Idrissa Gana Gueye - The beating heart of Everton’s midfield and his future

Put some decent players around him and he can still do a job breaking things up, winning the ball back.

One to keep for me.

Although there's no doubt we'd miss what he does bring, I wouldn't be too upset if we all moved on. If it wasn't for the fact that we need about 10-12 players and renewing a couple of contracts is a sensible way of minimising the disruption, I'd be advocating for targeting a long term replacement for him.

As it is, we desperately need to spend that time, attention and money on 3-4 quality forward players.

We've got enough holes to fill without replacing him too so I very much hope he signs. The bigger question perhaps is who plays next to him? Iroegbunam is not there yet, Garner is fine for a team fighting relegation but could/should be improved upon and Harrison Armstrong is probably best served by another loan (though he does seem to be finishing the season strongly).

I think your final sentence is the primary reason why we need to keep Gana for next season.

Weakening now.

I wonder if that is how he made so many tackles. Some were by Garner?

The Bobble, who seems to know what's happening inside the club, is suggesting that Calvert-Lewin will be offered a new contract along with Jack Harrison. I really hope neither the Calvert-Lewin nor Harrison stories are true, we need goal scorers and, whatever he is, Harrison isn't a goalscorer. Calvert-Lewin was okay under Ancelotti… apart from that, he has been very average.

And that's probably why we're in the position we are in.

Thing is, a replacement for the future has to be sought after, but a very difficult task indeed!

Hasn't he got the most interceptions this season?

I can see Gueye and Doucoure being offered a 12-month contract to keep the numbers of the squad healthy; whether they accept on what I expect will be reduced terms is up to the players.

I suspect Moyes sees Soucek as Gueye's replacement in midfield, and I think Moyes would want to keep Calvert-Lewin more than any other striker but he is injury-prone and may want out. Harrison and Lindstrom will be shipped and I expect two new wide players brought in to replace them.

I think it's fascinating as to what is going to happen with players' contracts and new signings, very exciting times. The older players whose times are coming to an end should be revered and Gueye is a great one. Difficult and perhaps emotional scenarios await, who would be a manager?

There is is going to be a recruitment team in place that will call the shots.

I don't think Gueye is irreplaceable by any stretch but he's worth another 12 months.

One of the few Steve Walsh signings that worked.

Definitely need to get him on board for another season.

I am with you. I don't think he will. And I hope not.

Unfortunate for Moyes but there's no better time than right now to make that change if the Friedkins are going to do that.

Meanwhile, in the perfect world, we'd re-sign Calvert-Lewin then give him to Ipswich in part-exchange for Delap.

Still he would be able to command a move.

1. Jordan Pickford
2. Jarrad Branthwaite
3. James Tarkowski
4. Jake O'Brien

Hopefully next season a forward will be in the reckoning!

I agree, he's starting to look like he can't play 90 minutes every week but, in some ways, I think he's actually improved. He's the most reliably calm presence when we're trying to see a game out.

Mark @21,

There's a case for Pickford or Tarkowski, deffo. But Branthwaite to me hasn't been quite as solid. And O'Brien, however impressive out of position, has only played half a season.

It amuses me that some supporters – who didn't for a minute see Moyes coming back – can be so certain as to the limitations TFG will place upon their choice of manager.

Straws and grasping come to mind.

Maybe our new investors will let us sign Yamal from Barca for a few hundred million and wages of two million Euros or more … lol! What a player — and still only 17!

However, we had Rooney and blew him off.

We could not find anybody better for what he does, and we have nobody else who can do it. I don't care if he's 36 or 56, we must keep him for one more season.

He is a consummate professional and can be trusted. Get an insurance policy though. Player of the Season for me.

By looking at his physique, clearly he looks after himself and is a pro. Give him a 2-year extension.

Nobody but Moyes knows what's happening with players' contracts so outside "insider" speculation is nonsense.

Martin, thanks ever so much for your lines and lines and lines of absolute ‘nonsense'.

I'm not sure where things are with PSR, have these rules been amended – or is there a delay while City put their version together? But it would appear that we might have to offer some of these players an extension, preferably 1 year, maybe with the club's option of a further year but at reduced wages, we really shouldn't be paying over £100k pw and £25k-£30k pw seems more than adequate.

Gana's workrate has been good at slowing or breaking down opposition attacks and recently has shown a bit more in getting forward. But we should be looking for that player who provides more which seems to have been different managers' want as far back as I can remember — certainly since and including Kenwright's time or perhaps even to the time when we called them wing-halves: Jimmy Gabriel, Dennis Stevens anyone?

