PSG still in the hunt for Gueye

Fine, give us the £30m and we'll have the soon to be out of contract Rabiot as a £10m make weight.

Would hate for this to happen.

Iain, Rabiot will say no, and then leave for Barca for free in the summer as planned, pocketing a massive signing on fee and wages we can't match.

And I would most definitely cash in on a 29-year-old who, as good as he is, can be replaced. And whilst finding someone as good as Gueye at what Gueye does best might be impossible, finding a more balanced player to better fit the system is. Barrios is floated on another rumour. Don't know if he's the answer, but he's highly rated, and I'm sure there's others we can find.

Key attributes needed:
- good range of passing
- accurate long passing
- positional discipline
- ability to shield the back four
- ability to take the ball off the back four
- ability to receive the ball under pressure and find another blue shirt in space
- ability to dictate a high tempo by moving the ball quickly
- ability to hit accurate one-touch passes
- height to head balls away, stops the opposition dropping balls in between our defence and midfield
- tackling
- tendency to remain on feet and delay the opposition rather than rashly dive in.

Yep, Steve and Iain, per the Barcelona media the Rabiot deal is done. Terms agreed late last week.

Steve, you've left out the most important attribute of all – winning the ball. It's not just about tackling, but tackling and coming away with the ball. And intercepting passes. And pressuring the opposition into giveaways.

Gueye does these three things as well as anyone in the world, and we have nobody else who does. All those passing capabilities (a la Gomes) mean nothing if we don't have possession. And Gana is the only player in the team who consistently, tirelessly gets us possession.

I will be seriously depressed if he goes.

Re Barrios, he has the talent, but not the composure IMO. He cost Boca the Copa Liberatores final a few weeks ago by getting sent off in extra time with an absolutely idiotic challenge. And that's after he should have seen red in the World Cup for the head butt.

Mike, Gueye wins the ball by vacating position and frequently gets passed around. Even against Lincoln, we had massive gaps in midfield. There was a good 40-yard gap between the centre mids when attacks broke down. No-one is sitting in.

Either we somehow magically transform Schniederlin into the player he once was, or we sign someone who can sit in there. Gueye can't do it.

James McCarthy can do Gueye's job just as good.

Take the money and reinvest in Doucoure.

John @6,

I agree with you there... the only issue – and it's a big issue – is James's fitness.

I'd cash in on Gueye if that's the money they're talking about. For all his attributes, his passing lets him down... majorly.

Take the money and re-invest in Doucoure.

29 years of age is nothing on a super fit, slim, agile player. Many years left.

Why not get Kante and or Drinkwater if Chelsea don't want them.

£40M, the pair?

Because, Justin, we desperately need a Fernandinho or a Jorginho. We don't need either of those two, Gueye and Gomes can do what they do. They won't fix that gaping hole in the middle. We need someone who can hold, can sit in, and can dictate the tempo.

We need to change from two deep to one deep, and from one behind the striker to two box to box, and so allow the wide players room to come inside and help the striker.

The whole balance of the side is wrong right now.

Do you think Marco and Brands will try to plug that gap in January, Steve?

I can't see Brands letting him go.

Steve @9, that is spot on. For sometime there has been criticism, not just under Silva, for playing two holding midfielders. We don't and haven't. If Schneiderlin had been any good, Koeman might still be here, but we have lacked a disciplined holding midfielder for a long time.

Also, the role of a genuine holding midfielder is unsung and underrated. To me it will free up a genuine playmaking Number 10. Something as simple as this could, as you suggest, could fundamentally change the balance of our team and bring it all together. It seems to me that we are really that close.

It appears so, Joe. Selling Gueye and buying Barrios could be just that. Whether Barrios is exactly the player we need, I have no idea.

Brands must have a load of such players in his little notebook. PSV would have kept tabs on all kinds of players. They don't forget the best because they might not get them, because if they are under 18, you never know how they will progress, so by 21 their career might not have quite taken off in the way you expect, and Brands could find a good young player ready to explode.

Case in point is Ruben Neves. He was superb for Porto. He was linked with all the big clubs from all over Europe, then his form went off a cliff and he had a bad 12 months or so, and next thing, Mendes dumped him at Wolves.

