Forget signings: Keeping Idrissa Gueye would represent a great window for Everton
According to a recent report from Sky Sports, there is even greater interest in the services of Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye. The 29-year-old made the move to Goodison Park back in 2016 after impressing at Aston Villa the season before, with the Senegal international since then making a midfield spot his own on Merseyside to thus attract interest from potential suitors throughout the current January transfer window.
Paris Saint-Germain have long been linked (as per L’Equipe) with a move for Gueye, yet a recent report from Sky Sports suggests that both Arsenal and Premier League champions Manchester City are also keen on the £45,000-a-week ace (as per Spotrac).
And while Marco Silva’s Everton have yet to make any additions this month, keeping the 29-year-old beyond the January deadline would without doubt represent a great window for the Merseysiders.
The Breakdown
Ultimately, the Toffees’ testing run of form in recent times, in which they have won just three of their last 11 Premier League matches, has brought about some pressure on the shoulders of manager Silva, who may well have been looking into the transfer market in a bid to plug the weak areas of his squad.
And while it has been well-documented throughout the season that Everton need a number nine, no additions have so far taken place to suggest that the Toffees may go the whole window without making a signing – and were they to do that, they simply have to make sure they don’t let their most prized assets leave as well.
And there is no doubting that 29-year-old Gueye falls into that category, as the Senegalese star has been the main man in the central midfield department pretty much ever since he made the move to Goodison Park two-and-a-half years ago.
The former Villa man shone for the Midlands giants in their disastrous Premier League relegation campaign of 2015/16 to suggest that he had something to offer in the English top-flight, prompting Everton to make a move for the midfielder that summer as new boss Ronald Koeman sought the improvements needed to take the Toffees to the next level.
And what an inspired decision that has proven to be as Gueye has made a midfield spot his own throughout his time on Merseyside, appearing 94 times in all competitions for the Toffees, of which 86 have come in their last 100 Premier League matches.
That itself underlines just how vital he has been to Everton over the years, and no wonder given Gueye is as good as anyone in the middle of the park in terms of off the ball ability, with the 29-year-old excellent in terms of breaking the play up with tackles and interceptions, while his overall reading of the game regularly sees him thwart opposition attacks.
And with improvements on the ball in the last 12 months or so, the Senegalese ace is slowly but surely becoming a hugely accomplished all round midfielder at Premier League level – the fact Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, and James McCarthy have struggled to dispose him of a starting role is testament to Gueye’s consistently high-level performances for the Toffees.
And that is why losing him this month is simply unthinkable, as the 29-year-old is the main man in that midfield area, which is an area itself that isn’t exactly flourishing with adept and convincing replacements for the midfielder – it needed the loan arrival of Andre Gomes during the summer to greatly improve it.
As such, Everton fans are likely to be counting down the hours and minutes until the window slams shut on Thursday, and while they don’t look like making any additions this month, were they to retain Gueye beyond the 11pm deadline, it would represent a great window for the Toffees.
Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!