James Garner: Will United regret letting this wonderkid go?

This article breaks down the young midfielder’s stats from the 2021-22 campaign, to analyse what he will offer to Everton should the deal be completed as expected, and to show how Garner can still get better.

He was a big part of Nottingham Forest’s push for promotion last season… can he help the Toffees survive relegation this time around?

 

A Solid Defensive Midfielder

Garner played the majority of his matches last season playing in a defensive midfield role under Steve Cooper and he was undoubtedly one of their key players: featuring in 49 games in all competitions last season.

One look at his Nottingham Forest highlights will show you what he likes to do more than anything: defending. In the 2021-22 campaign, he averaged 1.9 successful tackles per game, playing a vital role in breaking up opposition attacks. He also made an average of 1.4 interceptions and 0.9 clearances per game, showing a high level of defensive awareness for a young player. Everton leaked a lot of goals through individual errors last season, so Garner could play a big role in preventing that.

The English midfielder loves a slide tackle, and never shies away from 50/50s. This led to him picking up nine yellow cards last season, but it’s not secret that Evertonians love a player with aggression, so this should only go down well at Goodison Park. The fact that he was born and bred in Birkenhead will also make him more popular with Blues’ fans.

In total, Garner helped Forest to 20 clean sheets last season. If he can help Everton to anywhere near that tally this season… it could mean the difference between relegation and survival.

 

Great Versatility

However, Garner’s talents go beyond his defensive ability. The 21-year-old is versatile, while he played the majority of his matches in a defensive midfield role, he also featured as a number eight and as an attacking midfielder too.

One of his key attributes is his ability to create chances for his teammates from anywhere on the pitch. Last season, he made an average of 2 key passes and 1.5 long balls per 90 minutes, showing he can play effective through balls in behind from deep in midfield.

Everton seem to be set on using a 4-3-3 or 5-2-3 formation this season with lots of pace in attack with Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray, so Frank Lampard will hope Garner can help the Toffees’ transition quickly from defence to attack.

Interestingly, Garner also made an average of 1.6 crosses last season, which suggests he also likes to get into wide areas. This ability to create chances from all areas of the pitch would be an asset for any Premier League side.

In total, last season Garner picked up 8 assists for Forest: making him the second-most prolific chance creator for his team, just two assists behind Brennan Johnson.

Finally, another positive of the 21-year-old’s game is that he also caries a goal threat. For Forest he averaged 1.1 shots on target per match, often taking on long shots from around the opposition’s penalty area. He only scored four goals, but with one of the best goalscoring midfielders of all-time as his manager, Frank Lampard; you would expect this side of his game to only improve.

If the transfer to the Blues goes through as expected, it will be very interesting to see how he plays alongside top quality midfielders Idrissa Gueye (who will re-join the Toffees imminently) and Alex Iwobi.

 

Huge Potential

The thing that makes Garner’s departure from Manchester United all the more surprising though is his huge potential to improve.

Since breaking onto the scene in 2020-21 when he went on loan to Watford, and then Nottingham Forest for the second half of the season, his stats and game time have only improved.

It’s also worth mentioning that Garner has represented England at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, so he has always been highly thought of by his country.

Garner has already learnt his trade in the Championship, arguably one of the most physical divisions in the world, and of course helped Nottingham Forest to win the playoffs. The step up to the Premier League is a big one, but he couldn’t have a better foundation to build upon.

United fans have already voiced their frustrations at allowing the youngster to leave, especially for a low reported fee of just £15 million. Although they have signed Christian Eriksen and Casemiro this summer, so Garner would have been behind both of them in the pecking order.

Garner could be a huge signing for Everton if he continues to improve at the rate he has so far in his career.

 

James Garner 2021-22 Stats:

Defensive:

Played: 49

Tackles per 90: 1.9

Interceptions per 90: 1.4

Fouls committed per 90: 1

Clearances per 90: 0.9

Playmaking:

Pass success: 80.7%

Key passes per 90: 2

Crosses per game: 1.6 (interesting)

Long balls per 90: 1.5

Assists: 8

Attacking;

Shots per game: 1.1

Dribbles per game: 0.4 (could be improved)

Fouls won per 90: 1.2

Goals: 4

Goal contributions per game: 0.24