My assumption, and I could be wrong, is that whoever leads the first team squad won't have absolute power over transfer decisions.

Slightly behind the continent, but it's the model increasingly adopted by a high percentage of English and British clubs throughout the pyramid.

Maybe it's always been the case. If the stories are true, which I think they were, the reason Joe Royle walked was because the board wouldn't sanction the transfers he wanted to make? Ultimately they have the go / no-go decision.

You, and just about everyone else on here, know my thoughts on Moyes, so I don't need to repeat them. But I want him to take us to Wembley and European qualification next season, because all I care about is Everton and us getting back to where we can be and should be.

Nothing else really matters to me and that includes who is in the dugout.

I've voiced opinion on managerial appointments, including the re-appointment of Moyes. I would say, the only one that really outraged me was Allardyce, closely followed by Benitez, the latter of which was more of leaving me feeling very uncomfortable. Allardyce? I still try to forget he was associated with our club.

Back to Gana. What an example to younger players that if you look after yourself and act professionally, you can play almost forever. Not everyone's favourite, but I put Ashley Young in that category. A remarkable achievement and another player who has been important for us this season.

That would give us all a lift.

Also, I wish people wouldn't bring out individual performances as proof players are in decline. Especially versus Man City and Liverpool?!!

Branthwaite has had a few wobbles this season, he's not slowing down…. He's just human and won't be perfect every week. Same with Gana.

He's had a remarkable season and – whilst we absolutely should be looking for a replacement to step in when the time is right – I would give Gana two seasons in a heartbeat. Class player.

Young Jarrad is going to be top drawer (I reserve world class for a microcosm of world football). Let's just hope what we all want; that it's with Everton.

Soucek is definitely not the answer. Ndidi, who has a £9M release clause, would be a great addition. Someone mentioned Harrison is going to be offered a new deal; his performance suggests different.

I keep thinking that all of the vitriol is aimed at me!

Gana is going to be a tough act to follow, but there must be someone out there. I don't know too much about Ndidi. I've seen rumours about Longstaff from Newcastle. They surfaced a few seasons ago when the ill-fated appointment of Benitez happened.

I try not to pay attention to rumours, as it is usually lazy journalism, unless from credible sources.

Longstaff may be a solid defensive midfielder, but he's not the same gravy as Idrissa. Not many will be.

Totally off topic, but Declan Rice is wasted when played in a defensive role. He is a box-to-box enforcer, who is far better when given the freedom to get forward. That's not me suggesting we should make a move. No chance!!

We have lacked goals, so to contemplate giving a front 3 player who doesn't create and has scored 5/6 goals in 2 seasons is madness.

Also, Calvert-Lewin was part of that team that lacked goals, as was Doucoure, so the thought of those 3 making up the front 4 attacking options fills me with dread.

Wilfred Ndidi.
Joined Leicester in 2017.
217 appearances.
scored 7 goals (last goal was the 2020-21 season).
13 assists.

To me, that's a red-flag warning.

Spot on there regarding Harrison and Doucoure;, I would be very disappointed if they were to be made permanent or extended. We are obviously limited in the PSR situation and I sincerely hope that Branthwaite isn't seen as a 'convenient cash cow' to facilitate more incomings.

We should be building for the future, and while we need a mixture of experience and youth, let's make sure the experience part is on merit by those retained.

Links with West Ham players will be inevitable, but should only be entertained if genuinely adding quality at a decent outlay and wages.

Ndidi hasn't been good for years now. Plus injuries have taken their toll.

Need to find players on the up — not well past their peak

I totally agree about not even contemplating selling Branthwaite to raise funds. In him and O'Brien, we have 2 young centre-backs who hopefully will be here for years.

Every top club is built on a strong defence which thankfully we have with Gana sitting in front of a good back 4.

Whatever money we have to spend has to be used where we are most lacking – which is our front 4.

What a player has or hasn't done for other teams is not a concern for me. It's what they can do for Everton that matters.

We once signed an ageing (relatively for the time) injury prone Andy Gray when we were hitting a low. He was part of transforming that team, season and what came after it.

After persuasion from Colin Harvey, telling Howard Kendall to go and watch him, we signed the best Everton player in my lifetime, who was languishing in the Central League with Liverpool's reserves. Four goals in over 50 appearances for Hereford United and a measly 3 appearances for Liverpool with no goals.