18 months later and he is 6 months away from a massive move in the summer. I hope Brands can find something similar.

Yes, Andy. And don't think Silva doesn't know this. Some seem to think the side has been playing exactly as he wanted to play. I bet those fans are not at the game, and if they are, watch him on the touchline. Some of the woeful passing out from the back is clearly causing him a major annoyance.

I can tell you for a fact, Silva does not like slow build-up play. He wants to move the ball quickly, he wants a high tempo. The players are failing him when they don't play this way. He clearly needs a midfield general and then the team, as Andy says, could be dramatically transformed.

I still think we need a striker. We are 4th in the league for shots, but 12th for shots on target. As much as some hate stats, that does tell you that we lack quality.

I would expect Silva to be keeping very few of the squad he inherited in the summer and for most of the players to be moved on. I thought he could improve them, but clearly many are too old, or clearly not up to standard.

Steve #9, we couldn't use Kante???

Really?

I would take him in half a heartbeat. What a brilliant, complete player.

If you'd really rather have Jorginho, I suggest a cup of nice warm milk and a good night's sleep.

And Neves scores a cracker tonight, Steve!

We obviously prefer different styles of football, Mike. I'm with Sarri on this one.

Steve. Where does Gomes fit into a typical Silva style?

As for Kante, I would have a team of them. World Cup winner and best centre-midfielder in the Premier League, IMO.

Some rumours tonight that Gueye has said he's very keen for the move. That it's looking more likely than it did a few days ago but Everton will want upwards of £35m.

That much money for a 29-year-old makes sense to me but I think we'll struggle to find someone who wins us as much possession and can pass well. Doucoure will cost a fortune and, though I like Barrios, he'd represent a serious risk. Could we bring Joe Williams back from loan?

Cavani, straight swap – tell them.

Sell Gana right away if we get the chance. Get a midfielder with a wider array if skills and adapt the formation. That is what we need.

If James McCarthy is fit, he is way better than Gana.

I would take Doucoure in a heartbeat, but I would bet he is going to a bigger club.

Kante is a much better player than Gana as well.

Yep. Couldn't agree more with you, Steve & Andy, re Gana. There is no doubt about his pressing and ball-winning attributes but a holding midfielder he is not. Constantly leaves gaping holes in the middle of the park and this illusion that he protects the back four has always annoyed me.

He is brilliant at what he does and he's had some amazing games for us but he absolutely needs to play with a proper holding midfielder.

I'd still prefer we kept him but, if it's big money, then I can see the logic in selling.

Steve #3 yes, I agreed with you about Gana earlier in the season, well last year now, and I've seen nothing of him to change that opinion.

Sandra #23 has described him perfectly so no need to repeat it.

£30m plus I'm sure Brands is astute enough to attach a realistic add on clause bringing the fee closer to what we want is a fee which will allow a player such as Barrios to be brought in.

With a player like him, it would allow Gomes, who is clearly more expressive, the chance to create more rather than chasing to fill the holes left by Gana. I suppose the role we need is more like an anchor rather than a normal defensive mid?

As for Rabiot, we'll probably look at him next season after he's sat on Barca's bench for a season, Digne and Mina can help him remove the splinters!

Not sure he'll be glued to the bench, Iain. Bousquets has already made 500 appearances for the club, and although he's only 30 there are signs it's starting to catch up with him. Rabiot should get some games.

Mike gaynes @14,

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Brilliant!

Anyone who wants Gana with a proper holding midfielder needs to let me know what positions will be left to create ?

Gana is a top, top ball-winning midfielder, he compliments Gomes brilliantly, put him next to a Schneiderlin-style player and we wouldn't have any creativity in the middle of the park.

Probably our best player.

Unbelievable that some people are willing to get rid. If the lad could unlock defences, then he would be playing for Barcelona.

As it is, he just wins the ball back 100 times a game and gives it to the creative players to do their bit. It's not his fault they pass it straight back to him.

Gana's ability to win a football is uncanny and makes him one of my current favourites at the club.

But his lack of ability to create or sometimes even retain the ball has been pointed out on every thread that bears his name.

