Transfer Analysis: Everton Could Replace Gueye With Gueye

Everton have been linked with a move to sign Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye in the summer transfer window, and it could be a smart addition for the Toffees. 

A report from Marca recently claimed that Gueye is a target for Everton and he is prioritising a move to the Premier League this summer. 

Everton are being linked with a host of midfielders, including Hayden Hackney and Mandela Keita. 

Idrissa Gueye could leave the club this summer with his contract expiring in a few days, while Tim Iroegbunam is also being linked with a move away, with Hull City one of the sides showing interest.

Signing a new midfielder could be a priority, and it's easy to see why Gueye is a target for the club.

Replacing Gueye with Gueye

There is no doubt that bringing in Pape Gueye to replace Idrissa Gueye would be an upgrade in the middle of the park for Everton.

The Villarreal midfielder offers more than Idrissa Gueye in terms of his defensive ability, winning more ground duels, aerial duels, and performing more defensive actions, while also offering more on the ball. 

The 23-year-old likes to get into the final third to create opportunities and score goals. Although he's strong defensively, he isn't the type of player to sit and protect the back four. 

As you can see from the graph above, with Pape Gueye on the left and Idrissa Gueye on the right, the former is much more of a progressive passer looking to get the ball into dangerous areas and make things happen. 

Signing Pape Gueye might not solve Everton's issue in terms of having a sitting midfielder, but they do appear to be in the market for a number six. The Senegalese international will offer Everton a strong duel winner in the middle of the park who is also capable of being a threat in the final third. 

One problem Everton have is they don't have enough goals all over the pitch. Many point to the goals from the strikers not being enough, but given Beto and Thierno Barry shared the game time, 17 Premier League strikes is not a bad return for them to combine. 

Outside of that, you have Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye, who contributed in the final third with 14 goals between them. After that, our fifth top goal scorer was Michael Keane with three. 

In terms of Everton's midfielders, James Garner and Gueye contributed with two goals, while Iroegbunam failed to find the back of the net. 

Pape Gueye would offer a goal-scoring threat to Everton from midfield, with the Senegalese midfielder certainly not afraid of shooting from range. 

If Villarreal are looking to get over €40m for Gueye, it might be a difficult deal for Everton to do. 

He is now 27 years old, so it might be difficult for the Toffees to make their money back on him in the future. 

One caveat is that he has had previous interest from Saudi Arabia. We know they are not afraid of splashing the cash on ageing players, so that could be a potential option in the future. 

Anything in the £20m range could be a really good deal for Everton. He would certainly instantly improve us and is likely to play at the top level for at least four or five years at least.

Overall, I think it would be a smart deal if Everton can get this done.