Lille starlet could be the Idrissa Gueye successor Everton are finding

Everton must look into signing Boubakary Soumare from LOSC Lille.

If the reports emerging from France are to be believed, LOSC Lille starlet Boubakary Soumare is open to a move to England after initially preferring to stay with Les Douges. In such situation, Everton must consider bringing Soumare to Goodison Park, even though it won’t be an easy operation.

Currently, Everton’s midfield is in shambles. Gylfi Sigurdsson is past his prime, Tom Davies looks incompetent in a central midfield role. Andre Gomes has been poor since the restart but looking at the time he has had at Everton as a whole, the Portuguese is probably the only player who deserves a place in the team next season.

Perhaps, if Marcel Brands and the club board are smart enough, the idea will be to ditch the deadwood and bring in an efficient partner for Andre Gomes in the central midfield. The concepts of Allan, Franck Kessie and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg already exist. However, the Toffees must pay attention to Boubakaray Soumara who has had a breakthrough season with LOSC Lille.

The French-Senegalese would be a perfect match for the Everton midfield and a robust partner for Andre Gomes. The 21 year old is a defensive midfielder and 1 tackle, 1.1 interceptions, 2.2 long balls and 0.7 key passes per game. (stats via whoscored)

Soumare is suited to play in Premier League’s animal, intensive atmosphere. His 6 feet 2 inch build allows him to escape high press with relative ease and also physically bully opponents. Everton are in dire need of an enforcer, someone similar to Idrissa Gueye and Soumare has similar traits.

Andre Gomes is someone who thrives on technical presence and is suitable to play passes in the final third but not to act as a midfield anchor. Boubakary Soumare is an excellent passer and distributor of the ball. He has the eye to avoid opposition press and distribute the ball to ease up the pressure, something Tom Davies has repeatedly failed to do all season.

The Toffees employ a very direct possession based approach and often rely on long balls supplied via Lucas Digne or midfield. The 21 year old midfielder is an expert in sending the ball over the top of the opposition. His aggressive and expansive nature suits his style of play and makes him a good bet to succeed in England.

At the moment no major clubs have been named in Soumare’s pursuit. However, things could change very rapidly in the next few weeks. LOSC Lille are looking at an end of season sale where they may cash in on Victor Osimhen, Gabriel, Jonathan Ikone and Boubakary Soumare.

Everton must push if the young sensation becomes available. Idrissa Gueye is dearly missed at Goodison and for the first time since his departure, a player with similar qualities could be a prime target.

Could Boubakary Soumare be Idrissa Gueye successor if he signs with the Toffees?