Can Tim Iroegbunam evolve and become the midfielder Everton need?

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

When Tim Iroegbunam arrived at Everton from Aston Villa in June 2024, it was a transfer wrapped in scepticism.

Just days before the end of the Premier League’s financial year, and with Lewis Dobbin heading in the opposite direction for an equivalent £9m fee, Iroegbunam’s arrival was labelled as little more than a PSR loophole.

At the time, that was perhaps justified. But two seasons on, Everton look to have got the better of that deal. While Dobbin has been sent on consecutive Championship loan spells, Iroegbunam has slowly started to establish himself as a genuine Premier League option.

It hasn’t been without bumps in the road. A horror show against Newcastle in November saw the 22-year-old hooked at half-time, but mistakes are to be expected from a player with only 2302 minutes of Premier League football to his name. That’s the equivalent of 25 games.

Progress has been evident, and the question now is, what is his ceiling?

Everton have question marks over their midfield this summer. Repeatedly in recent seasons, the Blues have ranked among the lowest-possession teams in the Premier League, while it does not need data to demonstrate the dearth of creativity in the Everton engine room.

Iroegbunam solves neither of those issues, but with Idrissa Gana Gueye’s future unclear, is the time now for Tim to step into that role?

Gueye, at his best, was an elite ball-winner. In five of his first six seasons, either side of a stint at Paris Saint-Germain, he ranked among the Premier League’s top three performers for tackles won. The Senegalese was the engine of the Everton side, snapping into challenges and distributing the ball efficiently.

Iroegbunam's ball-winning numbers are elite

Iroegbunam, certainly, has those former traits.

Athletic enough to handle the heat of the modern Premier League, the midfielder’s ball-winning ability has impressed. No U-23 midfielder across Europe’s top five leagues last season bettered his numbers for possessions won, defensive duels won, sliding tackles, or shots blocked per 90. He ranked second in that age bracket for percentage of duels won, and fifth for percentage of aerial duels won.

Even amid the expected inflation of defensive numbers due to Everton’s low ball retention, Iroegbunam’s strengths are clear.

The sticking point is the other side of his game, and there’s an argument that the traditional ball-winner is becoming a dying breed.

Eric Cantona once labelled France teammate Didier Deschamps the ‘water-carrier’, an affectionate if slightly insulting nod to an unglamorous role that revolved around regaining possession for more gifted teammates.

Modern football has seen a shift towards more technical number sixes. The world’s finest side, Paris Saint-Germain, utilise Vitinha as their deepest-lying midfielder, while Elliot Anderson has become the most in-demand midfielder of the summer for combining duel-winning with press resistance and forward-thinking passing. Elsewhere, Manuel Ugarte has struggled badly at Manchester United, despite being a data dream when it comes to ball-winning.

Could Hayden Hackney offer the ideal Iroegbunam complement for Everton?

Iroegbunam’s in-possession statistics do not make for positive reading. Again judged against U-23 midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues, he’s 74th for progressive carries, 106th for passes into the final third, and 116th for progressive passes completed and key passes. He’s also yet to score a top-flight goal.

Everton’s interest in Hayden Hackney perhaps comes as a counter to Iroegbunam’s weaknesses. Rarely have two players looked more compatible on a data graph, with the duo’s strengths being entirely opposite. With James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall offering more rounded skillsets, is that the midfield make-up that Moyes is seeking?

Iroegbunam is not the only player in the Everton squad with question marks over him this summer, but this feels like a pivotal moment for a player who turns 23 in June. An opportunity looks likely to open up, and the onus is on him to take it.

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Derek Knox 1 Posted 14/06/2026 at 16:36:45

I don't dislike Tim... but, in all the matches I have seen him in, he doesn't appear to be a 90-minute player (not alone there). Therefore, if we got a chance to offload at a decent price, I would be tempted to cash in and start afresh.

Mind you, with negative-minded Moyes at the helm, I don't hold out a lot of hope for the new season, regardless of who we sign!

