A huge summer awaits for Everton.
As outlined by Rob Tanner of The Athletic, the Toffees currently have ten first-team players out of contract, which is more than any other Premier League club, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Idrissa Gana Gueye and captain Séamus Coleman, to name but a few.
Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin celebrates their third goal, an own goal scored by Tottenham Hotspur's Archie Gray
So, as they move into their brand-new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, there's going to be plenty of work for David Moyes and the back room staff to do in the transfer window, but could a current member of the squad step up and come to the fore?
The latest on Abdoulaye Doucouré's Everton future
As was widely reported this week, Abdoulaye Doucouré will leave Everton this summer as a free agent, following the expiration of his contract, stating that he is "sad to leave" and that he "will be forever a Blue".
After scoring the winner at Nottingham Forest last month, the Mali international mimed answering the phone and signing a contract, overtly stating his desire to stay, but his five-year association with the Toffees will come to an end, with Sunday's trip to Newcastle set to be his 166th and final appearance for the club.
Given that Doucouré has started 31 of Everton's 37 Premier League matches to date this season, one of the five he missed being due to a red card picked up after full time of the Merseyside derby celebrations, he will be a tough man to replace.
Everton-Doucoure-Premier-League
But do the Toffees already have a young star coming through ready to do just that?
Everton's next midfield stalwart
Cast your mind back to last summer when, as outlined by Gabriele Marcotti of ESPN, certain Premier League clubs, namely Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Everton, were swapping players on the cusp of the 30 June deadline, thereby avoiding breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules.
One such deal saw Villa sign Lewis Dobbin for a reported £10m from Everton, while Tim Iroegbunam went in the opposite direction, costing the Toffees a reported £9m.
Tim Iroegbunam for Everton
The majority of the players involved in these conspicuous deals had no impact at the club they joined, as the table below outlines.
Selected Premier League transfers pre-30 June 2024
Players
Lewis Dobbin*
Omari Kellyman
Odysseas Vlachodimos
Samuel Iling-Junior*
Enzo Barrenechea*
*spent the season out on loan
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt
Iroegbunam, in truth, made only 21 appearances for Everton this season, totalling a mere 676 minutes, so could feature on this list for sure, but this was largely due to a foot injury suffered against Newcastle in October, keeping him on the sidelines until February, having started each of the Blues' first four matches of the campaign beforehand.
His only start under Moyes came when Arsenal visited Goodison in April, but the 21-year-old is highly-rated, with Steven Gerrard, when he was at Aston Villa, saying that Iroegbunam possesses "all the attributes to be a top Premier League player" in the future.
Meantime, Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic praised the youngster's 'sharp counter-pressing', while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout outlined how he 'regularly roams forward in attack', while boasting 'defensive awareness, speed and tackling ability', making him an excellent all-round midfielder.
These all sound like similar characteristics to Doucouré, so let's assess how the duo compare.
Abdoulaye Doucouré vs Tim Iroegbunam comparison
Statistics
Appearances
Minutes
Goals
Assists
All statistics below are per 90
Shots
Completed passes
Pass completion %
Interceptions
Clearances
% of ground duels won
% of aerial duels won
Tackles
% of dribblers tackled
Ball recoveries
Touches
Average Sofascore Rating
Note: Statistics are Premier League only
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBref.com and SofaScore
Of course, Iroegbunam's lack of Premier League minutes does mean only a small sample size can be analysed, but his statistics are still impressive.
Iroegbunam
The table outlines that Doucouré is more of a goal threat, but that Iroegbunam is a better out-of-possession midfielder, boasting superior numbers when it comes to ball recoveries, interceptions, clearances, tackles and aerial duels.
These are all qualities Moyes would look for in a midfield player and, while Patrick Boyland of the Athletic believes Iroegbunam is still 'adapting' to a new style of play, the stats suggest he could become a key figure for the Toffees next season.
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure Related
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Everton won't need to delve into the market to land a replacement for Abdoulaye Doucoure, given one player already at the club.