Everton were linked with Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure in January.
Everton may have ended the January transfer window with three new signings, as Eliaquim Mangala, Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun arrived, but they were linked with a whole host of potential additions last month.
Sam Allardyce boosted his numbers as Everton look to reverse a frustrating season, but one of the players linked with a January move to Goodison Park may already have slipped through the net.
The Mirror reported in January that Everton were keen to land Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, and were hoping to land him in a £25million swoop as they struggled to sign Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi.
Neither player ended up joining Everton, but comments from the Hornets ace now suggest that the Toffees have missed their chance to lure the Frenchman to the blue half of Merseyside.
Doucoure, as quoted by The Mirror, has suggested that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are all keen to sign him this summer, and if he could pick any of them to join, he would choose Arsenal due to Arsene Wenger’s presence.
Given that Doucoure’s preference is Arsenal, and Liverpool and Spurs are potentially able to offer Champions League football, then Everton – who look set to miss out on a top seven finish – would be struggling to rival their offers.
Whilst Farhad Moshiri can fund major signings, as he did for Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane and Gylfi Sigurdsson last summer, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs are almost certainly able to at least match or even better any Everton bid, meaning the Toffees best hope would be the promise of a key first-team role.
After seven goals from midfield this season, Doucoure certainly deserves a key role somewhere, but having failed to make their move in January, the ship may have already sailed on Everton luring Doucoure to Goodison Park.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
