Alex Iwobi knew what was coming after receiving his marching orders in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations round-of-16 defeat to Tunisia.
Only seven minutes had passed since the Everton man replaced Kelechi Iheanacho to be the link between midfield and attack and offer creativity to a side that had hitherto not fashioned a high quality chance.
The bemusement on the midfielder’s face after his red card was telling. Rather than aid a turnaround against Tunisia, who went ahead at the start of the second half, Iwobi was returning to the dressing room for an early bath with 24 minutes of normal time remaining.
The criticism of the 26-year-old was untold but probably not surprising. There is hardly ever indifference to the former Arsenal man: you either back him to the hilt or make him the lightning rod for his team’s failures.
Ascent at Arsenal
In a sense, the aforementioned love and hate is somewhat due to the talent shown in his breakthrough years with the Gunners in Arsene Wenger’s final years, where the clever, nimble tyro enthralled the Emirates Stadium crowd.
Iwobi came close to leaving north London twice in his teens at 14 and 16. Still, the determination to prove himself meant he remained at Arsenal’s academy, eventually catching the eye in the 2014-15 season when he netted 10 times in 17 starts in the Premier League 2.
Wenger later confessed to underrating the then-teenager yet expressed his satisfaction at trusting his instincts in blocking a loan move and promoting him to the first team at the start of the 2015-16 campaign.
“When you first look at him there is nothing special there,” Wenger admitted in 2016, a year after the Super Eagle joined the main group. “He is not the kind of player who impresses you at first.”
Still 19 at the time, Iwobi proved his worth in that maiden year, making eight Premier League starts and thriving, particularly from March onwards.
A strong performance at Barcelona in the Champions League seemed to convince Wenger the youngster was ready. Despite suffering a 3-1 defeat on the night — exiting 5-1 on aggregate — the Nigerian was one of the better performers for the visiting side.
Three days after his first European start, the wide playmaker was retained in the XI for the team’s trip to Everton, rewarding Wenger’s faith by scoring his first top-flight goal for the club on his maiden start in the 2-0 success at Goodison Park.
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