The hunt for a partner to Idrissa Gueye

Everton have already saved themselves a massive headache this transfer window with the contract extension of Idrissa Gueye with the 35 year old signing on for another year with the option of another at the conclusion of this current deal. Gueye was the leader in tackles amongst Europe’s top 5 leagues last season and was brilliant in the midfield two last season, showing that there is still life in his legs even after such a long career.

However, whilst Everton need a succession plan for when Gueye does leave they also need to think about the here and now as there is typically a problem in deciding who partners Gueye as each option has their own flaws, which does lead to some issues in midfield from time to time. To understand what Everton are working with and what the ideal Gueye partner should be we should really have a look at the current options to partner Gueye at this current moment in time.

The current options:

James Garner:

The option currently that would be considered first choice is someone that I would describe as the utility man in the team due to the stop gap jobs he has performed at right back and right midfield. Garner is combative in midfield and likes to engage his man often, which is the exact problem when it comes to being a partner for Gueye. Garner’s positioning is questionable and he can often be played around as he has gone too high on his man making it easy to pop it round him, combine this with the fact you have a player in Gueye whos bread and butter is hunting for the ball it creates gaps in the midfield which can be exploited.

With the ball Garner has shown at times that he can be a steady player in the middle and be a safe pair of hands to help keep the ball which is nice to have on occasion and can take the sting out of the game but he is just relatively average to me on the ball. When it comes to forward passing there are glimpses from Garner but more often than not it feels rushed or a bit wayward so Everton give up possession (system set up hasn’t helped him with this though) and then when it comes to ball carrying it isn’t a huge strength of Garner’s as it’s not an attribute he looks to employ.

Garner for me should be a squad option and nothing more, someone who can plug gaps, work hard and provide a steady presence when needed with perhaps some set piece threat.

Tim Iroegbunam:

Now Iroegbunam like Garner is combative and looks to engage often in midfield duels which with his physicality he can come out on top in the majority of the time, however, his positioning is really lacking sometimes and makes for easy passes into forwards as he is too focused on the man with the ball and doesn’t screen effectively. So again, him being the main partner for Gueye who is so combative OOP (out of possession) probably isn’t the move right now but Iroegbunam is young so he hopefully becomes more disciplined.

With the ball Iroegbunam is a lot more progressive than Garner, showing great signs in earlier appearances in this aspect of his game whether it be through his forward passing through the lines or his impressive ball carrying, Iroegbunam was a refreshing presence when he was doing well in games and helped drive the side forwards.

It’s Iroegbunam’s on the ball ability which gives me hope for him as I do think there is a player in there that just needs to be nurtured and given time to mature which keeping him as a squad option would give him that protection. Ideally he would get a loan but Everton are really thin on the ground in central midfield as it stands and they can’t really afford to send him on loan.

Harrison Armstrong:

The 3rd option is academy graduate Harrison Armstrong, who made his Premier League debut last season as well as his first start in the FA cup against Peterborough where he got his first assist for the club, his U21 performances alongside the flashes of ability in first team football lead to a successful loan at Derby in the Championship for the second half of the season.

Armstrong does have promise with a good work rate and some nice technical qualities but he certainly isn’t ready to be starting week in week out for Everton and I also think his future is more of an attacking midfielder than a CM in a midfield two. Armstrong should definitely be sent out on loan this season to continue his development.

As you can see Everton certainly aren’t blessed with options and none have really gelled all that well with Gueye with Garner probably being the best suited for now because of his steady nature and Premier League experience. So with the midfield being so thin and not all that balanced it is imperative Everton go after the correct sort of profile to go alongside Gueye.

So what should the profile of Gueye’s partner look like? For me it should have these main attributes:

• Will sit and hold position whilst Gueye presses high
• A strong ground dueler
• Has a good physical capability to cover ground
• Comfortable receiving the ball off the CB’s
• A player who can break lines with passing/carrying

These 5 bullet points are what should take precedent when it comes to finding Gueye’s successor from a purely technical/tactical point of view but of course the player needs to have the right financial terms surrounding their fee and be a good age as to not be a short term fix so I trued to keep the player U25 and attainable, based upon the fee (of course) and their clubs situation.