His distribution (or lack of) was probably the worst I've seen in a long time against Lincoln. Not only fluffing the odd promising break but even surrendering possession under minimal pressure after receiving the ball at the back. Criminal stuff.

At the moment I can't tell if the generally lethargy and lack of concentration and confidence that is afflicting pretty much every player atm has also got to Gana, or if the player truly will never be capable of distributing the ball reliably.

I would like him to stay regardless because I simply enjoy watching his superb tackle timing.

I think in general we have improved but there is still a long way to go. Martinez appeared to insist on players playing roles they could not perform well enough. Defenders having to much responsibility to play and create.

Silva plays a similar style and we still have a defensive weakness. A top manager would address the weaknesses and adapt tactics, style, players and not make excuses. In fairness Silva isn't moaning but by not changing tactics or players he isn't addressing the weaknesses.

Why have a midfielder that just sits? Isn't that a defenders job? I understand you want them to bring the ball out and play from deep but having them sit deep, in between the two defenders to collect a pass and move it on simply means we have defenders out of position and are wide open to the counter attack.

If we want a defender/midfielder to sit and pass in the middle of the park then couldn't Baines do this job. Defensive awareness, comfortable on the ball and a good passer?

Leandro Paredes would be a good Gueye replacement. Very neat passer and not afraid of a tackle either. Probably the best player this season in Russia (after a certain young Croat).

I think he will go as its great business for a 29-year-old player if the fees being mentioned are realistic. I expect Everton will have a replacement lined up, a younger version who also makes more forward passes.

Dont get my wrong: I like Gueye but he is one-dimensional in that he chases down players but is not creative enough when in possession.

The whole team is losing possession and misplacing passes at the moment – including Gana.

Gana seems to let the attacking midfielders get on with that job and shields our rather shaky defence. They end up very exposed without him.

Can we give them Schneiderlin?

We certainly missed Gana when he was injured over Christmas but I do think we need somebody who can play the one deep midfielder role that could turn us into a 4-3-3 team instead of a 4-2-3-1. Silva has a system in mind but not the midfield or goalscorer to implement it.

It shouldn't be Gana's job to make difficult passes. He's one of the best of the country at pressing, tackling and making interceptions. After that, he should only need to give the ball to the more creative players.

Part of the trouble is that there are not often enough people desperate to get the ball in our team, showing for passes or moving into space.

Of course there are certain matches when Gana struggles to play even the simple 5-yard passes and that's probably why he's been with us for 3 years and not a Champions League team.

Still, we don't have any other players who are the best at what they do in the country.

The fact that a team like PSG is sniffing around him would indicate that he is a cracking player.

His creative passing is found wanting, as is his woeful shooting technique; however, he does what he is supposed to do and break up play and give the ball to the creative players.

I hope we keep him.

So, we might need a hard-tackling, drving midfielder, of international standard, who is likely to be available, and would probably come: ... Danny Drinkwater, anyone? Manchester lad, would probably want to come back to the North-West.

Before anyone says he's no good – hands up how many of our players have a Premier League Winner's medal?!

Remeber quite recently, our best player, was often lamented on here because he lacked 'this, and that'. What he lacked was viewed with more and more important than what he gave us. 'Easily replaced', 'this, that or the other guy' would do a better job, so they said.

Yet, ever since Lukaku left, we have failed to replace him. Finding a 25+ a season goalscorer isn't as easy as is imagined by many.

Now it is time to get rid of our current best player. We have one player who would interest the current top-4 flock (a few with potential that may in a few years). One player who, in 2018, was the only one to play to his best, the most consistent force in our ever so inconsistent team. The one player at his peak in a team full of 'potentials'. 'Good age to sell', '£35 million for a 29-year-old', 'Could be a better passer of the ball', 'Doesn't score enough', 'Vacates position' all as if, for £30 million, Mid-table Everton are going to sign some hybrid of Pirlo and Gattuso at relative ease. As if a clone of 'Patrick Vieira' is just waiting to be signed for relative buttons.

Gueye is our best and most consistent performer. And £35 million is really not that much. And good teams don't sell their best players before replacing them, they replace them with better, and then sell them.

