Abdoulaye Doucouré

[SpartyBlue 321]

7 hours ago, Makis said:

James has also played in either wing / midfield. He has the work rate and is not bad at defending.

The book on James is that you don’t really want him defending. You want him in an attacking role in the center of the pitch where he’s free to roam a bit and to try things without having to worry about getting back to defend. That’s how he’s been used under Ancelotti in the past and under Ancelotti is where he’s been the most successful. He has played winger under Zidane (when he’s played at all) and he can get away with it a bit because he has a tremendous left foot and is a great crosser of the ball but that isn’t where he’s best as he lacks a winger’s pace. 

[Makis 507]

He played deeper at Bayern and excelled there as well. And AFAIK Ancelotti also played him as RW.

[Bailey 4,954]

Fourth Official also confirms the Doucoure signing. He has been ahead of everyone else so far.

I must admit I am very impressed by how we have gone about this window in the end. It might have been a bit slow but we needed a new midfield and we have one. 

[SpartyBlue 321]

3 minutes ago, Bailey said:

Fourth Official also confirms the Doucoure signing. He has been ahead of everyone else so far.

I must admit I am very impressed by how we have gone about this window in the end. It might have been a bit slow but we needed a new midfield and we have one. 

When you think of how much of the window we have left, I think these players have actually come quite fast. It just seems slow because of the shortened offseason. We have a month left. Ideally we’d keep players like Walcott and Bolassie around until the end to see who has what and then make a decision. Also you never know when injuries will pop up. 

[Bailey 4,954]

11 minutes ago, SpartyBlue said:

When you think of how much of the window we have left, I think these players have actually come quite fast. It just seems slow because of the shortened offseason. We have a month left. Ideally we’d keep players like Walcott and Bolassie around until the end to see who has what and then make a decision. Also you never know when injuries will pop up. 

Yeh there is no doubt this is a difficult window so in one sense they are in early and in a normal season it would be quick however the season starts this weekend and only one of them is likely to play a part.

Put it this way though, given the quality of the 3 players we have brought in, I would have been happy to wait until 11.59 on deadline day! 

[SpartyBlue 321]

45 minutes ago, Bailey said:

Yeh there is no doubt this is a difficult window so in one sense they are in early and in a normal season it would be quick however the season starts this weekend and only one of them is likely to play a part.

Put it this way though, given the quality of the 3 players we have brought in, I would have been happy to wait until 11.59 on deadline day! 

Certainly. I do kind of think that given his experience with Ancelotti and what will be  a full week of training we will see James on Sunday. 

[Romey 1878 13,593]

 

[duncanmckenzieismagic 5,213]

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/12066679/doucoure-brings-8216different-dynamic-to-everton8217

[Aidan 2,228]

Just changed his Twitter bio from 'Watford player' to 'football player'. Must mean an announcement tonight. 

[barryj 1,171]

 

[barryj 1,171]

You can move to the the general thread 😬

[barryj 1,171]

 

[MikeO 12,940]

7 minutes ago, barryj said:

You can move to the the general thread 😬

Done👍

[chicagoblue 443]

Mind boggling transformation of our midfield. 

[Zoo 2.0 957]

I'll be honest Doucoure is the one I know the least about, but hoping that he proves to be Gueye 2.0 in the sense that he came from a relegated club and turned into one of our better players. 

We seem to have been after him for decades, so glad to see it finally over the line. The fact that we have gone back in for him, despite having new targets and new visions shows that he was a top target and anyone who is at the top of Ancelotti's list gets a massive thumbs up from me. 

We're not done this summer, but so happy that we have addressed the weakest area of the squad. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see the likes of Delph moved on to recoup some cash.

[Hafnia 6,610]

Bloody Nora ... Best transfer window I've seen. 

[Palfy 3,410]

I can hardly believe all this is happening, and there are still more rumours of more to come, with a central defender and striker being targeted. 

[SpartyBlue 321]

1 minute ago, Palfy said:

I can hardly believe all this is happening, and there are still more rumours of more to come, with a central defender and striker being targeted. 

Perhaps someone can explain the striker thing to me. Richie and DCL are likely to play up top and both are coming off good years. Behind them we have an exciting prospect in Kean who we surely want to give some more game time to. I’m not convinced DCL is the longterm answer for a club with champions league ambitions but it seems a strange one to me in this window. 

[Hafnia 6,610]

Just now, Palfy said:

I can hardly believe all this is happening, and there are still more rumours of more to come, with a central defender and striker being targeted. 

Maxi Gomes.... Not seen much of him but let's sign him. Fuck it. .... I'm all in. 

