Why Everton must plot a January swoop for Abdoulaye Doucoure

Back in August, Telegraph had claimed that Watford rejected a bid of £32million from Everton for midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure during the summer window.

Abdoulaye Doucoure, 26, had long been linked to Everton, but it came as a surprise when the Toffees moved so late for the midfielder in the summer. The report adds Watford had informed Everton that the Frenchman was not for sale at any price.

The Toffees sold Idrissa Gueye to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. They signed three midfielders before the start of the 2019/20 season – Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

Delph has been in and out of the team following his move from Manchester City, but it’s a shame for Everton to lose Gbamin and Gomes to long-term injuries.

Gbamin, who joined the Merseysiders from Mainz, featured in the club’s two opening league games before sustaining a thigh injury in the training that is set to keep him sidelined for three months. Gomes was deeply unfortunate on Sunday when he fell victim to a serious ankle injury against Tottenham.

The midfielder was taken off on a stretcher in the second-half following a challenge from Son Heung-min, which saw the Portugal international then collide with Serge Aurier. Gomes is set to undergo surgery after sustaining a fracture-dislocation to his right ankle that could see him miss the rest of the season.

With Everton losing two midfielders, Silva is left with Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, Fabian Delph and Beni Baningime as the only options in the middle of the park. They could definitely do with some more quality and depth in the midfield, which should prompt Silva to reignite interest in Abdoulaye Doucoure in January.

Doucoure has performed very well for Watford over the last couple of seasons in the Premier League. He hasn’t enjoyed a great to start to the new campaign, with the Hornets languishing at the foot of the table.

Nevertheless, he remains a quality player and Everton boss Marco Silva knows the Frenchman in and out, having worked with him during his brief spell in charge at Vicarage Road.

He was directly involved in 11 goals in 40 games for Watford last season across all competitions, meaning Doucoure has the potential to add creativity and goals for Everton.

Strong in the air and robust in the tackle, the former Rennes man has averaged 2.3 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 0.9 clearances per games in all competitions this season. These stats suggest Doucoure is also solid when it comes to screening the defence. [Courtesy: WhoScored.com]

Verdict

All in all, Doucoure could be a quality signing for Everton, who have to perform at their best in the second half of the season to achieve a top-six finish.