If we were to sign this wonderous deep-lying defensive/creative midfielder, and as such move Gueye to the bench, or to a no8 position, then yeah,maybe look to sell in the summer. But now, and suggest that we take a punt on the rather average Barrios, or keep McCarthy in his place, just seems madness.

Sam, I don't think he does need to make the difficult passes. We need somebody who can win the ball and immediately push the forward momentum our way and I'm not sure Gana does that well enough.

If we had the likes of Gomes and Doucoure feeding off somebody who could our game would change for the better. It would still be a case of 'Who?' though.

Absolutely not, Neil. Locker-room cancer, that fella. A self-obsessed team-chemistry destroyer.

I have to vehemently disagree on the stereotyping some contine applying to Gana Gueye and his football this season.

For the first time on Saturday, I was unable to watch the Lincoln game live, so I cannot make any judgement call on how the team or any of the players performed over 90 minutes. So my assessment of Gana is based not on that single game, but over the whole term of his contract with Everton.

In his (and Koeman's) first season with Everton, he was awesomely impressive immediately. He won the ball. Retained the ball. Laid off the ball, almost as quickly as the writing of these 3 sentences.

He had a lovely way of receiving and turning with the ball all in one movement, leaving his marker for dead, whilst keeping the game moving in Everton's favour. His form tailed off a bit that December, ahead of him going away on international duty for the African Nations Cup in January, but the exuberant Tom Davies was already sniffing around the first team at that stage.

In Gana's absence, Schneiderlin was recruited and Davies became a fixture in the side – even ahead of both Schneiderlin and Gana on occasion when all available – in his excellent breakthrough season (Tom being another player many have collective amnesia about – 'What's he ever done other than score a wonder goal against City?' – voted young player of the year and goal of the season that year, that's what).

But back to Gana. I commented many times that having Schneiderlin and Gana in the same side did a disservice to both players and the team, as Schneiderlin effectively took the role Gana is best suited to play, whilst Gana was being asked to fill the role Schneiderlin should have been used in. That remained the case up until this season.

If people wish to continue harping on about Gana's poor passing and lack of creativity, then IMO they are basing that on last season's Everton and Gana (when he and most of the team were poor), and not this season's player. And if they are claiming Gana is going AWOL in his defensive midfield role, they are watching different games to me or not understanding how Silva has largely played the Gana-Gomes combo.

The two players have spoken publicly about how they play together. Some doubted Gomes's ability to play a more withdrawn midfield role, but without question, our best spell thus far this season has been when the two have dovetailed and interchanged their roles seamlessly. Neither have a fictional line they don't retreat or advance beyond. Yes, Gana is predominantly the deeper lying of the two, but if the play allows for Gana to push on, Gomes holds back, and vice versa.

Check the defensive numbers in our best spell. When this was working well we were conceding very few chances, never mind actual goals. Now check things since the 96th minute defeat at Anfield. The team has lost the very, very effective and solid shape we displayed in that game and in earlier games. A combination of poor tactics by the manager, together with Gana's absence through injury, was the cause for our 'no show' in a number of those games.

Just one game ago, the home loss to Leicester, we were again woeful. But not Gana. He did his day job – tackling, intercepting, breaking up the opposition play – but also, he was the one trying to drive Everton on. The one with the highest pass completion rate. The one being the most creative, with a varied range of (accurate!) passing.

Does he have a 100% pass completion? No, he doesn't. Nobody in the history of football does. But he currently is way ahead of all Everton players on passes played and is in the top three of passes completed – 84%.

For a French speaking player, PSG and the ambition they show must be a tempting offer. But, if Everton do take the money, they better have a very good ready-to-go player to take his place, because he is arguably our player of the season to date and will be sorely missed if he does move on.

Totally with Jay on this one. The best teams certainly don't sell their best players and, more often than not, Gana is our best player.

His job has multiple roles and he accomplishes them fantastically very often, to the point where he even has the opportunity to attempt more than is necessarily his remit. I doubt he is spanking them in from the edge of the box in training so I doubt that Silva is telling him to shoot.

As it stands, he is not only doing his job in our team but others who aren't turning up, and it's even more noticeable when he is absent.

If we do have to sell Gueye, and I'm not convinced we should for the reasons Jay lays out, then I think it's worth looking at Philip Billing of Huddersfield.

