Bearing in mind Carlo Ancelotti’s ambitions of putting Everton back among Europe’s elite, this will be a crucial summer for the Toffees.
We already know that Ancelotti is a big lure for potential new signings and if you add continental football into the equation, it’s close to a match made in heaven.
Football FanCast exclusively revealed last week that the Toffees were in the market for a right midfielder but we think another area of concern is in a central area.
They brought Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan to the club last summer but when the former was missing, Everton struggled to replace him.
The Frenchman has now missed eight league games on the trot while he recovers from a fractured foot. Although the 28-year-old is now back in full training, it would be a surprise if he found full fitness between now and the season’s climax.
Prior to his injury, Doucoure has only been absent for one Premier League game all term which proves just how valuable he is to the Merseyside outfit.
Andre Gomes has shown lately that Everton can’t afford to have weak and feeble passengers in the side. He has been particularly meagre in some of the big games but one player who isn’t is Yves Bissouma.
The Toffees are one of a number of Premier League sides who have made an enquiry to sign the Brighton midfielder.
If he does leave the Seagulls this summer it’s thought he’ll cost a whopping £40m. It’s not hard to see why either.
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Like Doucoure, Bissouma is a tough-tackling midfield player who could add supreme physicality to their midfield.
If you’re a creative player, good luck getting through a duo like that.
Described as an “exceptional footballer” by Gary Lineker, the Brighton enforcer has some of the meanest defensive stats in the entire top-flight.
Bissouma has made 93 tackles at a rate of 2.8 per game. For context, that puts him second in the entire division for the highest volume of successful challenges.
The only man ahead of him is Leeds United full-back Luke Ayling on 99.
The Brighton midfielder’s reading of the game is also first-class. He has made the ninth-highest number of interceptions in the Premier League this season with 57.
A reliable and consistent performer, Bissouma could add an extra layer of steel to this Everton side that goes missing when they have injuries.
That said, he also possesses an element of grace. Compared to Yaya Toure, he’s extremely effective at carrying the ball forward, something his 1.5 dribbles per match testifies.
Rapidly becoming one of the most dominant in his position in the league, it would be incredibly hard for Everton to say no to Bissouma this summer.
Just imagine the brute force he and Doucoure could bring together.