In a recent interview with Football Insider, former England forward Kevin Phillips urged Everton midfielder Tom Davies to leave in January. Phillips said,
“His (Davies) career has stagnated a bit.
“18 months ago the kid was getting a lot of game time and playing good football.
“The problem for him is, Allan and Doucoure have come in. Their arrival has pushed him down the pecking order. He is at the back of the pecking order really.
“Is his time at Everton up? Maybe. The fans will not want to see him leave because he is a good young player who’s come through the academy there.
“But, I think Davies knows that he might need to leave to further his career.
“It’s a bit like Conor Gallagher really. Gallagher is playing week in, week out at Palace and is being tipped for an international call-up soon.
“Davies may need to look for a move in January and I think he’d be a very good signing for someone. I think a move will be on the cards in January.”
Davies’ Diminishing Influence At Goodison Park
Davies has played a sporadic role in Rafael Benitez’s first-team so far this season but has done well to put in a couple of impressive displays at the heart of Everton’s midfield. The 23-year-old has taken part in just five matches for Everton this term, picking up one assist in the process across various competitions.
The English sensation has proven himself to be a valuable contributor by averaging 1.5 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, 0.5 shots and 1.0 key passes per game in the Premier League. He has even been tidy when distributing the ball from midfield, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 87.3% in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Should The Toffees Cut Davies Loose This Summer?
Davies is a hard-working midfielder who can get stuck in with some solid tackles to make life difficult for the opposition. He has got the hunger to win the ball back for his team and can even orchestrate a few decent plays for others around him.
The English midfield ace is a good passer of the ball when he is playing with confidence on the field. However, Davies needs to secure regular starts in top-flight football if he wants to take his game to another level.
At 23, the Toffees talent has still got plenty of time to establish himself as a top performer in English football. Therefore, he has every reason to switch clubs in search of greener pastures in January. Everton boss Rafael Benitez would be better off cutting Davies loose and finding someone who is more experienced at the highest level so that the Spanish head coach has a strong squad, capable of challenging for some major silverware in the years to come.
