Jesper Lindstrom, on loan from Serie A outfit Napoli, has yet to find the back of the net for Everton since signing for the club last summer. In fact, he hasn’t scored a goal in 77 successive appearances.
It is the longest goalless streak for a winger in European football putting the Dane ahead of Geovany Quenda of Sporting Lisbon (28 matches without scoring) and Kang-In Lee of Paris Saint-Germain (23 matches without scoring).
Before being loaned out to Everton, Lindstrom had endured a tough season at Napoli. He didn’t get a lot of playing time and in the 22 Serie A appearances he made, Lindstrom failed to register a goal or an assist.
“It’s annoying, because you want to score goals and make assists as an offensive player, but I had a tough year in Napoli and am starting to find the rhythm here, so I’m not nervous. I have proven that I can score goals and create chances,” the 25-year-old recently told Danish media.
Lindstrom had a difficult start to life at Goodison Park as well with former manager Sean Dyche not having him in his plans. Dyche often preferred Jack Harrison or Ashley Young on the flank over Lindstrom but the situation quickly changed following his exit.
Lindstrom became a regular in the Blues setup under David Moyes, but the Dane only registered his first goal contribution when he assisted Harrison’s opener against Wolves earlier this month.
Moyes has publicly asked for more from his wingers but Lindstrom is aware that he has the trust of the Scot. “Moyes has given me faith in things, and it has given me freedom that we have won some games,” he said.
“We are allowed to play more now than before, where it was a lot of running, running and running. It suits me a little more now than before. I have been given a more free role at Everton. The coach, the staff, the sporting director and those around me believe in me and want me to succeed. That means a lot.”
While he has had a topsy-turvy season so far, Lindstrom was called up to the Denmark national team for the first time in 18 months. The winger hopes to stay at Everton beyond the expiration of his loan deal. The Blues could end up extending his stay at Merseyside should they choose to meet his roughly £20m sale clause. His statistics, though, remain far from convincing.