- East Anglian Daily Times reports Ipswich Town are interested in Tim Iroegbunam
- The Everton midfielder showed encouraging signs during his first season at the club
- Moyes should see the 22-year-old as part of Everton’s future rather than a sale opportunity
When a newly-promoted club starts being linked with one of your players, the instinctive reaction is often to ask whether a deal makes sense.
In Tim Iroegbunam’s case, Everton should be asking a different question.
Why would they want to let him go?
According to reports from TWTD, following coverage from the East Anglian Daily Times, Ipswich Town have placed Tim Iroegbunam on their summer list, although no approach has yet been made to Everton.
From Ipswich’s perspective, the interest is easy to understand.
Young midfielders with Premier League experience are not easy to find, particularly those who still have significant room for development.
The bigger issue is whether Everton would gain anything from allowing the move to happen.
Iroegbunam has already shown enough
It is easy to forget that Iroegbunam only arrived from Aston Villa last summer.
His debut season on Merseyside was not perfect, nor should anyone have expected it to be.
There were injuries, periods in and out of the side and the usual adaptation challenges that come with joining a new club.
Yet there were also plenty of encouraging signs.
The midfielder made 29 Premier League appearances and demonstrated exactly why Everton were prepared to invest in him. His athleticism, ball-carrying ability and willingness to do the difficult work in midfield offer qualities that cannot easily be replaced.
More importantly, he still feels like a player at the beginning of his Everton story rather than the end of it.
The next step should be upwards
No disrespect is intended towards Ipswich.
McKenna has done an excellent job and Portman Road is an ambitious football club.
But if Iroegbunam continues developing at his current rate, Everton should be thinking about how high his ceiling is rather than whether a Championship move makes sense.
The 22-year-old has already shown he can contribute in the Premier League.
The challenge now is becoming a more complete midfielder capable of pushing for regular starts under David Moyes.
That development is more likely to happen competing against Premier League players every day than dropping down a division.
Moyes should welcome the competition
One of the themes of Moyes’ return has been accountability.
Places should be earned, not guaranteed.
That is precisely why Iroegbunam should stay.
Everton need competition in midfield. They need players capable of improving and increasing their value over time. Most of all, they need to avoid making short-term decisions on players who have yet to reach their peak.
Ipswich’s interest is understandable.
But rather than viewing it as an opportunity to sell, Everton should see it as a reminder of what they already possess.
For a club trying to build a stronger future at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Tim Iroegbunam looks far more valuable as part of the project than outside it.
