It might have taken a while for Alex Iwobi to truly endear himself to Everton fans, but he's certainly managed that now.
The former Arsenal man struggled for consistency ever since his move to Merseyside in 2019, with fleeting appearances in the side across multiple positions certainly not helping matters. However, under Frank Lampard, he's found a new lease of life.
As the Blues battled their way towards Premier League safety the Nigeria international was at the forefront of many strong performances. The highlight, of course, came with his goal at the death to secure a 1-0 win over Newcastle United and top off what had been yet another fine display in attacking midfield.
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Iwobi sums up the energy, spirit, organisation, creativity and defensive capabilities that Lampard has been desperate to see from all of his players. His versatility has still been on full display too, as he was used successfully as a right wing-back for the majority of the campaign's final matches.
But, how well do his numbers stack up when compared to his figures from the previous season?
Twitter user TacticallyMatt took it upon himself to share some of the highlights of the 26-year-old's improvement as he has turned himself into something of an Everton hero in recent weeks. And his thread of tweets certainly shows that the former Arsenal man is finally heading in the right direction.
One clear difference that many have pointed out in recent weeks has centred around Iwobi's work off the ball, his ability to sprint around the pitch for almost an entire 90 minutes and always be well positioned to close down his man. Comparison reveals that his amount of pressures per 90 has risen from 13.1 in 2020/21 to 23 this season - which is a huge improvement.
His defensive work continued with an improvement to 3.81 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, compared to 2.98 last term. Of course, his playing at wing-back might have been an important factor here, but it shows how well he adapted himself to the role.
His passing statistics also saw big improvement with 2.57 of his balls per-90 leading to a shot (up from 2.34). That was also demonstrated by him making 1.68 passes into the 18-yard box per 90 minutes this season (compared to 1.52 last year), despite not always playing as an attacking midfielder.
Perhaps the most important stat comes towards the end of the thread, however. Iwobi finds himself second in the Everton squad in terms of points per game only behind Yerry Mina, having found himself 13th on the same list last term.
There's no doubting that the midfielder has become one of the most improved players in the Blues squad, not just in terms of his quality but with his standing among supporters as well. Long may that continue.
