View: Idrissa Gueye – the worst Everton sale of the past decade
When Idrissa Gana Gueye first traded relegated Aston Villa to join Everton in the summer of 2016, it’s fair to say that reaction to the signing was split.
The Senegal international midfielder had failed to shine for a struggling Villans side that were ultimately relegated with a whimper, rooted to the bottom of the table 22 points from safety.
Joining for the Toffees for a modest fee of £7.1million, Gana would quickly become an integral component in the Everton machine, and his absence would always see the club suffer.
Three years later Everton would more than quadruple their investment, selling the then 29-year old to Paris Saint-Germain for £30million, where he has gone on to become a regular in the French capital.
Yet, despite the clear financial gain, we at Goodison News believe that Gana’s sale still stands as one of the worst decisions Everton have made in the past decade.
Since the defensive midfielder left Goodison Park, Everton have struggled to find someone who could replace what Gana brought to the table.
Immediately after allowing Gana to leave, Everton brought in JP Gbamin and Fabian Delph to bolster their midfield options, however the former has spent the past 18 months out injured and the latter has underwhelmed at best.
Carlo Ancelotti brought former Napoli engine man Allan to Merseyside last summer in an attempt to rectify the defensive midfield hole left by Gana’s departure, but the Brazilian still hasn’t fully lived up to his reputation.
That isn’t to diminish the impact that Allan has had since arriving from Italy, but after spending two months out injured, the summer signing still hasn’t fully settled as a near-constant fixture in Everton’s midfield.
Gana was able to break up play effectively, distribute the ball after battling to win back possession and allow those around him to play with freedom. Someone with those traits, who remains relatively injury free and who consistently turns in impressive performances can be hard to replace.
Gana wanted to leave for PSG – he wanted to have a crack at Champions League football which is something that Everton just couldn’t offer him. However, from a selfish point of view, Everton should never have let him go.
In other Everton news, Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed speculation that James Rodriguez could seek an Everton exit in the summer.