From Goodison struggles to Craven Cottage star: Iwobi's stunning Fulham transformation

Fulham are enjoying a remarkable 2024-25 Premier League campaign that appears set to land them a place in Europe next season.

The Cottagers have stormed up the table under manager Marco Silva, collecting upset victories over Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham along the way, as they sit ninth with six games to play.

And no player has been more crucial to Fulham’s stellar season so far than Nigeria playmaker Alex Iwobi.

Here, our friends at FIRST.com, who provide expert football predictions, break down the Nigeria international’s stunning form at Craven Cottage and how it could impact the Super Eagles’ chances at the Africa Cup of Nations later this year.

Iwobi arrived at Fulham from Everton in a £22 million deal on the final day of the summer transfer window in 2023.

The former Arsenal academy graduate had endured a disappointing four years at Goodison Park, where he had been brought in as a £34 million signing with hopes of propelling the Toffees to the upper echelons of the Premier League.

Just 23 at the time, he was seen as a player whose skillset and potential would ultimately justify Everton’s pricey outlay, but a return of just six goals from 123 league appearances represented a serious let-down.

And so there was less fanfare when Fulham swooped to end Iwobi’s Mersey misery two years ago. Now, however, after back-to-back seasons in which he has shone in West London, the 28-year-old has delivered on the early promise he’d shown when breaking through into the Arsenal first team as a teen.

Iwobi has always had the skills and attributes to succeed at the highest level. He has the versatility to play on either wing or centrally as a No.10 or No.8, plus the intelligence, speed and physicality to thrive within any of those roles.

He also has the technical ability to operate in the final third as creator and scorer, possessing a reliable delivery from out wide with either foot and the ability to strike the ball ferociously and accurately from outside the penalty area.

And all of these skills have come to the fore at Fulham this season.

With eight Premier League goals from 32 appearances, he has produced a career-best return as a scorer. And with five assists in that time, he is just two shy of his highest single-season mark.

What’s more, the underlying statistics suggest that not only is Iwobi’s current form no fluke, but his performance uptick has also been coming for some time.

This season, he is averaging 0.15 expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes in the Premier League and 0.23 expected assisted goals (xAG).

Last term, despite only scoring five goals for the campaign, he averaged 0.22 xG per 90. And although he provided just two assists in 2023-24, the quality of chances he created ought to have led to far more goals, with an xAG per 90 of 0.22.

At the AFCON in Morocco in December, Nigeria will seek to go one step further than when they were beaten finalists in 2023. They are currently priced at 10/1 with BetMGM to land a first title since 2010.

If Iwobi continues in such hot form, the Super Eagles will take some stopping.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel