Everton are set to extend Abdoulaye Doucoure’s contract by a further year, the ECHO understands.
The midfielder has been central to Everton’s fight against relegation under Sean Dyche, who brought him straight into the first team following his appointment in late January. Doucoure has repaid that faith with a number of important goals and standout performances.
Doucoure had been keen to commit his future to the club for some time and Everton are now expected to trigger the club’s option to keep him on Merseyside for a further 12 months.
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Doucoure has been integral to Dyche’s plans, scoring four times and claiming two assists since being brought into the starting eleven. His form represents a remarkable turnaround in fortunes after the Mali international was left training away from the senior squad in the final days of Frank Lampard’s tenure as Blues boss.
Dyche changed formation upon his appointment and reintroduced Doucoure, who has started every game he has been available for - scoring crucial goals in the away draws at Nottingham Forest and Chelsea and an important brace in the defiant win at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Doucoure’s three-game suspension after he received a red card for raising his hand towards Harry Kane’s face in the draw against Tottenham Hotspur threw Dyche’s plans off track and led to a downturn in form that worsened the club’s predicament in the fight against relegation, highlighting his new-found importance.
Doucoure made public his ambition of remaining at Everton as early as last summer, as he entered the final guaranteed year of the three-year contract he signed when he joined from Watford in September 2020. During the club’s pre-season tour in the USA, he told reporters including the ECHO: "I spoke to the club. They know my position. I want to stay here for much longer."
The 30-year-old’s future looked increasingly uncertain after Everton signed three central midfielders during the summer and he struggled to get into the first team. As recently as the trip to Brighton he was unsure over what would happen next, telling the ECHO following the 5-1 win: “The club knows my position. Since even a year ago. Now, obviously, it becomes very difficult for us to find something well between us, to find an agreement. I am doing my job at the moment and we are going to see at the end of the season. But I am focused on keeping Everton up.”
While focus at the club has remained on the battle for survival, Dyche recently said discussions with players whose contracts were expiring had begun.
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