Idrissa Gueye speaks out for first time on wild Everton exit development on deadline day
Idrissa Gueye is the first Everton player to offer his thoughts on a frantic conclusion to the winter transfer window for teammate Dwight McNeil.
Everton agreed a £20million deal with Crystal Palace for McNeil with the 7pm deadline approaching on Monday.
McNeil even passed a medical to join the South London club, but the deal collapsed later in the day.
It has been widely reported that Palace did not submit the relevant paperwork in time for a deal to go through.
McNeil has now been left somewhat in limbo, with his partner taking to social media to hit out at Palace for their “radio silence”.
Idrissa Gueye happy Dwight McNeil is still at Everton
Everton offered their support to McNeil on social media, with the 26-year-old now staying at Hill Dickinson Stadium for at least the next four months.
McNeil has struggled for starts under David Moyes this season but is still a squad regular and that will likely remain the case.
The former Burnley ace is also a popular member of the dressing room, and he will no doubt be rallied around by his teammates.
Indeed, asked about the deadline-day saga in an interview with Sky Sports on Tuesday, Gueye said: “I’m very happy to have him back, personally.
“Dwight is a great lad. He’s a quiet lad but works hard and brings a lot of quality. He’s been a really important player for us over the past few years.
“He’s still an important player and what happened to him, hopefully he will put it aside and we’ll be back to welcome him and make him comfortable. This is his home so he just needs to work hard.”
David Moyes could pull off a McNeil masterclass vs Fulham
Moyes is a real man manager; someone who likes to give every player some love and confidence in their ability.
While it is true he has not exactly relied upon McNeil this season, the Scotsman could use what has happened this week to his advantage.
McNeil will be down in the dumps – his partner has admitted as much – but Moyes will no doubt put an arm around him at Finch Farm.
And it would not be the biggest surprise in the world to see McNeil among the starters against Fulham next weekend.
Football works in mysterious ways, and this collapsed transfer could just trigger something in the Manchester United product.
If McNeil was to start, and play his part in an Everton win, what happened on deadline day will already be a thing of the past.
Stay up to date this winter with our Everton transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at Hill Dickinson, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.