He's in the top 6 in the league for tackles and interception like our Gana and at 6ft-4in adds a very solid physical presence in the middle as well as a few goals from set pieces. He's been Huddersfield's best player this season and is only 22.

Sam, behind a certain young player we sent on loan as he couldn't get in to our first team, you mean?

Pete, I'm being dim and can't figure it... who?

That's right, Pete.

Vlasic, Kris.

I got lost there guys, thinking we were talking about a replacement for Gueye who we had sent on loan. My bad.

I do like Vlasic, though I have a sinking Bilyaletdinov feeling about him. Something about the pace of the Premier League and so on and so forth.

I'm concerned that, if true, this sends out the wrong signal to other players that you can move on mid-season. Dangerous precedent, especially with probably our best player.

Billing is not a bad shout Sam. If we can bring in players like that plus Doucoure and even Wan-Bissaka at Palace, they are all athletes and big units – not something we've had much of in the recent past.

For me, Gueye is as good as having two defensive mids. His energy and willingness to chase everything to disrupt the opposition makes him invaluable. IMO he is not far behind Kante and I'm sure I read certain stats that put him ahead.

My only concern is that his shooting is very erratic and often off target but I would be very loathe to lose him.

I also like the look of Thiago Mendes at Lille, an all round midfielder excelling this season in a very good Lille team that have a few players worth looking at. The Brazilian lad might flourish under Silva with Bernard and Richie.

Andrew @51, I agree we need some more athleticism. I wonder if Doucoure might be over-priced (and not quite as good this season) but a player of that ilk would do well.

Gana is a dichotomy. One of the best ball winners in the league and also one of the worst passers from midfield. On a good day, his passing is average. On a bad day, any employee of the club would be better.

Saying that he has been consistent and professional for us, not a moaner, like clockwork he does what he does well. He may do better for PSG too, in the tamer French league.

Doucoure, Mendes who Sam mentions, and I am sure there are one or two other interesting options would be better for us to make progress.

Alternatively keep Gana as a squad player and buy a Doucoure or similar anyway. A player of Gana's nature ready to step in for injuries or Europa matches is not to be discounted too easily.

Tony @53,

I hate to correct you but Gueye is definitely from Senegal and not Dichotomy.

The Echo reckon Everton are rebuffing offers for Williams as they plan to bring him back into the first team picture in the summer. I remember hearing that Silva liked him before he was injured last summer. Haven't seen much of him but wonder if he is an option for the midfield role Gana holds?

Gana has been pretty consistent since he came but that's not to say outstanding. He always gives 100% but so did the likes of Mike Lyons and Everton won nothing during his time.

Midfielders have to show something more and if it's not winning possession then it has to creativity or scoring a few goals.

If his head is turned by the PSG interest (and it may well be) then Everton should let him go.

As mentioned by some, Macca would fill in better now that he is fit.

Kieran #55

You almost gave me a heart attack! It took about 20 seconds for me to realise you meant Joe Williams and not Ashley Williams.

I can breathe easier now. Phew!

Brian #54 - dual nationality?

I seem to remember we had a pretty decent midfielder who regularly won the ball and scored a few goals. Tall plank of a fellow with fuzzy hair. He followed our former manager to the Theatre of Dreams and could well be available soon... Goes under the name of Fellaini!!

I’m still seeing people pinning hopes on McCarthy and it blows my mind.

It never ceases to amaze me how we put our own down.

Doucoure, who plays in a very disciplined Watford team, couldn't hold a candle to Gueye... and Mendes, who most of us know very little about, is playing in a Mickey Mouse league.

Jay, it is a very TW culture thing. Not the fault of TW per se but the ease of spouting angry crap on the web. When I meet some fellow Blues who are not readers of TW, their balance amazes me.

So TW is what it is and I love it and hate it!

Thanks Jay #42, perfect summation of our best player by a country mile. This would be a disastrous deal for us. The notion that he is somehow a worse passer than others in the team is ludicrous, his passing stats explode that myth. If he does go, we can watch our possession stats plummet without his ball winning.

