After a rather dull season at Goodison Park, the arrival of Marco Silva has given the fans plenty of excitement ahead of the next season. The Portuguese tactician has been busy in the transfer window, not only adding some exciting names to his side but also resolving the futures of youngsters, knocking on the door for first team opportunities.
But one such player, who will spend yet another season away from Merseyside, is Henry Onyekuru.
The Nigerian youngster made a name for himself in the season before the last for Belgian side Eupen, announcing himself to Europe with 24 goals in the 2016-17 campaign. Naturally, he attracted interests from some of the biggest clubs on the continent but Ronald Koeman, who was then in charge of Everton, managed to get him to England.
However, the 21-year old did not have a work permit to play for Everton and had to be loaned back to the Belgian top flight with Anderlecht. He claimed 10 goals in the first half of the season, but an injury forced him back to Halewood. He did regain full fitness before the end of the campaign but failed to break into the first team at Anderlecht, ending his season on a negative note.
He also missed out on Nigeria’s national squad, which means that he still will not be granted a work permit for the Premier League club. So he was up for grabs on a loan deal this summer and the Turkish giants Galatasaray have this week announced that the youngster will spend the next season on loan in the Super Lig.
At just 21, the Nigerian ace is gaining some valuable experience and if he can replicate his numbers from the Jupiler League for another season, he will definitely be a huge asset for the Toffees. However, at the moment, the lack of work permit will help him gather more and more experience before he can finally announce himself to the Premier League.
Silva has already lost a couple of squad players this summer and is yet to add a fresh face to his side. But he has been busy, scouting for players who can walk into the first team next season. Onyekuru would have been an exciting addition but he is not an option anymore and it will force the manager into the transfer window to add depth to the squad as well.
For the time being, the future does not look very bright for Onyekuru at the Merseyside club. However, if he can continue the way he is performing, a call-up to the national side might just be around the corner and that will solve a number of issues for the young striker, including the one involving his work permit in England.
