Should Everton bring back Idrissa Gueye
Reports have surfaced in the media that former Everton midfield dynamo Idrissa Gueye is being watched by several English clubs with a view to him moving back to the Premier League. Should the Blues be one of those clubs?
This would be quite a turnaround in the situation, with Gana having only left Everton for the French champions PSG, last summer.
This move was one that the Senegal international had wanted for a while and it might have happened in the last January window, but in the end he stayed until the end of the season before getting his desired move.
Since his departure, the Toffees have struggled badly to replace him and have been unable to do so. With the news that his much vaunted replacement, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, is injured yet again and likely to miss the rest of this season, might a move for Gana make sense?
There are many reasons why it might be a good short-term solution, not least because he knows Everton and the Premier League very well.
The Senegal player would offer that energy that Carlo Ancelotti wants, as well as the work rate and defensive resilience that Everton certainly need in midfield.
However, I think on balance it would be a retrograde move, if indeed there’s anything more to it than simply idle paper talk.
Players who return to previous clubs, (or for that matter managers too), rarely have a successful time when they come back to a former stamping ground and that might well happen in this case.
There is also the question of his age. Gueye is now well past 30 and so I would imagine that might be a substantial stumbling block to any return to Goodison Park.
Related to this story, the Blues are again being strongly linked with a concrete move for Napoli and Brazil midfielder Allan.
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According to another story in the Italian media, the Toffees have made an offer to Napoli of around £25 million to sign the player. They are also considering paying him the not inconsiderable sum of £100,000 per week.
These recurring stories about Allan, have been making the rounds for a number of weeks and months so as usual we need to consider that caveat before getting too ahead of ourselves.
The Brazilian is far more than just a defensive replacement for Gana. He is also an excellent passer of the ball and would offer far more in attack than the PSG man.
Allan would seem to be a perfect addition for what Ancelotti wants, although again his age might mean he wouldn’t be able to give Everton more than a few seasons of top-class performances.
Ancelotti’s reputation and relationship with the player, will be key to persuading Allan to quit Italy’s Serie A for the English Premier League. We will see if this indeed proves to be the case.