Watford-orientated podcaster Mike Parkin has been discussing Abdoulaye Doucoure’s impending move to Everton from the Hornets.
According to recent reports, Everton are closing in on the signing of the French midfielder, who is ‘set to sign’ for the Merseyside club (as per Sky Sports).
The reported fee for the deal is £25m including add-ons, which falls £10m below the initial fee of £35m that Watford wanted for the 27-year-old middleman.
Doucoure had been situated at Vicarage Road since the winter of 2016 after he signed for the Hornets from Stade Rennais for £9.54m (per Transfermarkt).
In a recent episode of the All Together Now podcast, Parkin made an appearance and discussed why he thought the Frenchman was making the move to Merseyside.
He said: “He’s not going to be trepidatious about going to Anfield or Old Trafford or the Etihad. Ultimately, he’s moving on from Watford because he wants to better his career.
“So, he’ll want to be playing in Europe and maybe pushing for an international berth, so he is moving on with a view to playing in big games and doing things and making sure he really is a household name.
“So, you won’t see him taking a backwards step. There’s no fear from him at all. I think he has every faith in his ability, and rightly so.
“Everything I’ve said [about him] so far has largely been positive, and that’s from watching him week in week out for four years.”
TIF Thoughts…
Seemingly, the podcaster believes that Doucoure has the capability to be a success with the Toffees if he moves to Goodison Park.
Do you think Abdoulaye Doucoure could be a success at Goodison Park?
No, he's not that good
Yes, he's a class player
However, it seems likely that he will need to improve upon his average rating from the most recent Premier League season with Watford, as he delivered a fairly uninspiring 6.67/10 (per WhoScored).
The same rating for Everton in the Premier League during the 2019/20 season would have made him their ninth-best performer.
That said, Doucoure’s 7/10 average rating during the 2017/18 Premier League campaign has shown that he is capable of performing to a consistently high standard in the top flight, so perhaps there is reason to look forward to the Frenchman sealing a Toffees switch.