Everton have been crying out for additional reinforcements as their mounting injury list only continues to grow.
And yet, nothing happened in January. It couldn’t.
Financially hamstrung and staring down the barrel of two long-running appeals to defend their financial ailments, Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell were hardly in the position to continue the club’s ill-advised and free-spending attitude of years gone by.
They had to stick with what they had, and so far it is proving a tough effort.
However, they were handed a minor boost earlier this week, when Senegal were dumped out of the African Cup of Nations.
Although he had not been an integral part of the season beforehand, Idrissa Gana Gueye’s return was widely celebrated as the answer to many fans’ prayers.
What did Idrissa Gana Gueye do vs Spurs that was so special?
Although far from the highest quality midfielder within their ranks, the reappearance of another body for Dyche to utilise alone was worth smiling about.
After all, at Tuesday night’s visit to Craven Cottage, the Toffees fielded just one central midfielder in James Garner. At last, he had some semblance of a reliable partner again.
Few predicted Gueye to steal the show yesterday against Tottenham Hotspur, but merely perform admirably enough to give them a foothold to start claiming points and clambering up the Premier League table.
But, steal the show he did, with Squawka detailing the one statistic that emphasises why he can be so important to Everton during this run-in: ‘Idrissa Gana Gueye is the first player to make 8+ tackles and 6+ interceptions in a Premier League game since…. Idrissa Gana Gueye vs. Fulham in September 2018.’
How important is Idrissa Gana Gueye for Everton?
This figure not only details the unrelenting work ethic of the 34-year-old warrior, but also the immense longevity that has allowed him to remain a key asset at the top level for so long.
Back then he was the club’s paramount player, as a chief wall winner in the engine room.
He rolled back the years yesterday to offer a glimpse of that defensive steel, whilst blending it with a competent and reliable passing display that kept the game ticking.
As such, he managed an 85% pass accuracy whilst also winning 11 total duels and making seven tackles, via Sofascore.
It was a performance that hardly surprised fans too, as he has always been capable of such stellar displays. From his 14 league starts this campaign, his 84% pass accuracy and 6.9 ball recoveries per game indicate this outstanding consistency.
Should he remain fit, Gueye could prove pivotal in ensuring this is not another year where their safety goes down to the final games of the campaign.
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