Today Everton announced the signing of Charlton Athletic Teenager Ademola Lookman on a four-and-a-half year deal. The 19-year-old forward joins for a reported fee of £7.5m, with the potential to rise to £10-11m. He will wear the number 31 shirt. This transfer makes Lookman the most expensive League One player signing of all time.
Ronald Koeman said of Lookman: “Ademola is a good young, talented player. He’s a young player who can reach a high level if he continues to develop.”
Charlton Athletic Career
Lookman joined the Charlton academy in 2014, after six years with Waterloo FC. He made his debut for the first-team in 2015, and has since made 45 appearances, scoring 10 goals. Last season, he won the Football League Championship Apprentice of the Year, even though Charlton were relegated to League One.
England Youth Career
His first call-up for an England youth side was in May 2016. Since then he has made five appearances for the Under-19s, and three for Under-20s. In addition, he was included in the squad for the European U19 Championship. This year he scored his first goal for the Under-20s.
Everton Career
Lookman figures to be the first signing in a very busy January window for Koeman and Steve Walsh. According to Koeman, he is the type of player they want to bring into the squad. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin out for 7-8 weeks and Yannick Bolasie out for a year, Lookman has the potential to make an impact in the first team right away due to Everton’s lack of wingers.
Lookman will probably play on the wing for Everton, in a role similar to Enner Valencia or Calvert-Lewin, where he can support Romelu Lukaku. Unfortunately, he is cup tied for the FA Cup, so he is unavailable for this weekend’s clash with Leicester City. Everton could have used him, as Aaron Lennon will also most likely be unavailable to play.
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