FORMER Everton midfielder Jean-Phillipe Gbamin is without a club after suffering a nightmare time with injury.
The 28-year-old joined the Toffees in 2019 on a five-year contract in a deal worth £25million.
His agent, Bernard Collignon, has claimed he was previously wanted by Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool, before they decided upon Goodison Park.
However, it turned into a nightmare four-year stint for Gbamin.
He struggled to hit the ground running due to fitness issues and when he eventually got up to speed, Covid hit.
Then while playing football tennis at home, he snapped his achilles in a freak injury.
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Once he had recovered, loan spells at CSKA Moscow and Trabzonspor failed to re-ignite his career.
And last month the Ivorian decided to forfeit the final 12 months of his contract – worth around £5m in wages – in an attempt to get his career back on track after playing just eight games for Everton.
Speaking to The Guardian, Collignon said: “Everyone is aware that JP is available.
“But all the clubs have budgets and most clubs use all their budget in the window.
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“JP is an international player; he is not affordable for all of the clubs.
Also, in France, clubs have to wait until mid-October to receive their share of the TV rights.
“After that, maybe they can sign a player. It’s like musical chairs.”
Gbamin has earned 16 caps for Ivory Coast’s national team – including one appearance earlier this year.
He was also a France U21 international until 2016.
But he has played just 45 club games in four years since leaving Bundesliga side Mainz.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