Now initially I was going to do 4 targets but this piece hit around 4000 words on Agoume alone and I’m not sure anyone wants to read a 40 minute piece on 4 players. But I may do some seperate pieces regarding them players, particularly Shea Charles

Ideal partner: Lucien Agoume

In Lucien Agoume you have someone who would come quite cheap out of La Liga after surviving a relegation battle with struggling Sevilla potentially only wanting a fee of €20 million or under if reports are to be believed. From a financial standpoint Agoume is a huge market opportunity for lots of clubs who need to bolster their midfield options, a midfielder who is Inter Milan educated who has come on leaps and bounds in 24/25 after his career stalling in Italy, Agoume comes with a certain sort of pedigree in the way he plays and is a massive market opportunity.

Player information:

• Club: Sevilla
• Nationality: French
• Age: 23
• Preferred foot: Right
• Contract expiry: June 30th 2028
• TM value: €8 mil

24/25 heat map, 35 apps(24 starts)

Agoume is an all action midfielder who can contribute all over the pitch whether it be in the build up phase of play, progression phase or in the final 3rd of the pitch, he is a real all rounder of a midfielder. Positionally he has typically been used as a lone 6 or in a pivot of a 4–2–3–1 showing the tactical flexibility he possesses as he plays both roles to a good level. The fact he can play as a lone 6 to such a good level is a huge green flag for me when thinking about whether he would be a good foil to Gueye in a midfield partnership. This is because it shows that Agoume will be more than happy to hold his position and cover for Gueye if he vacates space to hunt the ball down, which has been Everton’s big issue when it comes to being solid in midfield OOP as suggested earlier when talking about the other midfielders positioning flaws. Being a lone 6 also shows an immense amount of trust from the manager in regards to Agoume’s ability to contribute to build up play, as a lot of the time the ball will go through Agoume when playing as the deepest midfielder with him acting as a conduit for Sevilla’s first phase of possession.

Physicality:

• +Height
• +Body frame
• +Covering ground
• +Strength
• +Balance
• +Agility
• -Initial acceleration

When it comes to the physical requirements of being able to cover large areas of ground I have no question of Agoume’s capabilities as it is something he has shown consistently at Sevilla and has made him a real asset when it comes to stopping transitions from the opposition or recovering into a set position.

Agoume’s physical attributes are why Sevilla are comfortable using him in a high press from time to time as he has the ability to go aggressively high and pen the opposition in either preventing the turn so they have to play backwards or will try to make a tackle from round the side and win the ball that way. Knowing how strong Agoume is at covering ground alongside someone like Gueye would give Everton the chance to be more aggressive as a side, press higher and really take games to the opposition as the midfield would be able to recover if necessary. Having these players that can cover ground so effortlessly is a huge asset in the modern game and just gives sides that edge and allows them to sustain pressure that much easier, have steel OOP and take control of games through brute force.

Positional sense:

When it comes to the Agoume’s positional sense out of possession I am a huge fan, with Agoume showing an ability to read the game and a keen awareness of what’s going on around him so he can be best placed to either engage a duel or cut out a forward pass. This is helped by his incessant scanning of his surroundings, taking frequent looks over his shoulder to assess who is in the nearest passing lane to him and whether he is doing enough to cancel out that pass even being an option for the opposition.

Take the above, Agoume has a check of the shoulder to have an understanding of where the man is so he can prevent the pass being played through midfield, which he does successfully by shadowing the passing lane off for the Valencia player who then has to go sideways, which is of course the less dangerous pass as long as the rest of the side are in the correct areas. It’s subtle checks like that one and subtle moments like that which can be the difference between a solid OOP shape and a porous one which can be played through, Agoume would really sure the side up for me.

Agoume reads the game really well and it allows him to make some really impressive interceptions to earn his side possession and set them on the front foot, having someone with this sort of reading of the game who can cut out passes before the ball gets near the backline can be huge for relieving pressure off the side and give the back 4 lots of protection, ultimately reducing the amount of chances faced.

