In a recent interview with The Star, Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah has confirmed that Everton made an offer for Daniel Jebbison last summer but the Blades decided to reject their bid and loaned him out to Burton Albion instead.
Abdullah said, “We got an offer from Everton for Jebbison but refused to sell him because we think he will be the future of the club.”
Jebbison’s Rapid Rise In English Football
Jebbison has come through the youth ranks of Sheffield United before he broke into their first team in the previous campaign. The Oakville-born prospect has already featured in six senior matches for the Yorkshire outfit thus far, scoring one goal in the process which coincidentally came against the Toffees in the Premier League last season.
Even though the 18-year-old only made four league appearances for the Blades, he caught the eye by averaging 1.5 tackles, 1.0 shots and 0.5 dribbles per game in the English first division. However, Jebbison was a bit sloppy when interchanging possession with his teammates based on his pass completion rate of 68.6% in top-flight football last season (stats via whoscored).
There is no doubt that the one-time England Under-18 international is a gem in the making, so it is no surprise that the Blades refused to sell him to Everton last summer. The promising teenager can now benefit from playing regular first-team football while on loan at Burton Albion in League One.
Should The Toffees Go Back In With Another Bid For Jebbison?
Jebbison has decent pace in his locker and can make some clever runs both with and without the ball in the attacking end of the pitch. Standing at 1.90, he can be a strong presence with his back to goal but needs to work on improving his link-up play deep inside the opponent’s half.
The English wonderkid is still quite raw and would need time to develop himself into a consistent forward in senior football. Even then, the Toffees would be wise to get him on board as he will be a brilliant signing for them in the long run.
Benitez needs to lay down the foundations at Everton if he wants to bring some success back to Goodison Park in the coming seasons. The ex-Liverpool boss has got the experience to nurture Jebbison’s development at Merseyside and help him become a future starter in the Premier League. Thus, the Merseyside club should think about going back in with another offer to land the Canada-born starlet in January or at the end of this campaign.
