Gabby Agbonlahor has questioned on TalkSport (07/11/20 at 8:00 pm) what Abdoulaye Doucoure brings to the Everton table and stated that he ‘wasn’t the man’ they needed to sign in the middle of the park.
The former Premier League striker also believes Gylfi Sigurdsson’s legs are on their ‘way out’ and claimed that he is no longer the Sigurdsson of ‘old’.
The Toffees have hit a brick wall since their promising start to the season and Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping to put things right after the international break.
But ex-Villa man Agbonlahor questioned what the above players bring to the table, as the blue half of Merseyside suffered their third successive defeat over the weekend.
“From me watching the game, I just don’t understand what Doucoure brings to the side,” said Agbonlahor. “I look at him and he did well for Watford, but I still think he wasn’t the man that Everton needed in that midfield.
“You have Calvert-Lewin on his own upfront [against Manchester United] and you have Docoure playing off him. He’s not a goalscorer, is he?! Yes, he’s got legs, he’s a runner, but he’s not that sort of player Everton needed.
“Sigurdsson as well. He’s not the Sigurdsson of old. His legs are on the way out. I just think that Everton midfield needs more strength in depth.”
Doucoure was a player who was needed by Everton because following the departure of Idrissa Gueye two seasons ago, they have missed his energy, which the former Watford man has now added to their table once again.
He is a box-to-box midfielder with a more defensive mind, and whilst he started the season in a strong fashion alongside fellow summer signing Allan, they have just hit a stumbling block.
This is the real test for Ancelotti and his players because if they do have ambitions of finishing in Europe then they have to react to recent defeats in a positive fashion.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
