Sam Allardyce has said Davy Klaassen should have made football his priority over money when given the chance to kickstart his career at Napoli this week.

The Everton manager claims a deadline-day loan move to the Italian title chasers collapsed because of a dispute over Klaassen’s image rights. The £23.6m summer signing has been frozen out under Allardyce, and the caretaker manager David Unsworth before him, having made three Premier League starts since his arrival from Ajax. Allardyce believes the Netherlands international missed an inviting opportunity to play: “It didn’t seem the normal sort of problem to stop a transfer going through.”

He added: “That’s the power of the player with the agent. There is nothing else we can do about that. If I’m sat in that position and have an agent, the agent works for me, not the other way round. For me it would never have been a financial decision. Even if I was losing money I’d be going because I’d want to play football. Davy wants to play but whether he got the full story I don’t know. I can’t really speculate much more, other than Davy is disappointed and we are disappointed.”

Allardyce suggested Napoli’s insistence on owning the midfielder’s image rights, even on a temporary basis, was the root of the problem. “Apparently that’s the norm at that club,” he said. “Whether the image rights are not validated or are taken over by club, I don’t know. It was all down to agent and Napoli really.”

Allardyce insisted Klaassen would not be ostracised from the first-team squad. “Davy Klaassen doesn’t give you the sort of problems some players do when they’re not involved. He’s a super professional and a super lad, and he comes in and tries his best in training every day.”

Allardyce has said Everton were able to sign Theo Walcott for a discounted £20m because of Arsenal’s respect for the winger. Walcott is set to face Arsène Wenger’s side on Saturday a little over a fortnight after ending a 12-year career with the club.

He has enjoyed an impressive start at Everton, scoring both goals in an important victory over Leicester City in midweek and creating an equaliser against West Bromwich Albion on his debut.

Walcott was by no means a cheap acquisition, particularly as Everton matched his £110,000-a-week Arsenal wage, but the fee was not exorbitant in the current market for a 28-year-old England international with 397 games and 108 goals in top-flight football. Walcott also had 18 months on his Arsenal contract but respect between both parties, Allardyce has claimed, made for a uncomplicated and cheaper transfer.

“I think a lot of negotiation was done by Theo,” he said. “Because of his service to the club and the fact he would accept what Arsène was doing – he is not a troublesome player who would throw the toys out of the pram – that respect between him and the club resulted in the move.He could have gone back to his hometown club Southampton who were our big rivals but the challenge he sees at Everton – can he get Everton to where they want to be? – he would help in that.

“There are no easy negotiations with Arsenal, believe you me, but eventually the negotiations got to where we did and the insistence for the first time ever from Theo that he wanted to leave, plus the respect they have for each other and the service he gave, probably was a factor.”

Allardyce refused to confirm Walcott would start against his old club. “We have to be slightly careful,” he said, “because Playing 90 minutes twice in three days is not something he’s been used to this season even though he’s not had an injury.” Séamus Coleman faces a similar assessment following his outstanding return from a 10-month lay-off with a broken leg on Wednesday.