[Matt 8,082]

Feel a little for him. Our week has been “oh thank fuck that’s a great signing!”, to “Ooooooh fuck yeaaaaah”. Hopefully he’s not a limelight player  

[Palfy 3,410]

1 minute ago, SpartyBlue said:

Perhaps someone can explain the striker thing to me. Richie and DCL are likely to play up top and both are coming off good years. Behind them we have an exciting prospect in Kean who we surely want to give some more game time to. I’m not convinced DCL is the longterm answer for a club with champions league ambitions but it seems a strange one to me in this window. 

Rumour has it Ancelotti is interested in a striker currently playing for Valencia in Spain, I read it this morning but can’t find the link again to get the name, maybe some one else saw the same story and fill the gaps in, but I’m not going to question the professor, if he thinks we need another striker then we need another striker end of. 

[SpartyBlue 321]

1 minute ago, Palfy said:

Rumour has it Ancelotti is interested in a striker currently playing for Valencia in Spain, I read it this morning but can’t find the link again to get the name, maybe some one else saw the same story and fill the gaps in, but I’m not going to question the professor, if he thinks we need another striker then we need another striker end of. 

I wonder if it’s a combination of a bit of a lack of confidence in DCL longterm and a hedge against Richarlison leaving in the sunmer

[Sibdane 2,227]

Just now, Palfy said:

Rumour has it Ancelotti is interested in a striker currently playing for Valencia in Spain, I read it this morning but can’t find the link again to get the name, maybe some one else saw the same story and fill the gaps in, but I’m not going to question the professor, if he thinks we need another striker then we need another striker end of. 

Maxi Gomez? He would be quite a coup too to be honest. He's only 24 also, so not really too young or too old. 

[badaids 571]

It’s going triple lob rate in my trousers today. What a week.

[Palfy 3,410]

Just now, SpartyBlue said:

I wonder if it’s a combination of a bit of a lack of confidence in DCL longterm and a hedge against Richarlison leaving in the sunmer

Quite possibly you are right mate DCL is still developing and is prone to having lean spells were he struggles to find the net, so this could be a back up signing to take some pressure off DCL.

I hope your wrong on the Richarlison front and we are convincing him that there is a future here with the acquisitions we are making, didn’t Ancelotti reportedly ask him for another year before he made any decisions on leaving, so he could see the club were heading in the right direction. 

[SpartyBlue 321]

1 minute ago, Palfy said:

Quite possibly you are right mate DCL is still developing and is prone to having lean spells were he struggles to find the net, so this could be a back up signing to take some pressure off DCL.

I hope your wrong on the Richarlison front and we are convincing him that there is a future here with the acquisitions we are making, didn’t Ancelotti reportedly ask him for another year before he made any decisions on leaving, so he could see the club were heading in the right direction. 

Ya, this is a pivotal year on a number of fronts. We need to show real progress.

[Romey 1878 13,593]

The midfield has well and truly been transformed. We now have an engine room.

I don’t think we’re done but I would be happy if these were the only deals we do this window. That’s how needed and how good our business has been. 

[StevO 5,768]

If you’re a midfielder at Everton, you need to seriously step up you’re game if you want to play again. 
Not a single one of them will get a look in if they aren’t at least twice as good as they were last season. 
The standard has moved, time to improve or get out of the way. 

[barryj 1,171]

In his interview he said he enjoyed his meal out with Mr Ancelotti, James and Allan 😂 Got to know them and he’s ready to start Sunday! Here we go. Every time Everton beat you down they always manage to reel me in again and give new found optimism. Bring on Sunday!!  😬

So gutted i cant be in my seat for the first home game the Old Lady would have been rocking. 😞

[Palfy 3,410]

20 minutes ago, StevO said:

If you’re a midfielder at Everton, you need to seriously step up you’re game if you want to play again. 
Not a single one of them will get a look in if they aren’t at least twice as good as they were last season. 
The standard has moved, time to improve or get out of the way. 

And as much as we love him that goes for Gomes as well. Just hope he can find it in himself to get back to where we know he can be. 

[barryj 1,171]

1 minute ago, Palfy said:

And as much as we love him that goes for Gomes as well. Just hope he can find it in himself to get back to where we know he can be. 

Don’t start that up in this thread too 🤦‍♂️
.......it’s always you, you troublemaker! 😉😂

[Zoo 2.0 957]

15 minutes ago, barryj said:

In his interview he said he enjoyed his meal out with Mr Ancelotti, James and Allan 😂 Got to know them and he’s ready to start Sunday! Here we go. Every time Everton beat you down they always manage to reel me in again and give new found optimism. Bring on Sunday!!  😬

So gutted i cant be in my seat for the first home game the Old Lady would have been rocking. 😞

Love this - you can tell Carlo puts his arm around his players. A proper man manager. 

