argument against Pickford has been he’s much better for England than he is for Everton.
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“Well, I think this season, he’s been one of the best goalkeepers in the league for Everton. He’s rescued them numerous times, bailed them out of a host of situations under Frank Lampard, and if it wasn’t for Jordan Pickford, I think Everton would be comfortably a relegation-threatened side, especially towards the back end of last season.”
TIF Thoughts on Pickford…
The Everton shot-stopper hasn’t been seen for club or country since 9th September because of an injury which saw him miss out on the latest England squad, and while the Three Lions failed to win without him, Everton have had no such issues.
Lampard got his first win of the season prior to the international break, with Asmir Begovic keeping his second clean sheet in four league starts for the Toffees, although you would imagine he’s very unlikely to keep Pickford out of the side once he returns.
Pickford has proved to be a solid signing for Everton having cost them £25m back in 2017 from a relegated Sunderland, and the England international has established himself as No 1 for club and country while racking up 205 appearances for the Toffees.