Why would a team with Neymar and Mbappe want Gana? Who would we buy with £35m that could replace him ? We could have McCarthy and Joe Williams in midfield and I reckon we would still be short of what we have with Gana. He consistently pops up and cuts out dangerous situations, putting out fires everywhere. To be perfectly honest, he deserves to be playing in a much better team than Everton, so good luck to him if he does go, will set us back big time.

I'm not sure if Barrios is well-suited to the Premier League; I reckon he'll be racking up the suspensions. He loves a tackle, but isn't too cute about it. With VAR set to come in next season, he'll have to change his game a bit I should think.

For what it's worth, if Gana goes then I'd like someone who is high-energy to replace. The laconic Schneiderlin has very much sworn me off players of his ilk. Who that player might be escapes me – but the idea that we could sign N'Golo Kante – and for less than £40 million – is just nonsense. Let's go get Mbappe for £50 million too. Jesus made salt-water come out of his eyes...

It is bad news if criticism gets personal, there is no need for it, but fair and reasonable criticism of any player is borne out of the desire to make the team better. To improve and try to win trophies.

Gana is great at what he does, tackling and winning the ball back. Is that enough to make us into a top 6 or trophy winning team? Because passing wise, goals from midfield, and creative play are below average.

He is 29 and if PSG offer a good fee for him it will be best to move him on and let M&M find a quality replacement. I think the team will be stronger for that business if the right man is bought.

Gana is great, keep him.

I watch every player in our team misplace, over-hit and under-hit simple 10-yard passes. Pointing the finger at Gana, our most consistent player, is ridiculous.

Currently Pickford, the great promising keeper with composure and the ability to accurately pass out from the back (not my words), kicks the ball out of play several times a game. His supposed strength is turning us into a bunch of panicking penguins.

Best player in Russia... not interested.

Why not try and tempt Chelsea to part with Kante and/or Drinkwater?

Billing has started to look good, on MotD highlights but Huddersfield's best player by a mile is Mooy. He's currently out injured but I rate Mooy very highly and if he comes back and proves his fitness he'd make and excellent addition to the midfield.

Similar to Drinkwater and Gomes in that Mooy reads the game well and is an excellent passer of the ball but he's more capable of scoring a few goals too.

Are we not allowed more than one midfielder who can pass consistently. Mooy, Gomes and Gana would be pretty decent if playing 3 in mid.

Keep Gueye and put Drinkwater with him OR get Kante and Drinkwater off Chelsea before selling Gueye. But do not sell Gueye without a replacement.

To the comments such as “all he does is win the ball” well if the opposition haven't got the ball they definitely can't score but we might.

Silva wants to play 4-3-3. Here is his midfield and forward line:-

Drinkwater, Gueye, Gomes
Lookman, Richarlison, Bernard.

Justin (67) - Please stop mentioning Kante; it is embarrassing. He is amongst the most coveted players in the world, and at 27 is probably at his peak. He would not consider coming to us, and even if he did (about 500/1 the way things stand) we'd probably have to pay upwards of €100 million. File this under delusional.

Drinkwater and Mooy are decent footballers but both severely lack pace. Mooy is also more of a creative player than a holding midfielder. Franck Kessie is currently being linked with Spurs; he'd be a good addition – young, energetic, athletic, strong – but would cost whatever we get for Gana at least.

Also, Kante is allegedly on £290,000 a week at Chelsea; new 5-year deal signed in November. And people actually think he's an option.

Sorry, I sometimes get a little ambitious. I didn't know he recently resigned. If I was Kante, I wouldn't come here either.

Without wanting to upset anyone else, I simply agree he's world class and should be playing for a top class Champions League team.

Hazard, Kante and Alonso are too good for Chelsea. But that's money for you.

I applaud the ambition, Justin. And if there was a world where players like Kante and Hazard were at Everton and were happy to stay here then I'm sure we'd all be delighted.

Unfortunately, we are far away from such a reality, and right now I'd settle for a group of players who were playing to the best of their abilities and looking like they know how to affect a game positively.

Andrew # 72 - your logic is sound. I am an optimist like Justin but agree Kante is not coming to us.

Drinkwater however is a possibility and Gueye has many of Kante’s assets and Drinkwater and Gueye is the nearest we are going to get to the midfield combination that helped Leicester to the title.

