Forget Alli: Lampard must unleash Everton's "devastating" £100k-p/w "sleeping weapon" - opinion

Following a reality-check defeat against Newcastle on Tuesday, Everton boss Frank Lampard will quickly turn his attentions towards this weekend’s clash at home to Leeds United.

The Toffees took the lead in the 3-1 defeat to the Magpies, but an own goal from Mason Holgate turned the tides, giving Lampard his first defeat as the club’s new manager.

While much of the focus will be on Dele Alli and how the Everton boss looks to get the best out of him, it may well be that Donny van de Beek’s arrival at Goodison Park is the real game-changer.

After not getting the game-time he desired at Old Trafford, Van de Beek’s move to the blue half of Merseyside was for him to finally get a chance to impress in the Premier League.

And, having seen the Toffees slip to that disappointing defeat at St James’ Park, the £100k-a-week earning ace will surely feel that now is the perfect time for him to show everybody what he can do.

The Dutchman is as dynamic a player as they come, regularly showcasing why he is one of those prized goal-scoring midfielders – at Ajax, he scored an impressive 41 goals and provided another 34 assists in 175 games.

It was no surprise then that after watching him play against his side in the Champions League, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino raved about him.

When asked who he thought Ajax’s most important player was, Pochettino revealed: “Van de Beek. Nobody talks much about him. But he has a dynamic in the game, he gets behind Tadic, he arrives, he works, he scores goals. Logically, I love De Jong and De Ligt. But the example of the operation of this Ajax is Van de Beek. I like very much. They have a young player, from the academy, in each line, that shows what the team is.”

While his former youth coach at