Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure worked under Everton manager Marco Silva during his time at Vicarage Road.
Phil Thompson believes Watford’s ‘athletic’ midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure would make Everton’s squad ‘better’ if they were to sign him.
The Sky Sports pundit claimed that Doucoure would ‘fit’ into Everton’s team because of his previous relationship with Marco Silva, who was briefly in charge at Vicarage Road at the start of last season.
Doucoure has been a key feature in Watford’s midfield during this campaign as they currently sit in the Premier League’s top 10 – he moved to the club in 2016 from French side Rennes.
Speaking prior to Everton’s defeat at Brighton, former Liverpool defender Thompson explained why Doucoure would help improve the Goodison Park club.
“You can see that fit [Doucoure joining Everton],” Thompson told Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday show on 29/12/2018 at 2:45 pm. “Everton want to go places, you are looking, he [Silva] knows the player inside out, he knows what he can produce.
“He [Doucoure] is athletic, he can get from box-to-box and I think he would fit into this [team]. He would make that squad of Everton’s better. Yes, they have got players in there, but I don’t think what he brings to the party, Doucoure, I don’t think Everton have one of those players.”
Everton have the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, Idrissa Gueye, Gylfi Sigurðsson, James McCarthy and Andre Gomes, who can play in the middle of the park – both high up the pitch and as number 6’s.
Over the course of this campaign, Doucoure, who came off the bench to score the equalising goal against Newcastle on Saturday, had started the previous 19 league matches for the Hornets.
In total, the Frenchman has found the back of the net on three occasions and provided five assists for his teammates this term – he scored at Goodison Park in early December when Watford drew 2-2 with their former manager.
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