Everton will travel to east London this afternoon to take on West Ham as they return to action for one big push to secure safety in the Premier League this season.
With a difficult challenge ahead of them against the Europa League quarter-finalists, Toffees manager Frank Lampard will be hoping that he can rely on his team to take their chances against David Moyes’ side today.
Currently three points clear of the relegation zone thanks to a crucial victory over Newcastle and a bittersweet victory for their fierce rivals Liverpool yesterday over Watford at Anfield, Everton are now in prime position to maintain their Premier League status next season and will be hoping to widen their gap on the relegation zone against West Ham.
That being said, Lampard must take every opportunity to impose serious attacking threats on their upcoming opponents, and Demarai Gray could be the player to deliver that for Everton against West Ham today.
Gray could petrify West Ham
The £42k-p/w gem – who was once hailed the “star of the show” by Alan Shearer after a thrilling performance for Leicester – has been one of the most important attackers in the Toffees team this season.
Gray’s haul of six goals and three assists is the second highest goal contribution in the squad, and when you consider his offensive statistics in the league so far, it’s a no-brainer for Lampard to deploy him in the attacking line against the Irons.
According to SofaScore, the 25-year-old has the third-highest player rating in the squad (6.93), averaging two shots, 1.3 key passes and 0.9 tackles per game, with three big chances created this season so far.
Gray has played a huge part in six out of Everton’s seven victories in the current campaign, playing more than 75 minutes in each and contributing four goal involvements between four of those wins.
The winger joined Everton for just £1.7m last summer, with his impact in the team worth its weight in gold, and he has been without a doubt their signing of the season. For that reason, Lampard should unleash Gray against West Ham, as he could cause all sorts of problems for the Hammers’ defence and inspire the Toffees to their second victory in a row.
In other news: Everton handed fresh lift as update emerges, Lampard will be buzzing