Neal Maupay, the French footballer currently on loan at Marseille from English Premier League side Everton, has stirred up quite the controversy with his latest social media antics. The 26-year-old striker took to X (formerly Twitter) to poke fun at his parent club’s recent struggles, claiming he “smiles” whenever he checks Everton’s score after a bad day.
This cheeky jab comes on the heels of Everton’s 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, which leaves the Toffees languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table. Maupay’s post read: “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile 🙂” – a sentiment that has understandably ruffled some feathers among the Everton faithful.
A Tumultuous Toffees Tenure
Maupay’s relationship with Everton has been a rocky one since his £15 million move from Brighton & Hove Albion in August 2022. The Frenchman struggled to find his footing at Goodison Park, netting just one goal in 29 appearances across all competitions. This lackluster return saw him shipped out on loan to Brentford for the latter half of last season, where he fared slightly better with six goals in 18 matches.
Now plying his trade in Ligue 1 with Marseille, Maupay has continued to underwhelm, finding the back of the net just twice in 11 league appearances. Despite his own struggles, however, the forward apparently still finds time to revel in Everton’s misfortunes from afar.
Fanning the Flames
This isn’t the first time Maupay has courted controversy with his off-field antics. Upon sealing his loan move to Marseille, the striker posted a clip from the prison escape film “The Shawshank Redemption” on social media, seemingly suggesting he was breaking free from the shackles of Everton. He also notably mimicked James Maddison’s infamous darts celebration after scoring against Tottenham last season, further cementing his reputation as something of a pantomime villain.
Maupay is still an Everton player, but his latest social media dig has done little to endear him to the Goodison Park faithful. With an obligation to buy clause included in his Marseille loan deal, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Frenchman has a future on Merseyside.
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An Uncertain Future
As Everton continue to toil near the foot of the Premier League table, Maupay’s future remains up in the air. The Toffees have the option to recall him from his loan spell in January, but given his lackluster performances and strained relationship with the fan base, a permanent parting of ways seems the most likely outcome.
For now, though, Maupay remains an Everton player – albeit one who seems to take perverse pleasure in his parent club’s failings. Whether his latest social media jab will come back to bite him remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: he’s done little to endear himself to the long-suffering Everton faithful.
As the Toffees gear up for a crucial clash with Bournemouth this weekend, they’ll be hoping to put Maupay’s antics behind them and focus on securing a much-needed three points. For the exiled Frenchman, meanwhile, the future looks increasingly uncertain – but if his time at Everton has taught us anything, it’s that he’s never far from the headlines, for better or for worse.