A great example of this ability to read the game and predict what pass is being made next happened in a game against Atletico Madrid in the season just gone, one that I thought showed his intelligence and an ability to read body language of players. You would be forgiven for thinking that the LCB is going to play the ball out to the LB in this scenario as they have an open body shape towards the LB as well as the LB coming short for the pass, but Agoume has read the scenario completely differently (correctly at that), thanks to his scanning and football IQ. Agoume has recognised that the half space passing lane is open and if the left sided striker drops off he is a dangerous passing option which would leave Sevilla vulnerable and Atleti with a dangerous attacking scenario. So as Lenglet shaped to play the pass Agoume has shuffled into that left half space passing lane at the perfect moment as Julian Alvarez looked to show for the ball, this correct read lead to a Sevilla corner and a chance to score, this is the benefit of people like Agoume, he can turn defence into attack in seconds.

Whilst Agoume’s positioning can turn defence into attack it can also help to sustain attacks by being a bit deeper and sweeping up those loose balls that appear from time to time, Agoume has the physical ability and timing to collect these loose balls and keep Sevilla’s foot on the gas and maintain pressure, something that top DM’s have in their locker. The above is an example scenario (a loose one) of what I mean by backing up attacks and sustaining pressure, if the attack has ended up pinned in a wide area. Agoume acts as a sort of insurance policy in case the ball turnovers and he needs to step in, either stopping the transition or keeping the attack going to an available team mate, in this instance the LCM. This can lead to goals if done often enough and help when it comes to overloads having someone so comfortable performing this role to help overwhelm defences.

Something I mentioned about Garner was that he can overcommit and go too high on his man so he can get played around easier so the midfield is bypassed and whilst Agoume is aggressive in his duels he also seems to have a bit more of a sense on when to engage. He does have scenarios where he overcommits to a duel and gets beat but there are also moments where he doesn’t go all the way, preferring to cut off the passing lane and force the man with the ball into a decision, which can force a decision like Agoume did above, just by being more conservative and cutting off the passing option. Whilst Agoume has those moments of being overzealous there’s clearly a part of him learning his timings on when to go and when not to, which if he nails with more game time and maturity he will be a top midfielder OOP, he is already very good but there’s always room for improvement.

Duelling:

It would be fair to describe Agoume as someone who isn’t afraid of a duel and quite aggressive when it comes to them, not afraid to engage an opposing player no matter the zone and has every intention of winning that ball back and getting his side on the attack. Due to his physicality Agoume comes out on top in the majority of these 1v1 scenarios as he is very strong and long legged which innately give him advantages when players take him on, being able to exert himself more and having a broader range when it comes to tackles due to his long legs.

Another thing that helps him in these duels is his patience, rarely going to ground and preferring to stay on his feet when he engages his man which makes it all the harder to skip round him. If he were to dive in then it makes it much easier for the opposition player to bait him in and bypass him with ease but Agoume prefers to get tight and stay upright in order to give his man no room to breathe.

Now this touch tight approach does have its benefits of course when it comes to smothering players so they can’t create separation and preventing turns but it also has its drawbacks, the big one for me being how many fouls Agoume commits, at times he is a magnet for fouls which can be detrimental if done in silly areas, these fouls are also caused by another thing Agoume does which I want to speak about.

That thing I want to speak about being the angle he approaches his duels at, Agoume for me approaches some challenges from very awkward angles for himself, making it harder for him to put in a clean challenge as he has to try and get round the man’s body. There’s plenty of times where Agoume comes round the side of the player to stab at the ball, which he’s capable of because of his size but it also makes him more prone to silly fouls that could be avoided if he were to either force the man back or wait until he’s got a clearer path to the ball.

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The above sequence shows him getting his angles wrong a couple times and the issue with trying to get round the mans body, the first instance where he looks to engage he goes in a way which leaves the centre open and he gets rolled and Sevilla are then in a dangerous spot. Then when he tries to make amends, because he does have the physicality to get back, he goes for the tackle when the ball is on the opposite side of the mans body and he has no way to reach cleanly without sliding, which for whatever reason Agoume opts against. He’s an imposing presence but there’s moments where he makes the wrong decision and gets himself in trouble and whilst I did praise his stay on feet approach there’s nothing wrong with going to ground sometimes which I think Agoume should do more.

