Everton signed Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure to reinforce the midfield
Everton’s laggard midfield last season was one of the main reasons for Everton’s slump and disappointing displays. Carlo Ancelotti revitalized the midfield to an extent in the summer transfer window, signing Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, two talented midfielders with diverging credentials and a unique style of play.
The midfield that previously looked incompetent with Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph Tom Davies, and Gylfi Sigurdsson had been injected with soul and energy with Allan and Doucoure’s addition. Davies, the local boy, unlocked new levels of productivity under Ancelotti’s tutelage when Allan spent time on the treatment table, playing in the No.6 role and earning praises such as ‘Scouse Pirlo’.
Sigurdsson is a technical genius with astounding abilities from dead ball situations but he is not suited to play in the central midfield role. He doesn’t have the legs to run around the field for 90 minutes without losing intensity, which was one of the reasons why he was ineffective in the midfield role in 4-4-2 last term.
Fans will debate that Everton have been robbed of £8.5 million that they paid to Manchester City for Delph because most of them have never been able to see the Englishman play a run of games. Brought from City to instill the Champion mindset that Delph imbibed in Manchester, the 31 year old instead spends time in the shadows of injuries, so much so that his absence in the squad is becoming unnoticeable.
Andre Gomes has been shaky at times this season
Andre Gomes’ first season at Everton, on loan from Barcelona was probably the most successful season at Merseyside. The impact was positive and Everton were confident they could extract the maximum output from the Portuguese, signing him permanently in 2018. Last season, Gomes suffered a horrific ankle injury in November but remarkably he recovered in just 112 days to return to the squad and play the last phase of the campaign after the delay due to the COVID Pandemic.
However, the images of ankle dislocation may have faded, the mental scars of that ghastly incident remain. Gomes doesn’t seem to be the same player he was before the injury and has a turbulent spell this season. Blessed with tremendous technical ability and vision to thread delicious passes in the final third, Gomes has been quite the opposite in certain phases of the season.
He’s looked out of sync and too slow in the midfield, failing to match the pace of the game, resulting in getting caught up and losing the ball. The arrival of Doucoure and Allan would allow Gomes more freedom forward, while he has had that freedom but his efficiency has reduced.
Gomes has also had games where he was spectacular and performing at a level expected from him, for example the game against Leeds United game at Elland Road. Gomes was the best player on the pitch as per Ancelotti as the 27 year old was technically, tactically and physically adept rarely making errors.
Sadly, such performances have been as scarce as a hen’s teeth which makes one put up an argument whether Gomes is just another squad player? If Everton have European ambitions they need to have regularly performing, astute midfield. Gomes no doubt has incredible quality but his performances have been infrequent which cannot be acceptable at the European stage.
Adrien Rabiot could be a solid upgrade on Andre Gomes
With the summer transfer window approaching, Everton will have positions in their mind that need to be upgraded. A new midfielder could be on the list as Ancelotti’s former pupil continues to get linked with Everton.
The links to Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot are simply not fading away. The Toffees chased the former PSG man last summer but Juve director Fabio Paratici slammed the door ruling out any possibility of an exit. Despite the Frenchman’s low productivity under Sarri, Juventus wanted to keep him.
Everton still dream of Adrien Rabiot
Andrea Pirlo took over the reins at the Allianz Stadium and gave Rabiot chances to prove his worth. The 25 year old reciprocated to an extent, providing some solid performances but still not able to showcase his best self. One manager who can boast that he was able to get the maximum out of Rabiot in a short span of time is Ancelotti.
As Juventus look to rebuild the team, Rabiot and other stars could be headed far from Turin. What can be perceived as good news for Everton, Juventus are ready to listen to offers for Rabiot but the offer must be important, as per Tuttosport (via JMania).
While Juventus are happy with Adrien Rabiot, Everton’s desire to sign Rabiot to upgrade the midfield is a strong as the Toffees continue to press for the Frenchman. Rabiot has the skills and talent to be an upgrade to Gomes but he won’t come cheap.
Should the Toffees sign Adrien Rabiot?