27 minutes ago, StevO said:

If you’re a midfielder at Everton, you need to seriously step up you’re game if you want to play again. 
Not a single one of them will get a look in if they aren’t at least twice as good as they were last season. 
The standard has moved, time to improve or get out of the way. 

Would happily sell Tom Davies (heard Newcastle are interested?) and Delph as Leeds are apparently keen. Both are not in the same ball park as the calibre of player that we have now.

André Gomes I truly believe can be a good option for us if he gets a bit of confidence back, and uses this as a tool to fire a rocket up his arse and also believe that Gylfi (yes, really) could turn into an option for us. The latter is bursting with talent, but just seems to sleepwalk through games which will be totally unheard of with the depth that we now have. The days of doing fuck all and starting the next week are over.

[nyblue23 623]

1 hour ago, Palfy said:

Quite possibly you are right mate DCL is still developing and is prone to having lean spells were he struggles to find the net, so this could be a back up signing to take some pressure off DCL.

I hope your wrong on the Richarlison front and we are convincing him that there is a future here with the acquisitions we are making, didn’t Ancelotti reportedly ask him for another year before he made any decisions on leaving, so he could see the club were heading in the right direction. 

Yeah I came here to say this. With the three signings we made, I don't think Richarlison leaving is at all a foregone conclusion. I think if we're able to secure Europe this season and show sufficient progress otherwise, he'll be open to staying.

[Matt 8,082]

Forgotten how big and strong he is, good feet and timing of tackles too

[Haiku 331]

Tough guy and good with the feet. Him and Allan will be bossing the midfield I reckon with James creating chances out of nowhere. Very exited about the season ahead. I hope luck will be on our side too.

[Matt 8,082]

20 minutes ago, Haiku said:

Tough guy and good with the feet. Him and Allan will be bossing the midfield I reckon with James creating chances out of nowhere. Very exited about the season ahead. I hope luck will be on our side too.

Yeah. I think going back to a 4231 would suit our current squad best but hoping it’s a bit more of a 4132 

[Wiggytop 641]

I’ve always rated and liked him, he’s always been a thorn in our side, I think he will become a crowd favourite if he does the sort of stuff the video shows.

[Btay 2,013]

I think every teams going to know they’ve had a game against Everton. Allan’s going to be all over the ball and if you get a moment from him you’ll probably turn straight into Doucoure. I think we’ve nearly got the balance perfect for a team that can press and tackle in defence. Silky and direct in attack whilst having plenty big physical players to defend and attack set pieces.

[Cornish Steve 3,024]

On 08/09/2020 at 09:58, Bailey said:

Fourth Official also confirms the Doucoure signing. He has been ahead of everyone else so far.

I must admit I am very impressed by how we have gone about this window in the end. It might have been a bit slow but we needed a new midfield and we have one. 

As you've surely seen me repeat many times, "games are won and lost in midfield." We've done exactly what we needed to do, and it will most surely pay off.

[Matt 8,082]

9 hours ago, Btay said:

I think every teams going to know they’ve had a game against Everton. Allan’s going to be all over the ball and if you get a moment from him you’ll probably turn straight into Doucoure. I think we’ve nearly got the balance perfect for a team that can press and tackle in defence. Silky and direct in attack whilst having plenty big physical players to defend and attack set pieces.

It’ll take at least 6 months before these 3 blend together but I agree with the overall sentiment 

[Romey 1878 13,593]

13 minutes ago, Matt said:

It’ll take at least 6 months before these 3 blend together but I agree with the overall sentiment 

Not necessarily. The beauty of James and Allan is that they've played under Carlo before and have a lot of experience in football in general. I know players can take time to adapt but because we've got them at this age it could actually play into our hands. Then Doucoure has played in this league for many years, so won't need much of an adaptation time. If any.

I think the chances of all three taking time to gel and hitting the ground running are about the same really. Fingers crossed it's the latter.

[Bailey 4,954]

I agree. I'm not saying that will be 100% at it from game one but that Allan and Doucoure will get up to speed very quickly.

If anyone might struggle it could be James just because of the league and how much more competitive and physical it is compared to the continent. I could see him struggling to play 90 minutes (or go past 60 mins) very often whilst he acclimatises. 

[London Blue 2,244]

Cant wait to see him and the others at Goodison with a full house, it's going to be an amazing atmosphere!