Whilst technically he does win a lot of tackles, I think sometimes it could be done with more authority, what I mean by this is I think Agoume a lot of the time stabs at the ball when looking to dispossess the opposition, granted it’ll take the ball off the man’s toes but it doesn’t guarantee the fact he’s actually won possession back. This is because he hasn’t really took control of the ball and it’s now loose so it can be picked up by an opposition player, deflect elsewhere or if it works in his favour his team mate will pick it up. I would just like to see more authority in the tackle. Authority like, Moises Caicedo, who is one of the best ball winners about, the majority of his best tackles are where he is able to wrap his full foot around the ball and stop the man dead in his tracks, now of course he’ll put in stabby tackles as well but overall he exerts a lot more authority than Agoume. Ultimately I do think if Agoume were to change how he approaches his tackles he could stamp himself on the game even more, but maybe I’m being pedantic.

Receiving off the backline:

I believe being able to receive well off the back line is huge for a partner to Gueye because as we know Gueye isn’t exactly the most impressive player with the ball at his feet, he can be serviceable but overall it’s best to keep him out of the way in build up as that isn’t his game. Agoume however, showing for the defence and being part of that first phase of play is certainly part of his game and his willingness to show for the ball was something I was extremely impressed with when watching him closely, his courage, mobility and fundamentals were brilliant to see.

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The moment above where Sevilla get pinned into their own box is one of the easier moments for Agoume as Atleti haven’t had the chance to squeeze up but nonetheless it is something I like to see from midfielders. Agoume could’ve allowed the responsibility to remain on the CB to receive the ball and deal with the press but Agoume has the intelligence and understanding that it is detrimental to Sevilla if that plays out, as Bade one way or another will have to give up the ball. So his slight adjustment to enter the passing lane for the keeper makes a lot of difference for breaking the press. His scan before he receives allows him to know he can take it on the turn and carry which means Sevilla ultimately break the press and can formulate their own attack.

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These things are subtle but can make all the difference for a side struggling to play out the back, having one midfielder with the confidence to show for the ball and take it off the defenders can make the football much smoother and provide a team with a dangerous ability to progress centrally. Everton showed just how devastating central progression could be in one of Moyes earlier games against Tottenham Hotspur with the Ndiaye goal, where Gueye receives it from a lay off and returns it to Ndiaye in a dangerous central space. If Everton are able to recruit players like Agoume who can take the ball and play through the lines from deep consistently, they can exploit the talents of people like Ndiaye, Alcaraz and McNeil that much more often, rather than in flashes.

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Another thing I like about Agoume when he receives is just how press resistant he is, now usually something like press resistance stems from multiple facets such as a player being very agile and being able to turn their man at a moments notice, but with Agoume it is actually a different trait and a technical one at that, rather than a physical one that helps his press resistance. This trait being, how secure his touch is. If Agoume is going to play in these deeper areas to aide against the press he inevitably will be pressed himself (like above) so he needs to be able to take the ball under control quickly and manipulate the ball how he wants, he certainly can and that’s what got him out of that spot in the clip. That ability to put the ball into what I would deem “safer spaces” is an important one and can translate into ball carrying, because at its core it is Agoume recognising where he will get to the ball first and be under control.

Agoume in that Valencia clip is in big trouble and more flashy players would have tried to spin their men and play forward but Agoume has a certain level of composure and sensibility about him in the way he plays which I really like and it shows in moments like this. He is what can be defined as a “floor raising” player, someone who is going to bring the teams technical capabilities up and keep the capabilities at a certain level, which is what Everton need right now, every good team has players that platform the stars of the side, Agoume could be that platformer.

Now there is one thing which I think Agoume could actually do a bit more of to aide his press resistance even though it is at a very good level due to his scanning and touch, as can be seen by how little he actually gets dispossessed. The thing I'm referring to is perhaps having his hips/ body shape a bit more open so he can turn out that slight bit quicker and get forwards. Agoume can be considered to be on a 3/4 turn rather than a 1/2 turn sometimes which means he does need that extra touch to face forwards sometimes, it isn’t hugely disadvantageous because of his fundamentals, strength and touch but it would take him up a notch in receiving the ball in my opinion.

Breaking lines:

As outlined in the profile I think Everton need a player that can progress them through the lines either through their passing or carrying, Agoume can be that progressive force if Everton allow him to do so and under Moyes I have every reason to believe he’d be instructed to do so. Everton under Moyes are much more likely to try and play football, albeit a bit direct, but it’s direct in a positive, sustainable manner in my eyes. By positive and sustainable I mean it is about looking for dangerous forward passes through the lines to get into the final 3rd, rather than lumping it forward hoping to win second balls. Agoume likes to play forwards and would suit this comfortably.

