BBC has confirmed that Everton have agreed on a deal worth up to £25m for Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure this summer. It is understood that the Merseyside club has made a breakthrough in negotiations with the Hornets. The French midfield powerhouse is now set to have his medical ahead of penning a four-year contract at Goodison Park (via BBC).
Doucoure’s Disappointing Season For Watford
The 27-year-old had to go through the misfortune of being relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the campaign. He experienced another solid season at Vicarage Road after putting in a string of dominant displays at the centre of the park.
Doucoure participated in 39 matches for the Hertfordshire outfit in the last term, registering four goals and two assists across all fronts. The Frenchman did well to influence the game in both halves as he averaged 1.7 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 0.8 clearances, 1.6 shots, 1.0 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game in the top tier of England. The former Rennes midfield ace distributed the ball relatively well as evidenced by his pass success rate of 78.4% in league football despite playing for an underachieving Watford side last season (stats via whoscored).
The one-time French U-21 international has earned a wealth of experience in the English top-flight, so he will have no trouble settling into life at Merseyside this summer. He will add more bite and steel to Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield which might help the club grind out a few positive results in the upcoming campaign.
What Will The French Talent Bring To Goodison Park?
Doucoure loves a tackle in midfield and works hard in providing some decent defensive protection for his teammates at the back. Standing at 1.83m, the French midfielder can use his strength to outmuscle the opposition and physically dominate the midfield battle. He packs a lot of venom with his shot attempts from long distance but can improve his finishing in the final third if he wants to score goals more often at the highest level.
Doucoure will bring some much-needed stability and variety to Everton’s midfield department and could prove to be a shrewd signing for the Toffees in this off-season. The French midfield enforcer will even offer some healthy competition for the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Andre Gomes, Tom Davies and Fabian Delph in search of a regular starting spot in Ancelotti’s midfield.
At 27, Doucoure is currently playing at his peak, but still has a lot of football left in him to operate at top gear. He will undoubtedly bolster Ancelotti’s midfield options, but there are some question marks over whether he will be able to live up to the high expectations surrounding his switch to Merseyside. All in all, Doucoure will be a valuable squad player for the Toffees as he has got the power and determination to come back stronger than ever in the 2020-21 Premier League campaign.
