Abdoulaye Doucoure admits he was ‘close to leaving’ Everton in a January transfer. But the midfielder stayed put to help the Toffees’ bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The 30-year-old had become a forgotten figure at Goodison Park while Frank Lampard was at the helm. Doucoure only featured for 221 minutes during 10 top-flight appearances and started in just two fixtures under him this season. But Sean Dyche restored his importance.
Doucoure has opened all five of Everton’s Premier League matches with Dyche at the helm so far. He has also already played 439 minutes under the Kettering-born boss. The two-cap Mali star is a part of an unchanged three-man core with Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana.
Fulham and Watford targeted a transfer for Abdoulaye Doucoure in January
Lampard considered Doucoure to be a fundamental part of his plans on Merseyside whilst securing Everton’s top-flight survival last season. He started the £120k-a-week star in 13 of a potential 15 matches. Yet Onana and Gueye’s transfers last summer cast Doucoure aside.
The Daily Mail even claimed that Lampard made Doucoure train on his own before Everton fired him. He clashed with the midfielder and refused to let the 30-year-old train with their first-team or Under-21s. Yet the Mali star could now warrant a new contract under Dyche.
More recently, the Daily Mail reported that Dyche is open to Everton triggering the club’s option to extend Doucoure’s contract by a year. His existing terms will expire this summer but include the option for 12 more months. Yet Doucoure must show he deserves to stay.
While 90min reported in January that Fulham were exploring a transfer for Doucoure given his status at Everton under Lampard. But the Cottagers hoped the Toffees would pay more than half of his wage. Watford also studied a loan with a buy obligation set on promotion.
Frank Lampard outcast now explains why he pulled a U-turn on leaving Everton
But while Doucoure came close to leaving Everton, he decided to pull a U-turn on any mid-season transfer. He has been at Goodison Park since sealing a £20m move from Watford in September 2020. Now, he hopes to help the Toffees avoid relegation once again this term.
“I was close to leaving,” Doucoure has admitted to Sky Sports. “But in the end, I stayed and I’m very happy because I never wanted to leave. I’m happy to be here and play and keep this team up.
“A lot of people maybe saw me [leaving] but I always loved this club. I always want to fight for this club, play for this club. Unfortunately, I didn’t have this opportunity for almost six months. But I knew there was going to be light at the end of the tunnel.”
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