Kevin Molloy 3 Posted 14/06/2026 at 17:11:04

I remember when Rafa wanted to pair Gareth Barry with Steven Gerrard, thereby ousting Alonso, and they all went nuts. He was right though, they would have perfectly complemented each other.

We've clearly got a player on our hands here, just by the fact we're getting these headlines. As to whether he can improve the other sides of his game, who knows? Look at Gana, he got to 27 with nobody thinking he was special, had a couple of good seasons with us, and suddenly PSG were sniffing around.

On a separate point, it seems Man City are interested in Jarrad Branthwaite. This is very good news, they are big enough to take a risk on his injuries, and give us a good fee. We just can't take that risk with him; if we get a good offer, we have to take it.

Mike Gaynes 4 Posted 14/06/2026 at 17:38:35

Tim is a superior physical talent and an elite tackler with the ability to become a world-class midfield defender if he learns something about positioning. Getting caught on the wrong side of his man doesn't discourage him from putting in a tackle, which accounts for him having the highest per-minute rate of yellow cards in the Premier League.

He likewise has excellent dribbling skills, but no idea how to use them -- he almost always dribbles into blind alleys -- and he has no discernible passing ability. And at 23 it's a bit late for him to develop that.

His future with us depends on what Moyes (or his successor) expects from a defensive midfielder. If he can learn to at least not give the ball away and stay out of the referee's notebook, he has a chance to be an excellent player. But I have a hunch it will be in Germany or France, not here.

I say keep him for one more year to give Armstrong, a true natural distributor, time to develop. And then cash in.

John Collins 5 Posted 14/06/2026 at 17:48:46

Some of them are late developers, Mike. He hasn't had the run of games needed to get a calmness in his game.

At 23, he's still got time to learn that. He's got all the physical requirements.

David West 6 Posted 14/06/2026 at 18:15:04

I like him, always gives his all, but his composure on the ball isn't good, his decision-making lets him down. He has all the physical traits; if he was better on the ball, he'd be ideal.

I thought his best games were when Gana was at Afcon, he was assured of his place and he wasn't trying too hard.

Nowadays, you definitely need more than to be able to tackle, which is why I think Garner should be in that role next season, freeing up the other centre-midfield spot for someone who's more dynamic, attacking, scoring & creating.

I'd rather play Armstrong, give him the minutes and see how good he could be by the time he's 22-23.

Christy Ring 7 Posted 14/06/2026 at 18:32:03

Tim's passing ability is very poor, he too often gives the ball away, and he always seems to get an early yellow card.

I'd prefer to see Moyes play Armstrong, and give him the amount of playing time he gave Tim. His passing and all around game is far superior to Tim's. Moyes needs to forget about his age and trust him on the field.

Mike Powell 8 Posted 14/06/2026 at 18:47:37

Tim's passing is awful, he loses the ball a lot and gives loads of fouls away.

He is not on his own; I would get rid of six or seven of them, but that depends on if we get better quality players. I hope we get someone better for next season, here's hoping.

David West 9 Posted 14/06/2026 at 18:54:36

Agree with Christy. We could be buying Hackney, when if Armstrong had had the time Iroegbunam got, we could now know he's better than Hackney & Tim at this level.

I don't think we need to replace Tim; I just think play Armstrong instead.

John Collins 10 Posted 14/06/2026 at 19:25:23

David 9.

Armstrong will turn out to be the best out of all the current midfield players in our squad. He just needs to be trusted.

Kevin Molloy 11 Posted 14/06/2026 at 20:08:59

it willl be mulled over for years, how high performing youngsters like Dibling Armstrong and George could not get minutes in that shitbox of a side during the last couple of months. If not then, then when.

Tony Abrahams 12 Posted 14/06/2026 at 20:21:27

Looking at the post above Kevin, then when they are trusted!?

Kevin Molloy 13 Posted 14/06/2026 at 20:40:15

Tony, as you know, I've been a Moyes supporter since he got back. But some of what went on in the last few weeks is mystifying.

