In December 2016, a video was uploaded to YouTube with the description "best playmaker in the football league". Upon clicking on the video, you would witness a six-minute long video comprising solely of Marcus Maddison highlights during his time at Peterborough United.
Was he the best playmaker in the Football League at the time? Certainly not, but for six minutes did he look like it... absolutely.
January 2020 saw Maddison travel north in a loan move to a Hull City side punctured by mid-season departures including some of the Tiger's top talent. The last minute nature of the deal may have led Tiger's fans on a quest for information regarding their new signing, culminating in them stumbling upon the video in question and thinking that they'd found a player in Maddison more than fit to replace the outgoing Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki.
Despite being brought in to replace two of Hull's best talents, Maddison was barely fit to clean the boots of the Premier League bound stars, failing to live up to the expectations set for him. After just seven appearances and one goal, Marcus Maddison was out of the door in East Yorkshire before he'd even finished unpacking his bags. A certified failure, the so called "best playmaker in the league" had fallen well short of the quality displayed some four years ago and left those once optimistic about the signing wondering were it all went wrong.
In short, YouTube compilations are more often than not an absolute minefield. Watch at your own peril as the youngster with two league goals to their name is hailed as the 'next Ronaldinho', when in actual fact their ceiling lies somewhere between Championship mediocrity and a semi-successful loan spell in League Two.
Three years on, the January window rumour mill was once again turning in its usual fashion and Malcolm Ebiowei, the Crystal Palace youngster who had only signed for the South London club in the Summer was linked with a move away from Selhurst Park on a short-term loan deal.
Hull City emerged as the most likely suitors for the 19-year-old, beginning a three week long will-they-won't-they saga consisting of injuries, rival bids and stalled negotiations leading to Ebiowei finally putting pen to paper in East Yorkshire with less than a week left in the window.
Malcolm Ebiowei in action for Crystal Palace (Derby Telegraph)
Perhaps down to the long winded nature of the negotiations or the feeling of beating out Championship rivals for his signature, the signing of Ebiowei felt like Hull had stumbled upon a superstar in the making and of course, the YouTube compilations were plentiful.
Advertised as "an absolute baller", Ebiowei looked the complete package. A natural winger who appeared to relish any opportunity to isolate a fullback and combine his pace, power and skill to easily breeze passed them. The teenager's signature move came in the form of a sharp cut inside, giving himself enough room to unleash a near perfect curled strike into the top corner of the net.
With just three goal contributions during his first sixteen professional appearances, the England youth international was far from a finished product however, the fact that all of his goals and assists had come in the final three games of last season showed that whilst he may take some time to settle to the division, he was more than capable to play at this level.
If it wasn't already apparent that expectations for the teenager were high at the MKM stadium, Ebiowei was given the number ten shirt upon his arrival. The number was made vacant by the departure of the ill-fated Summer loanee, Salah Oulad M'Hand who returned to his parent club, Arsenal, with fond memories of the Hull treatment table and probably not a lot else. With Ebiowei arriving in East Yorkshire already struggling with injuries, some feared that he may be destined to go the way of his predecessor and fail to ever make an impact in Black and Amber.
Worries of such misfortunes were put aside when Ebiowei was finally able to make his debut for Hull in the final twenty five minutes of what can only be described as a drab goalless draw against Stoke City. The new signing struggled to make an impact however, little was expected for a player who had just returned from injury and was playing with his new team mates for the first time.
What followed was a mix of disappointing substitute cameos and a start against Bristol City which came to an end only ten minutes into the second half. During each of these games, Ebiowei looked a shadow of the man from the YouTube compilations; a timid figure, seemingly glued to the touchline and showing no glimpses of the talents he had previously displayed.
