This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Tony Cascarino believes Everton’s performance against West Ham United finally provided some justification for the heavy investment from Farhad Moshiri. The former Chelsea man picked out Tom Davies, Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi as three players who impressed against the Hammers.
What did he say?
Everton were victorious in the Premier League for the first time since early September, as the Blues beat West Ham in a comfortable 2-0 display on Saturday.
Bernard got Goodison Park roaring with the opening goal before Gylfi Sigurdsson netted an incredible strike in added time.
Cascarino had nothing but praise for Marco Silva’s side as they moved out of the relegation zone. The pundit said, per The Times: “For the first time this season, Marco Silva’s Everton looked to be worth the £450 million owner Farhad Moshiri has spent to assemble the squad.
“Silva’s side were hell-bent on playing high-intensity, tenacious football against West Ham. Tom Davies excelled in midfield. Theo Walcott had his best game in an Everton shirt. Alex Iwobi did not stop running.
“These are the kind of committed performances Silva needs from his players every week.”
Everton need to justify spending
As alluded to by Cascarino, Moshiri has spent an incredible amount of money over the years as Everton’s majority stakeholder. Transfers such as Richarlison for £50m have worked out well, but others such as Cenk Tosun for £27m have been nothing short of a waste.
Iwobi, who signed from Arsenal for a fee that could rise to £34m proved his worth against the Hammers.
Playing in the number 1o role instead of Sigurdsson, the Nigerian put in a 9/10 display, as per The Liverpool Echo. Elsewhere, Walcott – who has had a tough time on Merseyside so far – finally justified his transfer and also put in a 9/10 display on his first league start for the club this season.
Managers down the years have spent a lot of money under Moshiri, and it has got them nowhere near closer to his aim of achieving Champions League football. The addition of Marcel Brands as director of football has not helped much either thus far, but if they emulate the level of performance they showcased at the weekend they might just start moving in the right direction.
It does appear that, for the first time this season, Silva has found his ideal starting XI. He must hope they can continue in this fashion so they don’t need to continue spending extravagantly in the transfer market.
