Teklam mai ƙarfi akan Sandro Tonali. Wani akan Mateus Fernandes. Wasan James Garner a cikin jajirce na Everton da babu kwallo a Tottenham a ranar Asabar ba za a iya yi wa ido ba — kuma a ƙarshe ya jawo hankalin duk Premier League.

Mai sharhi na Match of the Day Thomas Frank ya yabe wasan Garner da himma. "Garner yau ya yi kyau ƙwarai," in ji Frank. "Yana sane; yana magana; yana shirya. A yanayin matsa lamba mai ƙarfi, yana yin dawo da ƙwallon, kuma hakan na da muhimmanci sosai lokacin da kake buga wasa da ƙungiyar da ta mamaye ka."

Frank ya ƙara da cewa: "Yana gudu sosai, hakan ɓangare ɗaya ne na wasansa, amma taɓawarsa da ƙwallo yana da muhimmanci sosai. Yana yawan shafa ƙwallo. Abubuwa da yawa suna faruwa ta gare shi."

Tsohon bek din Everton kuma abokin sharhi Ashley Williams ya goyi bayan hukuncin. "Yana ba da sha'awa sosai," in ji Williams. "Idan kai ne bek na tsakiya a bayan shi, shi ne nau'in dan wasan tsakiya da kake so."

Daga makarantar kwallon kafa zuwa shugabancin Goodison

Garner ya zo Everton daga Manchester United a shekarar 2022 da kudin farko na £9m kawai — ba tare da ya taba buga wasa a matsayin dan farawa a Premier League tare da United ba. Ya shafe kakar baya yana aro a Nottingham Forest, yana taimaka musu hawa zuwa babban darajar.

Kakar biyu na farko a Goodison Park, ƙarƙashin Frank Lampard sannan Sean Dyche, lokaci ne na daidaitawa wanda matsalolin kudi da yanke maki suka rikitar da shi. Duk da haka, kakar 2025-26 ta zama juyin tarihi. Garner ya buga kusan duk lokacin kakar Premier League ta Everton, yana jagorantar gwagwarmaya ta Turai wadda ta ci gaba da ɗaukar kulob din a fagen gasa mafi yawan kakar.

Wani muhimmin lokaci ya zo a watan Disamba, lokacin da ƙungiyar Everton mai raunin jiki ta tafi Nottingham Forest kuma ta ci 2-0 don koma kusa da nisa na maki huɗu daga manyan huɗu. Garner ya zura kwallo ta farko a wasan mai iko. Manajan David Moyes ya yi tunani game da haɓakawarsa bayan haka.

"Lokacin da na zo, har yanzu na ga wani yaro kuma ina tsammanin yanzu ina ganin wanda ke zama shugaba mai kyau sosai, yana farawa ɗaukar alhakin ƙari, yana girma, kuma yana farawa yin aiki kamar ɗan wasan tsakiya na gaske," in ji Moyes.

Bayanai suna goyan bayan wannan kimantawa. Garner ya jagoranci tawagar Everton a cikin wucewa mai nasara, teklamu, tarwatse ƙwallo, taimako, da damar da aka ƙirƙira. Muhimmin abu shi ne, huɗu daga cikin taimakon sa bakwai sun zo bayan rauni ya kawo ƙarshen kakar ɗan wasan gefan Jack Grealish a watan Janairu — yana nuna ikonsa na ɗaga matsayinsa lokacin da ƙungiyarsa ke mafi buƙata.

'Mini Valverde' na England

Waɗannan wasannin sun ba Garner tawagar England ta farko — wasan sada zumunci da Uruguay a watan Maris — inda ya jagoranci wasan a teklamu da dama da aka ƙirƙira. Manajan England Thomas Tuchel ya yi wata kwatancen ban mamaki bayan wasan.

"Shi ne ƙaramin Valverde namu," in ji Tuchel, yana nufin ɗan wasan tsakiya na Uruguay da Real Madrid Federico Valverde. "Ya yi wasa da kyau sosai sosai. Na yi tabbacin cewa zai yi wasa da kyau saboda yana da wannan tabbaci na halitta kuma yana da ƙarfi sosai ta jiki. Ya lashe ƙwallaye da yawa."

Garner ya rasa wuri a ƙungiyar Kofin Duniya ta England, amma aikin jikinsa ya kasance na mafi kyau. Ya rufe yawancin tazara fiye da kowane ɗan wasan Premier League na kakar da ta gabata — 6km fiye da ɗan wasan tsakiya na England Elliot Anderson — yayin da ya kuma jagoranci jerin gasar baki ɗaya na teklamu da tarwatse ƙwallo.

Kayan aiki da ba za a iya maye gurbinsa ba

An ƙi tayin £65m da Chelsea suka gabatar a ranar ƙarshe na kasuwar bazara ta wannan lokacin ta Everton, waɗanda suka riga sun daure Garner a kwangila har 2030 bayan ya sanya hannu a watan Janairu. Wannan shawarar ta zama mai muhimmanci musamman ganin ƙuntatawa da Everton ke fuskantar yanzu.

Da ɗan wasan filin 17 kawai masu lafiya — Christian Norgaard da Merlin Rohl suna baya saboda rauni — da ficewar Idrissa Gueye yana wakiltar asarar bayyanar 254 ta Premier League, sassaucin Garner ya zama wajibi. Ya buga a matsayin bek na dama, bek na hagu, da tsakiyar filin don Everton, kuma Moyes ya tabbatar da cewa zai iya aiki a matsayin lamba takwas ko shida.

Idan Everton za su sake tura wasa zuwa kwallon kafa ta Turai, Garner na iya zama mafi muhimmancin dan wasa a cikin ƙungiyarsu.