Neal Maupay has spoken out about why he thinks his transfer to Everton didn’t work
Neal Maupay has blamed Everton’s tactics for his nightmare spell at Goodison Park. Although the 28-year-old is still officially an Everton player, he is on loan at Olympique Marseille until the end of the season with an obligation to buy for a £6m fee that will potentially rise to £10m.
Maupay has long since burned his bridges with the Blues though, having aimed a number of digs at the club on social media in recent months. In December, after his parent club lost 2-0 at home to Nottingham Forest, he tweeted “whenever I’m having a bad day, I just check the Everton score and smile.”
The Versailles-born striker has hardly set the world alight in the south of France though, netting just four times in 21 matches, but it’s still a better return than his torrid time on Merseyside, where after Kevin Thelwell brought him in for £15m, he registered just once in 32 outings.
READ MORE: Everton could take transfer chance to fill key position after ‘concrete interest’ claimREAD MORE: Everton face seven major transfer decisions as key positions up for grabsAsked by GIVEMESPORT what went wrong at Everton, Maupay conceded: “I think pretty much everything, to be honest with you.
“The club wasn’t in the right place in terms of the manager because we changed the manager that season. I think the way we were playing didn’t fit my game.
“If you try to play long-ball football and put crosses into a player like me, that doesn’t match my characteristics, so it won’t work.
“I think sometimes it just doesn’t work out. You never know before you join a club or a manager, but it’s part of football.”
In contrast, to the ill-feelings he has proclaimed against Everton, Maupay expressed warmth for the other English teams he has played for, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion.
He described Brentford’s Thomas Frank as a “top manager” who is “absolutely amazing,” while the Seagulls’ Fabian Hurzeler is dubbed: “a young, exciting manager” with the Frenchman adding: “I wouldn’t be surprised if they make it into the Champions League. I’d be happy for them because I still have a lot of friends at Brighton.”
