Opinion: £25m player’s Everton career might be over after recent transfer activity

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Everton seem to be going all out in this summer’s transfer window. The Toffees are set to field a new midfield before the start of the season (Times), something boss Carlo Ancelotti seems to have prioritised after an underwhelming campaign last term.

The Italian’s arrival provided a huge boost to Everton initially. The Toffees looked destined to finish in one of the Europa League spots but a terrible end to the campaign dropped them into the lower half of the table.

Gylfi Sigurdsson didn’t look anything like his previous self last season. The Iceland international’s dip in form hampered Everton’s creativity and their chances of outscoring opponents on multiple occasions.

Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez has been identified as the man to solve that issue for the Toffees. The Colombian has reportedly completed his medical and an announcement is expected any time now.

Napoli’s Allan and Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure are expected to join Rodriguez and their versatility in central midfield opens up a lot of options for Ancelotti in the centre of the park.

A new midfield is exciting for Everton fans but casts a shadow over the future of some of the midfielders who featured last season.

Andre Gomes, Tom Davies, Fabian Delph and Sigurdsson are all likely to become second-choice options for Ancelotti once Allan, Rodriguez and Doucoure come in.

That pushes other players further down the pecking order. One such midfielder is Jean-Philippe Gbamin. The Ivorian joined the Toffees for £25 million from Mainz last summer (BBC) but has played only twice.

Gbamin suffered an injury early last season and, just when he was expected to make a return, hurt himself again, which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.

The former Mainz man was brought in by Marco Silva to fill the void left by Gueye in defensive midfield. Gbamin had all the characteristics to succeed at Goodison Park last season but might not even start a game for the Toffees again.

Ancelotti’s preferred midfield trio, if he shifts to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, would likely be Rodriguez in front of Allan and Doucoure. Sigurdsson would be the Colombian’s natural deputy while Gomes, Davies and Delph would provide cover for the deeper role.

Gbamin has to do something spectacular to gain Ancelotti’s trust in the coming weeks. If he fails to impress in training, he may no longer be required at the club. That would be a shame considering he could have been a star if it wasn’t for injuries.