Ex-Everton striker stars against Atletico Madrid amid Premier League return rumours


Former Everton striker Arnaut Danjuma is reportedly being eyed for a potential return to the Premier League.
Danjuma, 27, spent last season on loan at Everton but failed to establish himself as a regular feature. He played 20 times and managed just two goals and Sean Dyche handed him just five league starts. Plus, he didn’t feature after January 30th after suffering an injury and spend six of the final seven games on the bench.
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Hide AdAnd yet, in his first start back at Villarreal, he impressed. He managed a brilliant solo goal against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid as he gave his side the lead before they eventually drew the game 2-2. That goal meant he now has 23 goals and four assists in 52 games for the Spanish club and it’s unclear why it never worked on Merseyside.
Nonetheless, he could still return to England. Nottingham Forest are one club interested in a potential move. Spanish outlet Relevo have claimed that the player’s agent is said to be analysing the “different proposals” he has on the table for his client - with the Reds and Lille both credited with an interest and Villarreal are prepared to let the ex-Bournemouth man leave this summer. He failed to make an impact at Goodison Park due to Dyche’s system - and he was caught between two positions as the left wing was locked down by Dwight McNeil and the central striker role was either filled by Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Beto. Back in Spain, he was instantly given a role that best suited his abilities.
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Starting in a front two with the experienced Gerard Moreno, he was able to thrive against Madrid. The same goes for when he enjoyed the best season of his career in the 2021/22 campaign; he was part of a 4-4-2 system with freedom to roam off the left and it saw net six goals in the Champions League and 16 goals overall. What makes his failure at Everton more frustrating is the fact that Dyche was a regular advocate of that exact formation during his time at Burnley and it seems like a missed opportunity to not allow him to play the same role which gave Danjuma so much success previously.
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