Tom Davies has an uncertain future at Everton as he’s coming off the back of a disappointing campaign and could find himself on the periphery next season as Carlo Ancelotti is on the hunt for central midfielders. Allan has already been signed from Napoli and Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure could soon join him at Goodison Park, so will Davies need to leave this summer?
What’s gone wrong for Tom?
The 22-year-old has made 121 appearances in all competitions since rising through the youth ranks at Everton, scoring six goals with six assists. He amassed 2206 minutes of playing time across the board last season, which was his best total in a campaign, but Davies didn’t always set the place alight.
Despite being a regular in midfield, he was often criticised by supporters on social media for lacklustre performances and seems to have gone backwards in his development. As per WhoScored, only Andre Gomes (53) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (51) were dribbled past more than Davies (38). His pass completion (77.5%) was lower than 14 other players in the squad too.
With Allan and Doucoure for competition, coupled with Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, it’s hard see Davies getting many opportunities in 2020/21.
Where could he go?
According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, Newcastle United are interested in the midfielder and could offer £12m for his signature. We value him a lot higher than that, however, so the Magpies would have to up their bid to stand a chance of getting Davies.
It also remains to be seen whether Davies is keen on making the switch. He’s a homegrown talent and still has three years left on his deal, so we can’t force him out of the club. The 22-year-old has featured more heavily than in any other season too, so he will want to fight for his place rather than give up so soon.
If Sigurdsson and Delph are sold as reports suggest, Davies would be needed as a squad player at the very least.
Summary
Davies struggled last season and will find it tough to get opportunities with Allan, Doucoure and Gomes for competition, but we may not want to sell him just yet.
He’d be handy in a backup role and may thrive with talented players around him, so we should give him another chance to prove his worth.
Then, if he fails to deliver, a loan move away is a future possibility.