Everton ‘madness’ as Abdoulaye Doucoure contract offer held up by ‘major problems’ – Sky Sports pundit
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Abdoulaye Doucouré has “earned” a new long-term Everton contract after his key role in Premier League survival but the “major problems” Sean Dyche faces means he likely won’t get one, according to Kevin Campbell.
The midfielder scored the winner on the final day (28 May) to beat Bournemouth and keep the Toffees up, as part of a crucial five goals and two assists under Dyche in the second half of the season which led to his one-year option being triggered to keep him from leaving for free.
Campbell feels that in other circumstances the 30-year-old would have got a new contract offered, but with the summer budget up in the air and serious work required elsewhere on the squad Doucouré will probably have to wait.
The Sky Sports pundit spoke exclusively to Goodison News about a new deal for Doucouré and said: “I think Sean Dyche has to box a little bit clever.
“I think he’s probably earned it, but Sean Dyche probably doesn’t know what his budget is moving forward.
“And let’s be honest, there’s major problems, there’s other things that need fixing.
“Great that you can secure him for another season, and I’m sure you’d probably look to do something next season.
“But this summer’s going to be crucial for Sean Dyche at the club. Everton can’t be skirting around the last game of the season trying to survive three seasons in a row.
“It’s madness.
“So Sean Dyche has got his work cut out.”
Everton clearly need to move away from locking themselves into big contracts with aging players, but even so Doucouré’s obvious importance to Dyche’s line-up probably warranted a proper offer.
When the Mali international was suspended for three games after his confrontation with Harry Kane in the 1-1 Tottenham draw on 3 April the Toffees picked up one point and scored one goal while he was missing.
With him in the starting XI for the next six games up to the end of the season they scored 10 and recorded eight crucial points, so unless Dyche is able to pull off some major coups in the market this summer it seems likely the former Watford man will remain central next term.
It is a positive that there was an option to keep him at Goodison Park, and if he keeps up the form he displayed in the past six months he would surely be due to stay past next season as well.