Everton manager Sean Dyche has reportedly challenged Abdoulaye Doucoure to win a new contract having brought the 30-year-old midfielder back in from the cold having been banished by Frank Lampard.
According to the Daily Mail, the Toffees boss is urging the former Watford star to push himself on and off the pitch to win himself a new contract, with Doucoure already one of the biggest earners at the club at a reported £120,000-a-week.
Doucoure was actually close to leaving Everton even after Dyche was appointed manager, with the midfielder looking set to join Fulham on loan and to reunite with former manager Marco Silva. However, a deadline day move fell through as the Mali international remained on Merseyside.
However, the outcome has now proven to be a blessing in disguise, with Doucoure starting all four Premier League matches Everton have played under Dyche, and a new contract could now be on the cards if the midfielder steps up his game to a new level in the coming weeks.
Indeed, Doucoure’s comeback has been nothing of remarkable given that the midfielder was outright banished from the first-team in Lampard’s final weeks at the club, with the former France youth international potentially in line for a contract extension if things go to plan.
With surviving relegation the order of business at Everton, Doucoure can win an extra 12 months at Goodison Park if he impresses under Dyche, and with the midfielder being back in from the cold and impressing under the former Burnley boss, a new deal could soon be on its way.
Doucoure signing a new Everton contract would be an impressive twist
Few would have expected Doucoure to play for Everton again having been banished from the first-team by Lampard. Yet under Dycher, the midfielder has found himself with a career again at the club, and a new contract would be an impressive twist in the story.
There’s no denying that Doucoure is a quality midfielder who can offer a lot to Dyche’s plan to avoid relegation, and with the 30-year-old now having the motivation to impress beyond his current level will help Everton win crucial points in their battle to beat the drop.
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