Everton and Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi has warmed himself back into the hearts of the Toffees Fans after a turbulent start to his career at Goodison Park. Iwobi was more of a fringe player under coaches Carlo Ancellotti and Rafa Benitez, but with manager Frank Lampard, he gained more confidence than he did in club and international football, according to him, he never gave up on himself during the turbulent times. “I never had the mindset that it wasn’t going to work here,” said Iwobi in an interview with Everton match day magazine. “I had the mindset that I’d turn it around and when the opportunity came with the new manager, I used it as a new chapter of my life and said to myself, ‘Forget the past. What’s happened has happened… Now let’s go again’. “What I realised here is fans appreciate 100 per cent, as long as you show that you can do everything because there’s a reason you’re here at Everton – because you have ability.”
He was offloaded at Arsenal by Unai Emery during his time as coach and fans in North London are wondering why Iwobi was given the chance to mature. “In football you’re not always going to have highs,” he says. “I’ve had plenty of lows before I even came to Everton and I’ve always been able to overcome them. “I have a good support system around me – my family, my friends and people at Everton who are there to talk to you and help you through difficult situations. And, at the same time, every footballer is going through similar things. It’s good having people to talk to. “I like to remain positive as much as I can. I remember what made me, what got me to where I am. “I use the difficult moments as motivation and drive to move forward – to prove people wrong, to make sure an obstacle doesn’t get the better of me. “If you don’t go through losses, you won’t learn. Going through those rough patches only made me stronger mentally.”
He said coach Lampard more than anything else unlocked his potential by allowing him to express himself during games. “He was possibly a bit surprised at how I train – I always give 100 per cent in training and it’s just getting that out in matches. “He told me to play the way I train and he wanted me to go out and express myself. He gave me the confidence to do that. “My first game – my first start – was against Leeds and he told me to do my stuff and to enjoy it. Ever since then it’s been working out. “I spoke to a few Chelsea players around the time he came in and they all told me that, because he was a player recently, he understands what everyone goes through as a player mentally. “He keeps the environment positive and I’ve seen that for myself. “Obviously, we were in a difficult time when he came in last season but he still managed to make sure everyone was up and focused on trying to win games, even when it was hard. “The coaching staff, too. There’s some massive experience between Joe Edwards, Ashley Cole, Paul Clement and Chris Jones. They’re easy to talk to and they’ve made it feel like we’re one big family, that every player in the squad is going to be needed and every player is involved.”
