It would be completely absurd to utter that Ronald Koeman’s era at Everton wasn’t expected to start off brightly after the breeze of complications that blew across the club in the summer, but such a drastic upward movement wasn’t anticipated. Fifth in the league table with thirteen points from five games, a single point behind second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, the foundations have been impeccable for the Toffees to build on the rest of the campaign. In the process of kick-start of the Koeman revolution, Idrissa Gueye is the stallion who deserves a special appraisal.
Signed from the relegated side Aston Villa for merely £7 million, the transfer fee seems to be a thrifty move by the Dutch manager (at least for the time being), considering the mammoth sums forked out by big clubs to lure big names who haven’t fared as expected.
The 27-year-old made 144 tackles and 141 interceptions last season but failed to save Aston Villa from being crumbled like a pack of cards. Interestingly, Gueye was placed second for a couple of aforesaid metrics, behind none other than N’Golo Kanté.
The Senegalese is strong, aggressive, resolute and commanding at the centre of the park. He never shies away from making sharp tackles, blocks, interceptions or aiming to win possession for his side.
A real work-horse who passes the ball extremely well, Koeman was clear of his perception that Gueye can be fruitful in his new project of rebuilding Everton, and didn’t waste much of time to do the needful. The results have been speaking on their own as to how well the new input has been benefitting the Toffees.
During the dismal 2015-16 season under Roberto Martínez, Everton lacked mettle and competitiveness in the defensive midfield region. They had fluidity in their attack but once caught in awkward positions or loss of possession centrally, they looked vulnerable to disasters owing to the lack of proper chemistry in the team.
The unfailingly resilient midfielder in Gueye, who invests tremendous energy in the midfield throughout his tenure on the pitch and contributes in every aspect, is the reason why he finds himself being compared to N’Golo Kanté.
From six league appearances for his new employers, the combatant midfielder already has 31 tackles to his name and at the same time, he has created 8 chances as well. It would be safe to deduce with these statistics that Gueye’s tackles and interceptions during his Aston Villa days were no fluke by any means and such levels of consistency is quite intriguing.
Frankly speaking, Everton’s no. 17 looks like a bargain after such stellar displays and no reason why Koeman should not be patted on the back by the fans. Everton looks balanced with their newcomer, although how far he can keep the side ignited would be interesting to watch.