[Matt 8,082]

3 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

Not necessarily. The beauty of James and Allan is that they've played under Carlo before and have a lot of experience in football in general. I know players can take time to adapt but because we've got them at this age it could actually play into our hands. Then Doucoure has played in this league for many years, so won't need much of an adaptation time. If any.

I think the chances of all three taking time to gel and hitting the ground running are about the same really. Fingers crossed it's the latter.

Doucouré is the one I’m worried about the least because he’s played in the PL. The other two are going to have to adapt to the physicality, especially James. That said, I imagine Allan will get stuck in immediately and will have to adapt to the RNG of the refs 

[Shukes 4,452]

Out of all of the signings I would think Doucoure is the one who will have most impact. 
We have missed strength and energy in the middle of the park, and I think this is what we’ll get. 
 

If ever there was a player that ticks the box to box type, he is it. He tackles, dribbles, and can make an impact in the last third. 
No longer will our middle be a pushover. 

[Btay 2,013]

On 10/09/2020 at 17:13, Matt said:

It’ll take at least 6 months before these 3 blend together but I agree with the overall sentiment 

I think they all compliment each others game, each player offers something that the others dont quite offer. Gomes included. They will learn when to squeeze and when not to but in terms of holding shape i think they will be okay defensively

[Hafnia 6,610]

Someone on twitter said they spoke to kenny.... Kenny referenced the new signings being very good and that decoure is a beast. 

[Btay 2,013]

You could be forgiven for thinking he had played for us for a few seasons after that display. Excellent game.

[Shukes 4,452]

Showed his premier league experience. Great debut. Can see him being a real unsung hero for us.

[Btay 2,013]

47 minutes ago, Shukes said:

Showed his premier league experience. Great debut. Can see him being a real unsung hero for us.

Does a lot of dirty work but can also be effective on the ball. 

[Romey 1878 13,593]

What a beautiful specimen of midfielder.

[Aidan 2,228]

It was so refreshing to see someone busting a gut to help his defence then 2 minutes later busting a gut to help his attack! When did we last have a player who did that for us? Genuine question. 

[Matt 8,082]

7 minutes ago, Aidan said:

It was so refreshing to see someone busting a gut to help his defence then 2 minutes later busting a gut to help his attack! When did we last have a player who did that for us? Genuine question. 

Cars and Graveson

[Aidan 2,228]

1 minute ago, Matt said:

Cars and Graveson

That long ago. 

[pete0 1,998]

4 hours ago, Aidan said:

It was so refreshing to see someone busting a gut to help his defence then 2 minutes later busting a gut to help his attack! When did we last have a player who did that for us? Genuine question. 

Davies under Alladyce. Before that McCarthy, Fellaini, and Arteta. All done it with no big deal, although McCarthy did have a little blip on the map thanks to paddy Power one time. 

Koeman and Walsh took the energy out of the team and then Silva took the desire. 

[Bailey 4,954]

Even if Davies would have really busted a gut in that situation, which I believe is complete bollocks, he wouldn't have the pace foresight to keep up with the play. 

Whether or not the likes of Gomes, Davies, Siggy, McCarthy (at the end) and even Barry wanted to be able to react in that situation they wouldn't have been able to physically. Even Allan showed that he couldn't in that game.

That is why it is so important to have someone in the team that can make the tactical decision to react (unlike someone like Gana) and then the physical ability to put that decision into practice (like the rest above).

I am sure he was the type of player they hoped Gbamin would be when he signed.

 

 

[markjazzbassist 3,165]

he's proving me wrong and i'm loving it.  he was the best of the midfield 3 today.  he's everywhere in attack and gets a foot in defensively.  he looks massive but he's only 6'0".  i hope this form continues

[SpartyBlue 321]

1 hour ago, markjazzbassist said:

he's proving me wrong and i'm loving it.  he was the best of the midfield 3 today.  he's everywhere in attack and gets a foot in defensively.  he looks massive but he's only 6'0".  i hope this form continues

He was solid today but James was sublime when he was on the ball. Be fun to see that midfield after 10 games or, even more so, after a year together.

[markjazzbassist 3,165]

11 minutes ago, SpartyBlue said:

He was solid today but James was sublime when he was on the ball. Be fun to see that midfield after 10 guys or, even more so, after a year together.

I’m counting James as a forwRd since he’s playing right in a 433.  Gomes doucoure Allan the mids in my opinion.

[SpartyBlue 321]

4 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

I’m counting James as a forwRd since he’s playing right in a 433.  Gomes doucoure Allan the mids in my opinion.

Fair enough though in actuality he’s often playing as our 10. Someone should start a counter on the number of times he cuts in on his left and pings a cross field pass. We have to be near double digits already after 2 games.