Everton fans are a fickle bunch, but once you have won them onside, they will back you to the death.
And, it does not take much to win their favour either.
The bare minimum they expect is hard work, and for the most part, that is what they have received across their illustrious and storied history.
However, of late, it’s no coincidence that their recent relegation struggles have coincided with a squad unwilling to put in the hard yards until absolutely forced to at the eleventh hour.
One such example of this latest crop of players who have failed to carry the Toffees away from the drop is Neal Maupay, and his time on Merseyside could at last be severely limited because of it.
Neal Maupay argues with Everton fans
Although, the Frenchman has done far more than merely underperform in Royal Blue since his £15m move in 2022.
Scoring just one Premier League goal all season in his first campaign marked a dire return, and he was subsequently sent out on loan to Brentford for the most recent term, deemed surplus to requirements by Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell.
Imagine another job where it’s normalised to get abuse like this.
Hanging around at a train station to scream at men who are trying their best… https://t.co/jzNPPxX3Tv
— Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) August 25, 2024
Having since returned, he is yet to make a single start this campaign under the former’s leadership, and has just made a very polarising decision which could have cemented his fate.
Pictured boarding the train after his side’s crushing 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, many supporters had gathered to lambast the players in embarrassing fashion, hurling abuse their way.
Well, never one to shy away from confrontation, Neal Maupay hit back at one Everton fan, and even took to X to reaffirm his position.
Ironically enough, he’s probably right, but this probably cements the burning of the final bridge between him and the Everton faithful.
Everton must sell Neal Maupay this summer
With a deal that expires next summer, and a play style that could not be more opposite to the manager’s, this summer must surely mark the last for Maupay.
It was never really a transfer that seemed like it might work out for Everton, with the club having built a rich history forged from tall, physical strikers.
Duncan Ferguson. Bob Latchford. Andy Gray. Even Dominic Calvert-Lewin more recently.
The Toffees and any success ever achieved was forged from hard work and a play style that aligns with the fans, who simply love to see a striker win his flick-ons and score towering, brave headers.
Maupay is never liable to do this, and has hardly endeared himself to the fans either with his antics anyway.
This could well be the final straw, that sees Thelwell become truly involved in the effort to get him out of the club before the summer transfer window slams shut.
Be the first to comment