Ebiowei featuring for Hull in a loan appearance versus Coventry (Football London)
Players signed on loan, in particular those who arrive during the January window, are often working against the clock to become accustomed to their new environment as quickly as possible. Permanent signings are afforded the leniencies of time to settle in and a chance to learn the system whilst many loan players are not. Those arriving on temporary deals find themselves forced to hit the ground running or become ostracised, left to languish on the bench until their parent club comes to collect them at the end of the season.
Like many Hull fans, I feared Ebiowei would go in the latter direction after a spell of Hull appearances with very little to write home about. Thankfully, any fears that signing Ebiowei was a mistake were firmly put to bed after the winger put in a couple of eye catching performances in his last two games.
Whether it's down to confidence or match sharpness, it is clear that the winger has sprung into life in the recent ties against Burnley and Reading. His display in the former earned Ebiowei the accolade of 'player of the match', awarded by the fans following his silver lining showing in what was a 3-1 loss to the team at the summit of the Championship.
Despite his brilliance now being recognised, it's difficult to pinpoint the extent of Ebiowei's influence on Hull's attacking output due to the simple fact that he is yet to register a single goal or assist. Regardless, the underlying numbers point to a player adding an extra dimension to a team crying out for a creative spark.
When looking at players who have played over ninety minutes this season, Ebiowei leads the league for both average take-ons attempted per game (10) as well as the number of which are successful (5). This means that the Englishman is not only the most ambitious player in the league when it comes to taking his man on, but he is arguably the best at it. Ebiowei's dribbling is not aimless; it is quick, progressive and most importantly, effective.
Even when compared to the top dribblers in Europe, Ebiowei shines. When looking at players across the continent's top five leagues, no one is attempting more take-ons per game than the Hull man. The likes of Real Madrid Star Vinicius Junior (8.9), Chelsea new signing Noni Madueke (8.5) and Dortmund breakout star Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (9.4) come close but cannot quite match the impressive tally put up by the Tiger's loanee.
Ebiowei's true impact comes when looking at his stats amongst his Hull teammates. The teenager averages the most touches for a Hull player in the final third (23) but ranks 18th for overall touches within the team, showing that the winger is direct in possession, always looking to receive the ball high up the pitch.
When Ebiowei is on the ball, it is not just possession for possession's sake. The youngster is decisive, never looking to waste an opportunity or take the easy option, essential traits for any forward player. The young winger also boasts the best returns regarding chances created per game. Ebiowei is contributing just under five shot creating actions per game with regular playmakers, Jean Michaël Seri (4) and Dimitris Pelkas (3) trailing the figures put up by the Englishman. This means that the player who looked so cautious in his opening games is now arguably the creative driving force of his side, fairly impressive for someone of his age.
Ebiowei in an appearance for Hull (Hull Live)
Whilst the net is yet to ripple courtesy of Ebiowei, the evidence is there that he is having a considerable impact on this Hull team. As with every loan player currently at Hull, time is against Liam Rosenior to maximise the output of Ebiowei before the season ends and he returns to his parent club.
Speaking on Ebiowei's future, Rosenior appeared reluctant to divulge into what the next season had in store for the 19-year-old. Speaking to local media, the Hull manager told reporters:
“What I want to do with Malcolm is come the summer, make sure he’s challenging for a place in Palace’s first team – we’ve got to remember, he’s probably been on their bench 20 times this season – but then if he’s not part of that conversation, we’re the first choice for him to want to come back to,"
Promising performances over recent fixtures has made almost every Hull fan open to the idea of Ebiowei extending his loan spell beyond the end of the season. On the flipside, the youngster's uptick in form as opened to door to a more prominent role at his parent club upon his return. With the likes of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze to contend with next season, there are no promises that Ebiowei will return to Selhurst Park with a nailed on spot in the starting eleven however, given enough time to adjust, there is no doubt he has the talent to become a Premier League regular.
Irrespective of what the future holds, Hull fans can be grateful to have their hands on a loan player whose legacy hopefully lies week-in-week-out on the pitch rather than the realms of YouTube compilation hyperbole.
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