Brilliant when he came through, had pace, movement and intelligence beyond his years, and was one of the best natural finishers I've seen at Everton.
Unfortunately, like so many, he got built up, and maybe had some bad advice, and took a move much too big, much too early, although, I still wonder how much was down to him and how much was down to Everton manufacturing it to get us out the [Poor language removed] (familiar story at that time).
Before he made his debut for everton at 16, he was much heralded, similar to Rooney, but had a heart defect that delayed his progress slightly, and was so well thought of, he even had a monthly column in the Evertonian magazine following his progress and in the youth team and giving an insight into the procedures he was going through at the time.
And of course, he was part of the same Youth cup winning team with Ball, Dunne, Hibbert, Osman, Cadamarteri, Jevons, etc.
But when he finally made his breakthrough, he was a breath of fresh air. Whereas previous youngsters had burst on to the scene with pure pace or goals records at lower levels, like Cadamarteri and Branch, Jeffers was a cut above, and you could see he had more to his game. He was intelligent, quick and had a subtlety to his game that set him apart. He had it. He formed a great partnership with Campbell and they really had a good understanding. If he had stayed, I think he would've kept improving, and with Rooney coming through as well just 12 months after he left, it surely would've been amazing having that level of homegrown striking talent at the club, to compliment the aging Ferguson and Campbell.
Before he finally did leave, he had already given warning signs he wouldn't be around long, and made headlines the year before by putting in a transfer request the night before the season opener. He didn't move, but it gave us a warning that while he was a great talent, he either didn't have the right mentality or was being badly advised, and it was only a matter of time before he would be gone.
So in comes Wenger looking for his "fox in the box".
Arsenal was too big a move and didn't play the type of game that suited him, plus he had Henry, Bergkamp, Kanu and Wiltord to compete with, and that's a big ask for anyone.
He did finally get to play with Rooney, both for England (they made their debuts in the same game if I remember rightly, 1-1 draw against Australia, Jeffers scored) and for Everton in Moyes Disastrous second season when we struggled badly, and Moyes fell out with everyone... By the start of the next season they were both gone and the rest as they say is history.
Rooney starred in the Euros, signed for United and went on to do everything we expected, while Jeffers dropped down divisions and had a journeyman career, playing for lots of clubs, but without the goals, and never again finding the form that made him so exciting at Everton.
But to dismiss him as [Poor language removed] is doing him a disservice. He most definitely wasn't. His talent was up there with the best of them. Wenger wouldn't have signed him at the peak of Arsenal's powers if it wasn't. He just didn't have the right mentality or nouse to go with it, the same thing I'm worried about happening to Barkley.
