Jonty Banks

Sun 19 February 2023 18:10, UK

Abdoulaye Doucoure has been a man possessed since Sean Dyche’s arrival at Everton last month, with the midfielder potentially putting to bed calls for his exit this summer.

The 30-year-old has started in all three of Dyche’s starting line-ups in the heart of the Toffees’ midfield and was once again at his very best against Leeds United on Saturday (18 February).

Lining up beside Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye, the Mali international covered every blade of grass within Goodison Park during the 1-0 win – making nine recoveries and creating two chances over the 90 minutes.

The olive branch handed to Doucoure by Dyche now looks like a masterstroke, after the midfielder had marginalised himself from the team in the dying days of Frank Lampard’s regime.

According to The Times (24 January), the Everton player had been included in a training ground bust-up following the defeat to Southampton at home and was only brought back into the fray when the change of manager was made.

Liverpool Echo journalist Joe Thomas revealed (9 January) that Everton had reached the point of being “open to offers” for Doucoure in January but were swayed to keep hold of him due to Alex Iwobi’s untimely injury.

And the move to keep him at Finch Farm has definitely paid dividends in recent weeks and could well reverse thoughts on his future at the club.

With Doucoure’s contract expiring at the end of the season, the club faces a tough decision of whether to keep him on his large wages or start afresh. The call will likely come down to whether the club remain in the Premier League this season – but either way, the 30-year-old suits Dyche’s game plan down to a T.

With 15 games of the season remaining, Doucoure’s every move will be assessed by the Everton coaching staff, but don’t be surprised if he is offered a contract renewal in the coming months.