As can be seen by his raw data alone, Agoume has absolutely no qualms about playing the ball forwards and having the courage to attempt the high value passes. He isn’t a midfielder that always try's to play at a frenetic pace however, Agoume can bring tempo to a game and control its pace to how he sees fit being comfortable to just recycle possession and start again if the forward pass isn’t immediately available to him. This level headed approach is a valuable one for a midfielder who you want your play to go through, at times games need to be slowed down and have the sting taken out of them to quash opposition momentum and Agoume has the composure/ IQ to see those moments from what I have seen.

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Above is a video of Agoume’s line breaking passes over the course of 3 games from last season, a collection of passes that showcase how penetrative of a passer he can be. Agoume showed how able he is when it comes to breaking down structures and advance the side whether it’s disguised passes, balls down the channel or side foot wrapped balls into his team mates feet, Agoume even has impact in the final 3rd due to this vision he possesses deeper translating into the attack, making him effective in all phases and why he can be dubbed as an all phases midfielder.

One thing shown throughout those passes that I really like from Agoume is how quickly he sets himself, sees the pass and then plays the pass through the lines, being able to play those sort of passes in 1 or 2 touches is a huge asset to quick, direct football and would be a huge advantage on the transition. The advantage of this 2 touch ability in a midfielder is the fact that it doesn’t allow the opposition block to set themselves properly and smother passing options and stifle chance creation, the ability to play quick/change the pace is a game changing trait.

When it comes to ball carrying Agoume isn’t the most adventurous, not really utilising his physical qualities all that often to stretch his legs and get the ball up the pitch that way, despite being able to use his touch smartly, position his body well and cover ground quickly. Now this may be league/system symptomatic as La Liga as a league, doesn’t really have that many transitional moments just due to the footballing culture and I am inclined to believe Agoume’s low carry numbers are definitely a result of this. Overall I do think if he were given license to carry he could certainly do it but that is something to determine in a different environment, either way I consider Agoume a very progressive midfielder even if he doesn’t have the carry numbers, his passing numbers certainly make up for it.

For as much as I have been an advocate of Agoume’s passing I do think there is of course some negative to come with it as you would naturally expect. This negative being that when it comes to some of his longer range passing I do think he can under hit them from time to time, getting too much loft on the ball and losing out for his side. As he continues playing his range may of course get better but right now I do think it has a bit to be desired, but with how he can wrap balls through the lines I can overlook it.

Profile rating: 5/5

Potential tactical carry over:

There was something I spotted in Agoume’s game that may lend itself into how Everton now set up in possession and I would like to touch on it to further reaffirm why I think Agoume could fit for Everton. Everton’s build up under Moyes now has an emphasis on the CB’s splitting wide in order to allow the fullbacks to take up higher positions and lead to wide combinations eventually. This in turn leads to one of the pivot dropping in to take up that huge vacated central space in order to provide them that out pass and to have someone who can conduct the play in the middle, Sevilla do something similar as well sometimes. Shown above we can see that 3 man structure playing out for both sides with both CMs (Gueye and Agoume) dropping in to take the ball off the back line, Gueye is serviceable at this but I think Agoume certainly elevates it due to his forward passing.

This similar tactical element would make Agoume an even better fit for me as it would allow for an easier transition for the player personally, as the instruction isn’t foreign to him and it is also a tactical aspect that would be elevated if it were to be Agoume that drops into that hole more frequently.

Conclusion:

In conclusion out of the 4 I looked at before deciding to cut the other 3 due to length, Agoume was always the one for me that would partner Gueye extremely well due to how well rounded of a player he is. In Possession he would be able to be the first phase conduit if Everton wanted him to be or he could be extremely useful in the wide overloads during the second phase of play for Everton, just an extremely well rounded presence with the ball.

Off the ball he would provide great security for the side due to his ability to cover ground, aid in the high press, his duelling ability and the positional sense he has which would make Gueye even better in my opinion as Agoume would protect those spaces Gueye vacates, giving him more license to hunt the ball.

All in all I think Agoume would be a great fit for the side in my opinion.