Reasons why Coventry City FA Cup victory will leave Everton supporters completely perplexed: View

Everton fans will likely feel thoroughly perplexed witnessing Coventry City’s triumph in the FA Cup: Perspective

Former Everton forward Ellis Simms showcased his prowess by scoring two goals and providing an assist in a victory against an established Premier League team.

Everton might rue their decision to release Ellis Simms, especially observing his stellar performance for Coventry City, particularly amid their struggle to find the back of the net this season. Simms has consistently demonstrated his scoring ability for Coventry, indicating that he could have significantly contributed to Everton’s Premier League campaign.

Considering Everton’s leading goal scorer has only managed six goals this season, the choice to part ways with a promising young striker like Simms appears questionable.

Everton fans might understandably feel perplexed witnessing Coventry City advance to the FA Cup semi-final after defeating Wolves away on Saturday.

As Everton fights to climb away from the bottom of the Premier League table, supporters watched one of their academy products, Ellis Simms, netting twice and providing an assist against a top-half Premier League side. This turn of events naturally prompts supporters to question why the club let him go.

Simms faced challenges during his time at Coventry this season, but he’s starting to hit form at a critical juncture. Everton fans have every right to feel baffled and perhaps frustrated by the departure of the 23-year-old, especially as Everton’s performance is far from satisfactory.

Ellis Simms’ Transfer from Everton to Coventry City

Following a relatively successful loan stint at Sunderland in the first half of last season, Simms was recalled by Everton in January 2023 to address their goal-scoring woes.

Although Simms only managed to score once in 11 Premier League appearances for Everton, considering his limited experience at that level and playing within a struggling team, it wasn’t a disastrous outcome for the striker hailing from Oldham.

It seemed like the beginning of many Premier League campaigns for Simms, but Everton opted to sell him to Coventry City for £8 million, a decision that raised eyebrows.

In hindsight, considering Everton’s financial fair play (FFP) issues, they needed to generate funds. However, they might have been better off selling some of their older, more experienced players who had been instrumental in consecutive relegation battles, particularly given their lack of a reliable striker upfront.

Since joining Coventry, Simms has scored 14 goals and provided three assists in 43 appearances, and at 23, he is expected to improve with time.

Remarkably, Simms has featured in every game for Coventry across all competitions this season, and despite a shaky start, he has impressed in recent matches, especially in the FA Cup.

His brace and assist against Wolves would have left Everton fans puzzled. While he might have missed a straightforward chance, his ability to position himself effectively for his goals was commendable, as was his contribution to the winning goal. Other aspects of his game also troubled Wolves’ defenders.

Everton had a player seemingly capable of competing in the Premier League but allowed him to depart, a decision that they may already be regretting.

Ellis Simms could have addressed Everton’s scoring issues

Everton has only managed to score 29 league goals in 28 games, placing them among the lowest scorers in the Premier League.

Only the league’s bottom team, Sheffield United, has scored fewer goals (24), while Burnley, in 19th place, has the same number of goals as Everton.

Abdoulaye Doucoure is Everton’s top scorer with just six goals this season, and summer signing Beto has found the net only four times in all competitions.

Simms has scored 14 goals for Coventry, albeit in a lower division. However, considering his performance against Wolves, there’s no reason to doubt his ability to score for Everton in the Premier League this season.

Had Everton been performing well and had prolific strikers, selling Simms might have been understandable. However, given their current predicament, letting go of a promising young striker appears to be a perplexing decision.