To bring it more contemporary, the boxing kangaroo from Millwall after Crystal Palace refused to meet agent demands and walked away.

Conversely, we've had a few duds who came with good stats.

For me, it's about being a good fit for the squad and the impact they can have on the team.

The easiest thing in the world is spending money that's not yours.

The decisions in the next few weeks and months will define our ambitions. I hope we get it right this time.

Wouldn't be too upset if he stayed but would love it to be £60k per week and £40k bonus per week if fit to play.

He's shown over the last 12 months that he thinks his future lies elsewhere and its probably come as a shock to him and his agent (not me though must be said) that no better club or better offer is actually out there for him.

If he does stay and we offer him a contract, it will show we are desperate and still lacking in ambition and again, if he does stay, it must only be as a backup to a better more reliable striker that must be signed this summer.

He is a massive drain on wages, being constantly injured and injury prone.

He is poor on the pitch. He offers little. His last several matches losing all his arial battles and made no contribution.

He scores about 1 in 4, but those figures are misleading because his scoring ability has massively dwindled over the seasons post Ancelotti.

As an aside, the squad has a huge number of departures impending.

This is appalling.

Shows how bad the staff pre TFG have been.

The previous regime and its choice of staff for recruitment has been woeful and those still here need binning.

TFG wont be able to fix the terrible squad and player situation we are in due to strict regulations preventing it from happening

They have to get rid of poor quality and start a new improved team which means getting rid of many including the immediate release of DCL. Some of our older players do justify an extension.

I believe Gana does.

Now lets see if our horrendous form in the window proves better under our new rulers.

Danny #37, I'm not sure we don't already have Gana's replacement on board in Iroegbunam. Not yet 22, and to my eyes a fine young talent. Still has a lot to learn, but who better to learn from than Gana?

I have to wish him well, he's been a decent enough player and had a very good 12 months when Carlo was here but the last four years it's never felt like you can actually rely on him.

The time is right now to free up that wage and look elsewhere.

2019-21 he played 5506 minutes and scored 29 goals. I every 189. 2021-2025 he has had 6,072 minutes under Lampard, Dyche and scored 16, half his rate under Carlo. I reckon Lineker would have done well to have scored 32 (DCL's rate under Carlo) with the service DCL got and they system played.

Yes, shows he was out for more than half of the games. Shows that under Carlo he was at Yakubu and almost Lukaku levels of goals per minute.
For me, key is not his ability but his fitness, hence my suggestion of low basic and big bonus for being fit. I reckon, if he is fit then he will be back to a 15 goals a season striker.

15, you say. We need more than that. Top strikers?
Lukaku 25 - 2016/17
Lukaku 18 - 2015/16
DCL 16 - 2020/21
Yakubu 16 - 2007/8
Kanchelskis 16 - 1995/6
Cottee 16 - 1993/4

Our problem is not enough from the midfield. But I also believe the whole team plays better with him up front.

My brain can't work to granular detail of those statistics Phil.

If he stays, and can stay fit, a useful part of the squad.

I don't think he will, but who knows? Let's see what the club come up with. It's all shrouded in secrecy at the moment.

For his last four seasons overall, Dom is scoring at the rate of a goal every 371 minutes played.

That is simply execrable. It's barely better than Rondon (419) and significantly worse than Cenk Tosun (249) and Niasse (164, believe it or not).

Granted that DCL is a fine player overall -- fast, skilled, dominant in the air, a fine layoff/target man and our best defender on set pieces -- but to me a four-year stretch of desolation is overwhelming proof that he is simply not going to score. Which is what we've been paying him to do.

Maybe he would accept a sharply reduced salary to stay on and compete with Beto (a goal every 204 minutes over the same four-year period) for a starting job. But I'm not holding my breath.

Obviously if our rumored pursuit of Delap bears fruit, all bets (Betos?) are off.

That’s not a great thing. It means we never have the ball.

There might be lots of better midfielders who don’t make those interceptions and tackles because they’re too busy actually having possession of the ball.

Stats like this tell nothing like the whole story and too many people in football put far too much faith in them.

I think those stats are important, but the bigger importance is where they're happening on the pitch and why. Is he putting out fires around our 18 yard box, or is he pinching it near goal.

Sadly the latter over the last couple of years, but he has stopped a lot of goals in my view.

Sadly, and for various reasons, Calvert-Lewin hasn't been doing it in recent seasons.

