The agent of former Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin admits that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool all showed an interest before his eventual £25 million arrival in the Premier League. 
Now, you’d be forgiven for putting this one down as a ‘bullet dodged’. Jean-Philippe Gbamin, after all, made just six league appearances during four injury-ruined years at Goodison Park, leaving Everton on a free when his contract was terminated in the dying seconds of the summer window.But, who knows, maybe things would have panned out differently for the Ivory Coast international had he joined Arsenal or Tottenham instead back in 2019. Or, indeed, if Liverpool had snapped him up instead of bringing Fabinho to Anfield from Monaco.
Bernard Collignon, Gbamin’s long-time representative, has certainly been left with a nagging case of ‘what might have been’, telling The Guardian that Everton may have been more of a hinderance than a help when it came to managing the former Mainz midfielder’s fitness.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs showed interest
“Arsenal and Tottenham wanted Jean-Philippe in 2019,” Collignon explains. “Jurgen Klopp, who managed Mainz, had wanted JP before signing Fabinho. But we chose Everton because, if you arrive straight away at a big club in England, it’s very difficult to make it.
“N’Golo Kante would never have been the player he was at Chelsea if he didn’t arrive at Leicester. Kurt Zouma went straight to Chelsea and didn’t do well straight away. The same with (Romelu) Lukaku, Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Timo Werner.
“The level is so high.”
Despite a couple of reputation-restoring loan spells at CSKA Moscow and Trabzonspor, Gbamin remains without a club two months after the summer window closed. But at the age of 28, and after playing 24 times in Turkey across 2022/23, do not rule out a resurgence from a man who still has a lot to offer, and a lot of time left on the clock.
Gbamin leaves Everton as a free agent
“When JP signed at Everton in 2019, he came straight from AFCON (the African Cup of Nations) and then had a three-week break after a long season. He had to rest,” Collignon adds, questioning Everton’s handling of Gbamin.
“But after four days training with Everton, JP played a match. He had not done a pre-season. The next game, he played 90 minutes!
“This is not just an Everton problem though. This is an English problem. Clubs don’t know how to manage a player regarding injuries.
“Players are signed to very high salaries. But because of that, they are expected to play, whether you are fit or not. They don’t care. The intensity of the Premier League is so high that, when a player is injured or not fit, they should recover slowly. Step by step.”
