Why Everton must sign Abdoulaye Doucoure and Richarlison from Watford

Everton kick-started their pre-season preparations in emphatic fashion with an invigorating 22-0 win over Austrian fifth division outfit ATV Irdning in Marco Silva’s first game in charge of the Merseyside club. The gulf in class between both sides were pretty evident right from the beginning and the Toffees piled up a whopping 10-0 lead by the end of the first half. Hat-tricks from Cenk Tosun (4), Ademola Lookman (3), Kevin Mirallas (5) and Oumar Niasse (4) were more than enough for Silva’s men to romp home to a stunning win but the fact that they piled on the goals against the amateurs would have certainly taken the glitter away from the result. If this continues for Everton, betsters are likely to get cracking and once they have experienced the thrill of winning a bundle on a big match, there will be little need to convince them to try out an accumulator bet bonus, as they offer some of the best bets in the market.

However, the breath of fresh air surrounding the appointment of Silva is quite positive and his first game in charge couldn’t have taken off on a better note after what has been a turbulent 12 months at Goodison Park. Despite spending about £200m last summer, Everton uncharacteristically struggled under Ronald Koeman and were fighting to stay up in the Premier League before the Dutchman was sacked in October following a 5-2 loss against Arsenal at home.

Silva, who was in charge of Watford at that time, emerged as the prime candidate to take over at Merseyside but the Hornets were reluctant to let go off their manager and Everton shifted their attention to Sam Allardyce, who took over and helped them to a commendable 8^th placed finish by the end of the season.

A lot of credit has to go the business Everton mustered in the January transfer window under Allardyce and with the signing of Cenk Tosun arrived goals in abundance that the likes of Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez failed to offer. However, the departure of Ross Barkley and their lack of depth in that particular department was left unaddressed at that time and will surely be Silva’s priority this summer.

Abdoulaye Doucoure and Richarlison, two of Watford’s best performers under Silva last season, have been linked with a move to Everton in a bid to try and rekindle the magic the duo showcased under their former manager at his former club. The disappointment that came along with the signings of Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurddson certainly calls for more attention and Idrissa Gueye’s injury last season exploited the Toffees’ lack of depth in the department. Doucoure, who scored 7 goals and registered 3 assists in the Premier League last season, will be the ideal candidate to play alongside Gueye in the heart of Everton’s midfield and the nature of the two players will certainly complement each other well on the pitch.

Gueye will be happy in sitting back and shielding the back-four while Doucoure is expected to see a lot of the ball and also push forward to try and take the game to the opposition. The midfielder, who was also voted as Watford’s player of the season by the fans, will prove to be a wealthy addition to Everton’s ranks considering the fact that it only boasts of a depleted Morgan Schneiderlin as of now.

Richarlison  arrived in England as a relatively unknown quantity and took the Premier League by storm with his performances under Silva, to earn himself the reputation of a tricky and goal-scoring winger who is well and truly capable of operating from a variety of roles. The Brazilian snapped up 5 goals and made 4 assists last season, adding a lot of flair and creativity to the football on offer at Vicarage Road.

Often deployed as an attacking midfielder, Richarlison’s versatile nature has also seen him play on either flanks or even as a striker at times thanks to his electric pace and trickery that can outmatch any defender on his day. Everton had tried to address their problems while going forward by roping in both Tosun and Walcott but the latter is yet to stamp his identity in Merseyside.

Add that to the uncertainty surrounding the future of Kevin Mirallas, the incompetency of Oumar Niasse to nail down a regular first team role and Wayne Rooney’s departure to the MLS, it is quite evident that Silva will certainly have to be on the lookout for a player of Richarlison’s profile to boost Everton’s credentials for the upcoming season.

However, it is believed that Watford will decide to pay hardball with Everton over the signing of two of their most impressive employees and it remains to be seen whether Silva can convince the duo to sign for Everton. Recent developments have suggested that the Toffees are closing in on a deal worth around £50m (inclusive of add-ons) for Richarlison while there hasn’t been any official approach for Doucoure up until this point.