I would like to say that he will be difficult to replace as that will sound contradictory to say we'll miss something that hasn't really been there for the past few seasons. I mean more that it will be difficult to get a decent replacement in. Strikers are the most expensive footballing commodity.

Thomas Muller? Still only 34. I'd go with him for a season if we could pay his wages, but doubt it.

Gana is fine by me. He plays at an age that replicates my Everton supporter age, which is about 16.

But for right now, a guy who can win the ball back so often, given how often we lose it, is irreplaceable.

Without him we really would have been in trouble. I would be gutted if he left in June.

Anyone who watches him can see it.

And that being the case, I hope we take further strides at being a team that is good with the ball - and not just without. Moyes has improved us already in this respect with a lousy squad. So we should better again when we can get better players in.

Liam # 66, yes of course everyone needs to work hard. But that doesn't need to reveal itself in tackling stats - as Mike # 58 has said.

A good example is Mangala - who works hard, uses the ball better than Gueye but doesn't win as many tackles (partly because he doesn't need to).

I'd still certainly give Gueye a 12 month deal if it was up to me. But to be honest, I'd rather have a player like Mangala (or hopefully better) so that the opposition have to worry more about winning the ball off us.

I know you're talking about players but I have been having the exact same thoughts about coaches and managers lately.

Hopefully Moyes can sign a few players that might help make his system a lot more effective, but this will only happen if his system really suits the players.

Onana was the problem and once he was removed after last season's drubbing at Chelsea, the midfield improved. For all his effort, Doucoure has held back the creative side of things.

A good old un is an aspiring young one with experience and know how.

Well that's what I tell the ladies since I became single again.

In your post, you have identified the main problem area and have shown the solution. But finding that 'balance' is difficult. Mangala was a huge loss. Lindstrom and Garner to a lesser extent. After injury, it would take a while to get such players up to speed again, but a box-to-box Doucoure would never help.

Moyes initially inherited the right balance which Dyche and Thelwell had put together. Dyche with his low block and lack of forward tactics didn't develop it.

Moyes did have the right forward tactics, but injuries unravelled your 'balance' and Moyes's answer was hard work, which did not even look at the 'balance' required. So Everton look as if they are back to Dycheball under Moyes.

Moyes's solution to all problems is hard work, but that runs out of road when creativity is needed. Creativity needs to be in the middle field mix if the right balance is to be achieved.

Getting back Mangala would seem to be the solution… but after a injury, it would take time to get him up to speed. The objective of achieving that balance would have to be in Moyes's kitbag for him or a player like him to flourish, but others would be watching as his potential is now known.

Moyes has at West Ham achieved that balance in midfield at times, but did have difficulty maintaining and replacing it once such players moved on.

Gana is essential for such a mix. With Gana. it is not just hard work, he has the stats of Danny's machine for his midfield role. I would say he has the top stats in the Premier League.

Keep the faith.

Allodoxaphobia – the fear of opinions.

It does apply to some on here.

My other concern, even if Gueye signs a new contract, is cover.

The good thing about Gueye is that he doesn't get injured much and I really believe the team would have struggled even more without him, so it would be nice to have someone else of his type in the squad.

There is no fear of opinions that have a basis?

That would be a concern and cover would be difficult to get.

Probably would need a midfield reorganisation, which could put alot of pressure on a manager.

Dier is a good shout.

Not exactly gifted. But he can play defensive midfield and in defence. There’s 2 positions sorted.

An upgrade to the hapless Keane.

Munich wouldn’t have had Dier if he wasn’t half decent.

But he’s off to Monaco….

Our present midfield looks like this:

Gana Garner Doucoure Iroegbunam

Next season, I think Armstrong is ready to start getting regular minutes in our squad. A comment from a Derby fans forum: "Very impressed with this lad so far. Very promising all rounder who should have an excellent career at a higher level. Would be great if we can nab him on a season long loan next season if we stay up. Mature beyond his years, let's hope he's another Everton loanee who can inspire our survival." I didn't get the reference to the previous Everton loanee who helped them stay up. Perhaps, someone can help me out here?

With this guy, I don't see the need to sign Thomas Sucek, who is obviously a more experienced and prolific player, but surely Moyes can develop Armstrong at Everton, and hopefully won't be a million miles away from Soucek by the end of the season. I would rather loan out Tim to a Championship side to help him in his development.

We do need, however, a real midfield leader in our midfield, and I hope our scouts have already identified a list of targets.

Ideally, our midfield next year would be:

1. Gana

2. Garner

3. Armstrong

4. A_New_one

5. A_Loanee