Moyes declared George was an excellent boy, really pleased with him. Hardly played him, preferred McNeil and Rohl.

When we were crying out for something different, and were running out of gas. And if you spend £35M on a young player, and then don't play him, that's on you. You shouldn't have effing bought him!

And Armstrong literally never got a kick. It's hard to put into words how awful that last 2 months were.

Phil Roberts 14 Posted 14/06/2026 at 21:22:02

Seamus was almost 24 before he played more than half a season. Osman was almost 23 before he made his debut for us. Hibbert was 21½ before he became a regular starter Unsworth was over 21 before he made his debut

I think we need to stop worrying about a player who is not a regular by the time they are out of nappies. Would you have played any of them when they were 19? Did they turn out okay?

Kevin Molloy 15 Posted 14/06/2026 at 21:30:48

Phil,

Are you saying we should wait until players are the age Gary Lineker was when we signed him before we can expect them to play in the first team?

Gavin Johnson 16 Posted 14/06/2026 at 22:58:35

No. He needs to be sold on this summer. Its no good having ability to win the ball if you immediately lose it again, dithering on the ball, or making poor passes.

John Collins 17 Posted 14/06/2026 at 22:58:49

Phil,

Ian Wright didn't kick a ball in professional football until he was 23 years old.

Derek Thomas 18 Posted 14/06/2026 at 23:27:05

No I don't think he can.

Si Cooper 19 Posted 15/06/2026 at 02:04:02

I think to classify the truly great ‘water carriers’ as simply someone who regains possession is well wide of the mark.

They also make sure that possession isn’t squandered and if that means just getting it to a team-mate better capable of retaining possession or doing something creative with the ball then that is generally good enough.

Tim still classifies as a rough diamond, it’s up to Everton to decide whether he can be polished and if we have the correct tools.

Kevin (3), in the politest way “Shut yer hole!!!” on giving up on Jarrad. I say, ignore all offers and keep the faith if he is capable of passing the sort of fitness test Citeh would subject him to.

Paul Griffiths 20 Posted 15/06/2026 at 03:02:45

Branthwaite right now would not get past a medical. Let's see what he does and more importantly how he is next season and then make a decision. At this point in time, we cannot depend on him, far less build anything around him. His next season is important.

Mike Gaynes 21 Posted 15/06/2026 at 03:52:38

Si, I don't advocate giving up on Jarrad either, but to blindly "keep the faith" is to ignore three serious leg muscle injuries in less than two seasons. His issue isn't passing a fitness test. His issue is staying that way.

The kid is 23 and has already missed 52 games in his career. Maybe it's just been bad luck. But maybe there's a problem there.

Jimmy Hardacre 22 Posted 15/06/2026 at 06:31:52

This all pivots on who we get to play centre-midfield. My pick is Scott McTominay.

This would give the defensive role to Iroegbunam — he has a future in that role… but soft lad Moyes wants him to play defensive midfield, central midfield, and attacing midfield. This is why you see him chasing the game.

Our midfield under thre currant fool in charge is a series of players running around — no plan, no movement. We need to get a central midfielder and stick to a playing system.

No doubt Moyes would change that — don't forget, we have an attacking midfielder, a German international who we play out rightside, off his best position.

It’s just a joke — and a bad one at that!!

Tony Abrahams 23 Posted 15/06/2026 at 07:48:18

Steven Gerard, had a lot of muscle problems early in his career, same with Ryan Giggs, but totally professional football simply clubs don’t get rid of such talented footballers, unless the player is near the end of his contract and is showing no signs of signing another.

It’s not about the squad with David, Kevin, it’s about proving you’re good enough for his team.

Derek Thomas 24 Posted 15/06/2026 at 08:16:16

John Collins @ 10; Armstrong needs to be given a position/Job that best suits him and a run in the team to learn what not to do - learning by doing. I'm not sure what that position/job is though...Gana's position??