During his time at Aston Villa, the 21-year-old caught the eye of both Unai Emery and Steven Gerrard. Unai Emery was so excited with Tim Iroegbunam’s potential that he was willing to let go of a Premier League veteran to give him a chance. The Aston Villa manager claimed “I am positive in him and I believe in him” when he kept the young midfielder in his team in January, allowing Leander Dendoncker to depart instead.
While the 21-year-old was unable to secure regular first-team opportunities, Emery’s support underscored the promise that his coaching staff saw in the new Everton youngster.
Iroegbunam became Everton’s first acquisition of the summer, moving to Merseyside for about £9 million. The former West Bromwich Albion youth player will give depth to Sean Dyche’s midfield options, especially with Andre Gomes’ contract expiring and speculation about Amadou Onana’s future.
While it is acknowledged that he is not a finished product – even with Emery’s support, he made only nine Premier League appearances last season, with his only start coming in a loss to Manchester City – there is faith in his capacity to develop and contribute to the first team group.
Emery saw that potential, saying in February: “I want him now here because I decided to stick with him and let Dendoncker leave [the former Wolverhampton Wanderers player left for Napoli on loan] in case the moment comes like now.”
This is his moment. To begin, he must train every day in order to play in the matches and achieve the performance we expect of him before enjoying himself. He must be prepared, but he must also be demanding, stating, “It is my time, and I am here!” I don’t know if he will, but I am optimistic about him and believe in him.”
John Townley, Birmingham Live’s Aston Villa writer, stated Iroegbunam was unable to fill the vacuum left by colleague Boubacar Kamara’s injury, but there was little dispute about his abilities at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training complex. He told the ECHO:
“At the age of 20, Iroegbunam has a lot of promise, but he has very little Premier League experience at the moment. He played one season on loan with Queens Park Rangers, but his responsibilities under Michael Beale and then Neil Critchley were not typical of Emery’s XI.
until suffering an injury in pre-season last summer and missing the first few months of the season, Iroegbunam remained at Villa until January, and was retained until Leander Dendoncker secured a loan move to Napoli.”
The decision to keep Iroegbunam on the team was based on a thorough assessment of his abilities, as Emery explained: “I was assessing him in every session we had; it was a challenge for him. I was testing him with our coaches. I believe he is a player who can improve, and we believe he can improve even more now that he has more opportunities to play.
The finest glimpse into what Iroegbunam may give comes from his loan spell at QPR, when he played an important role in the Championship side’s season.
In evaluating his effect at Loftus Road, Clive Whittingham of the Loft For Words blog told Birmingham Live: “We asked him to come in and play central midfield for QPR in a 46-game Championship season, and essentially be the key guy. It was a tall order.
He was put into a predicament that guys with hundreds of times his experience would have struggled with. How did he deal with it? Overall, not awful. His greatest strength was pressing forward with the ball at his feet, committing and beating men, and attacking from midfield.”
Chris stated that Iroebugnam’s best performance came at Preston North End, where he played high up the field in a “hard-working, athletic three-man press” behind a lone striker, which may explain why he is regarded as having the potential to make an impact in an Everton side that, under Dyche, has relied on a three-man midfield to both protect the back four and support Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front.
Iroegbunam’s fans at Villa went beyond Emery, with former manager Steven Gerrard expecting him to become a star.
After playing in a goalless draw against Leicester City in April 2022, then-Villa manager Gerrard said: “He performed with composure and maturity… He is a great professional. He is in the gym before and after training. He needs to come out of his shell and find his voice now that he’s in men’s football, and we believe the world of him; he has a bright future here.
But it’s my responsibility to continue controlling his game time and preparing him for a big future.”
