Everton must axe £140k-p/w star who should never play at Bramley Moore

Everton are seven games unbeaten in the Premier League. Seven. Such form was unimaginable when Sean Dyche was dismissed from his manager’s seat, having taken the club as far as he could.

It wasn’t far enough. In a way, the gruff-talking boss earned his flowers for guiding Everton through a storm last season, finishing comfortably in 15th despite an eight-point deduction.

Now, David Moyes is back, and the Toffees are beginning to look like a club who mean business, retaining their deep-rooted resilience but fusing it under the Scotsman with something more expansive and exciting.

Moyes is a pragmatic manager, but he’s also seasoned and intelligent. He lifted the Conference League with West Ham United, and now, Everton too are on the up.

Now with a new stadium on the horizon too, change is afoot this summer.

Who Everton need to get rid of this summer

As per inews, Everton owners, The Friedkin Group, have handed Moyes the keys to the transfer chest ahead of the summer, promising him greater powers than his predecessors – with the neat bow of investment on top.

It makes sense for a range of players to be offloaded. Moyes needs to free up space and put his own stamp on Everton as they prepare to move to Bramley Moore.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is playing out the final few months of his contract, and when considering his abiding injury problems and three-goal return this season, it makes sense to part ways. Beto’s found his shooting boots and a spruce-up of the frontline may be a good thing.

On the flanks, Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom may also be moving elsewhere this summer. Both are contracted on loan until the end of the campaign, and neither have registered a single goal contribution in the Premier League this term.

Ageing stars like Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane are out of a deal in a matter of months, but there’s another Everton star, a fan favourite, who should be shown the exit too. Though it will be poignant.

Everton must part with their top earner

So then, plenty for Moyes to consider. Whether the likes of Harrison are retained, or Everton double down on landing an effective and fresh right winger (or two) remains to be seen for now.

The most exciting part is Everton have a plan. You can see it in the early threads of TFG’s reign. Gone are the tangled, incoherent skeins of Farhad Moshiri’s dysfunctional rule. Now, hope.

Indeed, Everton held off from significant January spending but still welcomed Charly Alcaraz to the fold, signing the Argentina talent from on loan from Brazilian club Flamengo, with the option for purchase worth about £12m.

The Blues are happy with his progress, and for the player’s part, he’s revealed he would like to remain on Merseyside “for a longer period” after a promising start that could see him become a standout attacking midfielder in the Premier League over the coming years.

It gives Moyes plenty of options. Dwight McNeil is currently sidelined with a knee problem, and a return date is indeterminate. The playmaker, 24, was in fine fettle during a bleak opening 2024/25 period, notching three goals and three assists across eight games to kick things off.

All this means it may be time for Abdoulaye Doucoure to leave the club. He is 32 years old, and among those gearing up for a contractual conclusion this summer.

Moreover, the Mali international is Everton’s highest earner, and with Alcaraz and McNeil both jockeying for a place at number ten, it feels unwise to keep him on the books too when entering the early twilight of his playing career.

Doucoure earns a pretty penny at £140k per week, but then he’s paid his dues over the past several years, working industriously after signing from Watford for £20m in 2020.

Indeed, Doucoure has scored 20 goals and added 13 assists across 156 Everton appearances. However, only two strikes have been posted this season, albeit both in February.

Admittedly, his seven-goal return last season was the largest of his Toffees career, but some difficult decisions will need to be made over the coming months, and based on the evidence of the current campaign, is retaining his services for a hefty cost really the right move for Everton as they transition into a new era?

As per Sofascore, the French-born midfielder has only won 36% of his ground duels this season; his first season in Blue, Doucoure won a respectable 49% of such battles.

Since Moyes’ arrival, the 5 foot 11 star has played six of his seven Premier League contests in a forward-thrust midfield role. Previously, under Dyche, only four of 16 appearances came in a number ten-type deployment.

It’s clear Moyes favours his energy and combativeness in a more advanced area, for Doucoure also has a natural eye for goal and has been lauded in the past as an attacking “catalyst” for Everton by Dyche.

He’ll be remembered most fondly indeed. The same could be said for a long-standing player like Calvert-Lewin, but when assessing both cases, it’s clear Moyes should be allowed to bring fresh life into this team, already adhering to his vision and better because of it.

That goal against Bournemouth. Everton needed three points to save their top-flight status on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign, and up stepped Doucoure, lashing it home early into the second half to send Goodison Park into an ear-splitting frenzy.

He’s a fan favourite and rightly so. But there is a changing of the guard at Everton right now, symbolised by Goodison Park’s swansong.

Unless TFG can negotiate a far less costly contract for this ageing ace, it might be time to say goodbye and allow Alcaraz and McNeil to rise in significance at this new chapter.