Everton’s attention has been drawn towards Forest Green Rovers’ youngster, Jordan Stevens who has made 13 appearances for the League Two side this season. Stevens signed his first professional contract as a 17-year-old on 17th September and is set to be with the Gloucestershire club until the summer of 2019.
Quoted as a wonderkid in the defensive midfield position, Stevens grabbed his first goal in the side’s League Cup win against Cheltenham Town in October. He is a very gifted prospect who needs to feature regularly for a senior side which has been hard to come by.
Everton will definitely provide him with a sporadic role or maybe even a more responsible presence now that Morgan Schneiderlin is struggling to uphold his own standards in the holding midfield role. The Toffees fell again to the brilliance of Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and conceded their third consecutive loss in the league.
Sam Allardyce’s appointment definitely instilled a winning mentality and provided the team with a structure they were lacking under Ronald Koeman. The former England boss turned things around at Goodison Park and resurrected the team to the top half of the Premier League. But it looks like things have fallen back to old ways and Allardyce will have to address the problems head-on if they want to keep their place in the 9th spot.
After a very busy summer transfer window, the Blues fans were expecting the club to match strides with the elites of top-flight English football. But instead, they were witness to one of the worst starts to a season over the past decade. This has certainly affected the mentality of the Everton squad not to mention the consequences they are paying because of it.
James McCarthy came back from a long stint on the sidelines and has been decent so far but still lacks the quality and composure going forward. Idrissa Gueye has been their most dominant aspect in the defensive midfield role along with Tom Davies, who is attracting a lot of attention from West Ham United.
Allardyce has delegated a lot of responsibility on the club youngsters and has notoriously chosen them over seasoned veterans. Seamus Coleman’s injury has allowed Mason Holgate to flourish in the defensive position and Dominic Calvert-Lewin has seen his fair share of minutes in the number nine role.
This is a promising sign for Stevens who is clearly directed towards a path of future stardom. Making a jumpstart on a top pedigree side like Everton will definitely provide him with the opportunity to compete against the best and triumph.