I agree that Gana is a good ball-winner and have a lot of energy. Great that. I agree that we lack quality in the midfield and we don't have any other good ball-winners than McCarthy in form.

However, in today's modern football, I think a topclass midfielder needs to be able to do more than just ball-winning. Saying Gana has a high pass completion, I don't know, but the passes he completes are almost all short and simple passes.

You can not say it is efficient football that, when Gana wins the ball, he first need to pass someone before we can attack. It slows us down and make us predictable. It is too easy for opponents to stop. When Gana wins the ball, you can just mark Gomes and we are offensively crippled.

Did anyone here see the Man City - Liverpool game? Did you see how Fernandinho played in that game? How much breakups he had and how many long sliced cutting forward passes he made? That is a top class defensive modern midfielder.

If Fernandinho would have had to give the ball away to a teammate for Man City to attack then their whole idea of playing football would have been lost. They would be a totally different team and they would never beat teams like Liverpool.

I want us to have a ball-winner that also can make forward passes, dribble and score a goal here and there. It does not need to be Fernandinho but a decent one must be able to find. And this I believe we need to find no matter if Gana goes or stays.

Peter #73,

Good fair and reasonable post. My thoughts exactly, better said and articulated.

If PSG are mad enough to give us £40M for Gana (a player I love, btw) then we should spend all that (if need be) money on Doucoure — The best midfielder since Viera or Yaya Toure without a doubt!

I'd support the shouts for Drinkwater and Dacoure.

Whatever happened to William Carvalho - always liked him.

Guys, I actually think Gana ruins our shape completely.

He gambles far too often, which appears great when the interception or tackle comes good, but when it doesn't, someone else (usually Sigurdsson) is left plugging the gap.

It's like sending a child without any concept of tactics and shape to go and win the ball. They'll get it more often than anyone else in the side, but if it's not 100% of the time, you're vulnerable each and every time he's bypassed.

Given the state of our squad at the moment, Gana has to stay.

We should be building a team – not selling to buy in cheap-arse replacements.

The policy of selling expensive and buying cheap young potential doesn't win trophies – otherwise, there would be hundreds of successful teams in the leagues.

Although Gueye's distribution is limited, he has a vital role in our team and right now I'd rather sell Richarlison than Gana Gueye.

If we could add Vardy and Drinkwater, then we could push up the table.

Question: Who was the player Moyes described as his secret weapon? It's bugging me.

Daniel #79 – wasn't it the first Gueye we had? Can't remember his first name but he was a young winger. Never really set the world alight!

Steven (80) his name was Marianne (or something similar), he played in the semi-final at Wembley for 62 minutes against Liverpool and only God and Moyes knows why.

Even his mam wouldn't have picked him.

Daniel A, the answer has got to be Bill Kenwright.

Dave, His name was “Magaye” I think. Although I think he was referred to as Maggie or Marvin more often than not!

Dave #81 – t'was Magaye! And I agree he was rubbish!

Sorry, Ray #83 – you beat me to it!

Magaye Gueye was on par with Rodrigo for the title of Everton's greatest ever winger. Just pipping Jesper Blomqvist into 3rd and Bilyaletdinov into 4th.

Moyes could spot a winger or two...

Dave (81), I think you'll find that the reason for Gueye's appearance in that cup semi was that one of our number had decided not to turn up!

Steve (87), yes the little Dutch winger (his name escapes me) who Moyes chased from the squad (for persistent lateness) and picked Magaye Gueye, who never turned up for that game at Wembley, even though he was on the field.

He wasn't the worst performer that day, though, that was Moyes and his tactics (the non-existent ones).

Daniel Johnson, #78, Who has said that we are going to buy cheap? You?

I say: We have to bring in a class midfielder who can read the game, tackle, win the ball, pass both back and forward, dribble, make goal assists and score a goal here and there.

I'd rather have that than one player that can only tackle and win the ball.

Dave Abrahams, you're thinking of Royston Drenthe and I think he got the boot for a bit more than persistent lateness.

There was a story of him getting caught sneaking escorts into Finch Farm in the early hours of the morning on the day the squad was due to travel down to Wembley for that game.

