Scouse starlet Harrison Armstrong can go on to become Everton's answer to Steven Gerrard after fans forced his transfer to Nottingham Forest to be called off, reckons former Blues captain Alan Stubbs
Harrison Armstrong of Everton
Harrison Armstrong of Everton(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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Home-grown hero Harrison Armstrong has been tipped to become Everton’s answer to Steven Gerrard after the Blues performed a dramatic U-turn to pull the plug on his proposed £40million transfer to Nottingham Forest last Sunday.
With a report from the Daily Telegraph stating that the East Midlanders were informed that Everton needed to make a big sale to ease financial concerns, the ECHO understands chief executive Angus Kinnear notified The Friedkin Group of the offer, as is common practice with all bids, and the proposal was given the green light by club chiefs without manager David Moyes being informed. However, with the Glaswegian gaffer pressing for the Scouse starlet to play at Bournemouth, the 19-year-old showed incredible focus and maturity beyond his years to put in a solid display in a 1-1 draw.
Rocked by details of the move being leaked on the morning of the game, travelling Blues supporters who had made the 520-mile return trip from Merseyside to Dorset, made their feelings known in emphatic fashion at the Vitality Stadium with chants throughout the game threatening to riot if Armstrong was sold. Kinnear was present at the match to hear them and subsequently, following a personal intervention by Everton chairman Dan Friedkin – who has still never been to a game at either Goodison Park or Hill Dickinson Stadium – Blues top brass pulled the plug on the sale, raising significant funds on transfer deadline day instead by cashing in on Iliman Ndiaye, who joined Manchester City for £65million.
Everton have always had at least one local player in their first team squad for every season since they were founder members of the Football League in 1888, but with no other prospects currently coming through, the sale of Armstrong could have ended that 138-year sequence. The midfielder has been with the club since the age of five and another True Blue, Alan Stubbs, reckons keeping hold of the home-grown hero could prove a watershed moment.
A lifelong Evertonian from Kirkby, Stubbs had to wait until he was 29 before he joined his beloved Blues on a Bosman-style free transfer after his contract at Celtic expired, but he went on to make 193 appearances, scoring seven goals, across two spells. The 54-year-old, who captained Everton to their highest ever Premier League position of fourth in 2004/05 under Moyes’ management, told BOYLE Sports and Footy Accumulators’ podcast, No Tippy Tappy Football: “I think Harrison Armstrong is going to be an outstanding player – he’s got a very high ceiling.
“For David Moyes to trust someone that age in central midfield says a lot – he’s not there by chance, he’s there on merit, keeping other players out of the side.
“He plays with the maturity of a 22-year-old. He could be Everton's answer to Steven Gerrard, which is a big statement, but that’s the potential.
“You can see why Everton fans aren’t happy given everything [in] the last three or four days of the transfer window. It feels like there's friction behind the scenes – the Armstrong situation looked like a panic decision, and panic decisions suggest there isn’t a clear identity or vision for where the club is going.
“Everton would have got into Europe if they’d pushed harder in January. They were dead on their feet by the end of the season – it was maybe six games too many.
“Last season’s squad had the most-used starting XI in the league, and they just couldn’t drag themselves over the line. Honestly, for me, missing out was a blessing in disguise – they’d have needed 10 new players to sustain a European campaign, and they’ve struggled to bring in two.”
Stubbs believes Everton will miss Ndiaye though after his move to the Etihad Stadium despite Moyes speaking on several occasions about his desire to retain the Senegal international’s services. He said: “I think Iliman Ndiaye is a perfect fit for Manchester City, and he’s cheap as well.
“He gets you off your seat – he’s technically gifted, incredible feet. At Everton he had to do a lot of defensive running up and down, whereas at City he’ll mainly be asked to go forward, so I think you’ll see a different player.
“Everton have lost their best player and got weaker for it. But at least Jack Grealish coming back helps a bit, he was brilliant last season, properly fit again, he loves the club, and he’s got a heart of gold.”
Meanwhile, Scouser Kevin Nolan, who worked on Moyes’ coaching staff at West Ham United, also reckons that in a window in which several stars moved for fees of over £100million, Enzo Maresca’s side got a relative bargain in Ndiaye. Featuring on the same episode, the 44-year-old said: “I remember him at Sheffield United and thought he had something.
“I hadn’t watched a lot of Everton, but from what I did see, and from my City-supporting mates, everyone rates him. The big question is how they got him so cheap, £60m plus £5m in add-ons is great business by City and that will sting David Moyes even more.
“He just needs more goals, more assists. But sometimes it’s about the team around you. I think he’ll go up a level at City with better players around him and more time on the ball.”