Idrissa Gueye: The Engine Behind Everton’s Turnaround

Idrissa Gueye is a workhorse of a player and is one of the main reasons behind Everton’s turnaround this season. David Moyes has learned to use the Senegalese international in a way that focuses on his immense strengths on the pitch.

Idrissa Gueye Is Everton’s Motor In The Midfield

The Engine In The Midfield

No player in the top five leagues has over 100 tackles this season, except Gueye, who has 110. An incredible feat considering he will turn 36 before the year’s end. His ability to get the ball off the opposition is crucial to a team that averages 41% possession in the Premier League.

Gueye provides all of this pressure around the pitch as well. Ranked against other midfielders in the top five leagues he is in the top 7% for tackles in every third of the pitch. His 0.53 tackles in the attacking third per 90 minutes are his lowest ranking.

That pressure has been crucial to the turnaround under Moyes. No team in the Premier League has had more chances created from high turnovers since the Scot’s appointment.

It’s not just on the defensive end that the midfielder dictates. Sitting in the base of the midfield he is tasked with starting the Everton attack, which relies heavily on fast movement after a turnover. Gueye has the most progressive passes and the most passes into the final third for the club. When that breaks down they often switch the ball with the Senegalese International being the catalyst behind it.

Who Can Replace Idrissa Gueye At Everton

It is hard to replace someone so important to the midfield structure, especially at a club that has struggled financially in recent years. An inability to spend mass amounts of money on incoming players is one of the main reasons that Gueye was brought back. The £2 million fee that secured his return was a shrewd business for the team.

After posting their financials for last season it is clear they are in a better position but will not likely be able to have a large expenditure in the summer transfer window. So if the Senegalese international, whose contract is up at the end of the season, is to leave, Everton will have to look into their current squad for his replacement.

The best option in the squad is Tim Iroegbunam. The former Aston Villa midfielder joined at the start of the term and has played just 13 league games since then due to injury. But in his limited role, he has shown promise to be a starter for the club.

Iroegbunam averages 4.7 tackles per 90 minutes in the league this year, higher than Gueye’s 4.3. His defensive promise is there, it’s if he can provide more going the other way and bring consistency to his fame that will ultimately decide if he is to be a mainstay in the midfield.