Speaking recently on the Ask Ornstein YouTube show, David Ornstein discussed Everton’s hunt for a new central midfielder over the summer transfer window.
The club struggled somewhat in the centre of the park last season, after Idrissa Gueye joined Paris Saint-Germain in a £27 million deal, and last summer’s signings of Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Andre Gomes both sustained injuries which kept them out of action for long stretches of the season.
Having missed out on the signing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who ended up joining Tottenham Hotspur, Everton have now been linked with a number of new central midfielders, including Napoli’s Allan and Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Ornstein provided an update on the club’s pursuit of a new central midfielder this summer.
He said: “We all know that central midfield is a key area for them to strengthen in, especially with the Gbamin injury. My understanding is that despite some people at Everton being very keen on signing him [Hojbjerg], they felt he could have done a good job for them, he was always likely to go to Tottenham; that was his preference and desire.
“So where do they go next? Well, they’ve been quite heavily linked now with Allan, the Brazilian midfielder from Napoli, and also Abdoulaye Doucoure, who we know very well from his time with Watford. They’re quite different [in terms of] positions: Allan [is] more defensive-central midfield; Doucoure, slightly more advanced.
“Allan is 29 years old, under contract until 2023. He has a slightly higher value, according to Transfermarkt, than Doucoure, who’s 27, also under contract until 2023.
“I do think there’s been some contact between Everton and the president of Napoli but I don’t know how far that has gone. Carlo Ancelotti, as I understand it, is interested in both of those players, he likes them. I’m not saying he’ll sign both of them, or even one of them, but those reports are credible.”
Who would you rather see Everton sign this summer?
Abdoulaye Doucoure
Allan
TIF Thoughts…
It would appear from his comments that Ornstein is of the belief that there has been contact with Napoli regarding a move for Allan, and also that Ancelotti is a fan of Doucoure.
However, as yet, it would appear that there have been no fees agreed between Everton and the players’ respective clubs, meaning that we will simply have to wait and see whether Everton manage to complete a deal for either of the central-midfielders this summer.