Andrew (90),

Royston Drenthe, yes that's the fella, yes he was a bit of a pest, Moyes never did his homework on him, I could tell you a few stories I heard about him and the flat he rented off a Dutch player who played for Liverpool and the brasses he brought there involving a few players, not just from Everton either.

Nevertheless, Moyes kicked off on Drenthe on the Thursday before the semi-final and chased him out of Finch Farm, I don't think he played for Everton again.

Tony Bellew who trained a lot at Finch Farm said Drenthe was always late for training but when he eventually got on the training pitch he was well worth looking at, but you've got to have discipline.

Drenthe had a poor attitude but I loved his quick feet, always on his toes. Almost danced on the pitch. What a waste of talent.

Gueye is the sort of player who keeps you in the game, but he clearly is not the sort of player that wins you games. Surely though, we are not so flushed with talent that we could consider losing one of the best of his type in the Premier League?

Ray #83, the first Everton game I ever attended was in San Francisco against Juventus in the summer 2013 Champions Cup, the game Stones won with a cheeky chipped pen.

At the bar before the game I saw a man actually wearing a Magaye Gueye shirt, #19. I remember chuckling in amazement to Lyndon that this particular player had actually attracted a fan, and that the shirt would soon be obsolete. I was right.

Just looking him up... Gueye actually made 39 appearances for the club, including 14 starts. And I can't remember a single memorable moment.

He now plays in the Turkish second division.

Batshuayi for £14m? Not a top class player but better than what we have and good value at that price. If we could sell Niasse for £6-8m and get Batshuayi for £14m I’d call that excellent business. The Belgian is fast and strong, able to shoot well with both feet. Better in the box than linking play, but like Tosun in that regard but quicker and stronger.

Jay Wood, I respect your opinion on Gueye, but I ask have you ever sat behind the goal and watched him play?

The lad is so easily passed around and so often out of position. Sure he does some wonderful stuff in chasing and winning the ball, but just watch how often the opposition cut through us because he's not in position. You can't see it on TV, you need to be at the game; if you're behind the goal, you'll see how often he's vacated the middle. Which is why we need someone to hold that position.

Steve, we have a player who is peerless at holding that position.

Morgan Schneiderlin.

Of course, getting him to move OUT of that position is something else again.

But you have to admit he can hold it like the Rock of Gibraltar.

Steve,

It sounds like you're criticising the lad for not being in two places at once.

Yes, he chases the ball, but this isn't some headless-chicken act. He wins the ball more than the rest of the team combined. You've got Gomes, Schneiderlin, Davies, all fairly static players who should be filling in for Gueye when they partner him.

Phil, not at all mate.

To be in two places at once, he'd need to be needed in both positions. Let's make this clear: he's doing what the manager wants. I criticised him before, and in the first few games, particularly the Wolves game, he held position extremely well. Him and Scheiderlin sat in, side by side, forming a box of four with the two centrebacks, and no one got through that box all game, except for one error which was caused by Schneiderlin being forced to press and vacate position.

Gueye, most recently, is vacating position and pressing in areas of the pitch where it's other people's job to press. He is being a headless chicken and most importantly he is not where he should be, time after time, when we concede goals or big chances. His dereliction of duty causes our defence to part like the Red Sea.

The manager is just as much to blame as, if he was doing that for me, I'd drop him. It's all well and good going hunting, but he can only do that if we have someone sat in behind him. Gomes is not a holding midfielder and after getting a knock and his mobility reducing, this has shown greatly. But yet, more often than not, Gueye is the one further up the pitch. These two can be 40 yards apart at times. That's fine if we have the ball, but they're not recovering shape when we lose it.

Time after time, there's no-one in the middle. And it wouldn't matter if we have a world class back four, if they've nothing in front of them then we're going to concede goals.

We need someone to sit in and hold, not to chase and Harry, and to allow others to be further up the pitch. It can't be Schneiderlin as whilst he does hold, he doesn't stop the opposition from getting through the middle, and his passing ability has deserted him. The player we need must be able to knock accurate 40-yard balls to the channels and the flanks, and to pass through the congested middle without giving it away time and again, like Gueye does. And sod the passing stats, Gueye gives hospital passes that may be completed on stats, but give the recipient little chance of retaining the ball.