Sean Dyche: Can Iwobi ‘fight and wear the badge with pride’ under his new manager?

Everton recently announced the appointment of former Burnley Manager, Sean Dyche on a two and a half year contract.

The manager will succeed his fellow countryman Frank Lampard, who was forced out after the team’s 2022–23 season campaign ended with them at the bottom of the EPL standings due to a poor run of form.

This means that the Nigerian International, Alex Iwobi will be serving under his seventh manager since his move from Arsenal.

Meanwhile, since he switched to Merseyside, his statistics have not been impressive until the former Chelsea boss took over in January which ignited a burst of brilliance from the player.

The Nigerian has, however, given the Toffees 5 assists, which is the same number of assists he gave the Merseysideiders in each of his previous two Premier League seasons.

Getting started. pic.twitter.com/xkCxyY3QUM

— Everton (@Everton) January 30, 2023

The new boss rolled out his plans on the club’s official website, noting that he will be giving a chance to those who can fight for Everton’s performance.

“What I would say is we want to put out a team that works, that can fight and wear the badge with pride, beyond just the tactical and technical side,” Dyche said to evertontv.

But this has raised concerns about who will stay, who will sit on the bench, and who will be directed to the exit door.

Iwobi may have appeared to be Everton’s savior at one point in their fight against relegation, but in comparison to other Super Eagles stars in other clubs and leagues, he hasn’t yet reached the peak of his potential as a winger.

The Nigerian international has only recently begun playing well under his sixth manager, and he has been very complimentary of his previous manager for aiding in his development.

Iwobi appeared to have made the most progress at Everton under Lampard for a while, especially last season, after his immediate predecessors Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, and Benitez had all failed to get him to produce any reliable form.

The central attacking role he played in a midfield trio under the previous manager may no longer exist under Dyche, and this effort may prove futile given that he has struggled recently for the Blues.

The English could either use the former Arsenal player in that position or turn to £20 million summer signing Dwight McNeil, who he developed at Burnley, with the 23-year-old winger being a more natural cross-provider if he can get into his stride.