The last time Everton attempted to replace Idrissa Gueye, it did not go well.

Given his impact and work rate at the time, the Merseyside club accepted in summer 2019 that they needed a couple of new additions to fill the void created by his departure to Paris Saint-Germain — a sound theory on paper that fell apart when it came to the actual recruitment of those players.

Ivory Coast international Jean-Philippe Gbamin was full of promise but blighted by injuries, making just eight appearances across a four-year stint at Goodison Park before leaving on a free. The more experienced Fabian Delph also struggled to overcome fitness problems and work his way to prominence.

By the end, the running joke was that the only way Everton could replace Gueye was to re-sign him from PSG… which they promptly did in summer 2022.

Another four years on, with Gueye having left again, this time as a 36-year-old free agent, the club face the same task.

Despite the additions of midfielders Hayden Hackney and Merlin Rohl, The Athletic reported earlier this month that a new central midfielder remains a priority for manager David Moyes and the club’s recruitment team.

Let’s take a look at how they might go about it, assessing some of the players they have studied and adding some data-led picks of our own.

What did Gueye bring? And what kind of profile do Everton want?

For most of his time at Everton, and indeed elsewhere, the Senegal international was known for his prolific ball-winning. He regularly topped Premier League-wide charts for tackles and interceptions, and was a key part of the team’s defensive setup.

Gueye was never, in the truest sense, a No 6. Rather than sitting in front of the defence and marking space, he was normally at his best when he was allowed to go looking for the ball and destroy opposition attacks.

But whether it was due to his age (he will be 37 in September), tactical tweaks, midfield partner James Garner’s development or a combination of at least some of the above, Gueye’s ball-winning did start to wane last season. Garner did the bulk of the defending and, as the below shows, the former Lille, Aston Villa and PSG man was instead given more license by Moyes to link play and break forward.

The big question Everton have to answer, then, is which version of Gueye are they actually trying to replace?

As The Athletic has reported, the early evidence is that they want a taller (Gueye is 5ft 8in/174cm), physically robust player to complement their existing options. Should they get one, it would potentially allow them to go for a smaller, more attack-minded option at right-back and balance the team out in a different way.

Everton’s new midfielder needs to be comfortable playing predominantly in a 4-2-3-1, but also in a 4-3-3 or with a back three at times. They often defend man-to-man under Moyes, so the ability to cover ground is also key.

Gueye left Everton earlier this summer for the second time in his career (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

The manager wants to make his side more technically sound, but last season they averaged one of the lowest possession shares in the Premier League. Ideally, this new midfielder would be a progressive passer — something Everton also see in Hackney — who helps in possession, but can also distribute in a more direct manner at times.

Given their need for a plug-and-play option rather than someone they can develop, we have prioritised players in Europe’s top leagues and the second-tier Championship, which also fits with Everton’s recent recruitment strategy.

Last season’s key target: Joao Palhinha

If Everton want a pure destroyer, there are few better than the Bayern Munich man. They courted him last summer before his loan move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Standing at 6ft 3in and boasting both Premier League and international pedigree, the 31-year-old Portugal international has the height and physicality to make his mark in front of a defence. He is competent rather than spectacular on the ball, and was a threat for Tottenham in the final third, particularly from set pieces, as he showed in scoring against Everton on the final day of the campaign in May.

Palhinha has rejected Everton once and would be a tough target to obtain if they try again. Aston Villa have also shown an interest in him this summer, and can offer Champions League football, while he recently said he would like to stay at Bayern and fight for his place after Spurs decided against triggering the €30million (£25.7m/$34.6m at the current rates) option contained in his loan deal.

The Athletic has reported that the German champions would be open to a sale at the right price.

Mandela Keita — next cab off the rank?

Everton are one of several teams to have followed the progress of Parma’s Belgium international Mandela Keita.

As the below playstyle wheel shows, the 24-year-old is an active presence off the ball and relatively adept both at retaining possession and ball-carrying.

Like Gueye, Keita offers little in the final third. He rarely creates or gets into threatening positions and, at 5ft 11in, is shorter than Palhinha.

He would represent more of a risk from an adaptation standpoint than someone like the Portuguese, who has made over 100 Premier League appearances for Fulham and Spurs, something that may well deter Everton, but has an interesting profile and, at that age, plenty of upside.

Mandela Keita of Parma has been capped once by Belgium (Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)

Another Gueye?

After playing starring roles alongside namesake Idrissa Gueye for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations at the turn of the year and then the World Cup, Villarreal’s Pape Gueye was linked with Everton earlier this summer.

While that reported interest is yet to be verified by The Athletic, sources in Spain, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, suggest the Paris-born 27-year-old could move this summer, with Villarreal keen to raise funds.

Gueye is a tall (around 6ft 2in), left-footed ball player who can progress the ball and knows where the net is, as his standout goals against Iraq this summer attest. He is strong in the tackle, but most of his other defensive numbers are on the lower side.

He is also expected to have interest from elsewhere and command a significant fee.

@fifaworldcup What a strike from Pape Gueye. 👏🇸🇳 #FIFAWorldCup ♬ som original – FIFA World Cup

Could Rios or Charles step up?

Everton have followed Colombia international Richard Rios since his days in Brazil with Palmeiras, and looked into a move last summer before he joined Portugal’s Benfica.

Rios is a dynamic, physically robust player who can operate in either the No 6 or No 8 position. He averaged 9.2 ‘true tackles’ (tackles+challenges lost+fouls committed) in last season’s Champions League, placing him in the top 20 per cent of all central midfielders in that category.

Standing at 6ft 1in, he blends that physicality with a box-to-box style and technical ability honed playing futsal earlier in his career. It remains to be seen, though, whether Benfica would sell only a year into his deal.

Southampton’s Shea Charles has also been tracked — both during his time in the youth ranks at Manchester City, before the acquisition of Garner, and last season in the Championship. A natural No 6 or No 8, the 22-year-old Northern Ireland international is competitive out of possession and capable of striding forward, evading challenges and joining the attack.

Earlier this summer, though, the club instead chose to prioritise a move for fellow second-division star Hackney.

What the data says

Based on the profile outlined above, The Athletic’s Mark Carey has highlighted three potential targets.

Freiburg’s Maximilian Eggestein is an experienced ball-winner capable of contributing in the final third. He fits the bill in being able to immediately slot in but, at 29 (30 in December), offers little resale value.

Wolves’ 24-year-old Mali international Boubacar Traore had a successful loan at Metz in France’s Ligue 1 last season and stands out defensively…

… while 6ft 2in former Sheffield United midfielder Vinicius Souza, 27, who is now at Wolfsburg in Germany’s second tier, is effective in ground and aerial duels.

Could one of these players do the job?

Whoever Everton end up with, he will need to fare much better than the midfielder signed the last time they were replacing Gueye.

Get this right, and there is the opportunity to give the team a new dimension entirely. Get it wrong, and Moyes’ side may well end up on less certain foundations than before.

In September 2024, Wojciech Szczesny thought his football career was over. He had fallen out of love with football.

After leaving Juventus, the former Poland international had settled into retirement in Marbella. He was enjoying spending time with his family and hobbies — including playing the piano — with little intention of returning to the game.

Then Barcelona called. Marc-Andre ter Stegen had suffered a complete rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee, ruling him out for the rest of the season, and the club needed an experienced replacement. Szczesny accepted what he expected to be a nine-month assignment.

Less than two years later, he is at St George’s Park, England’s national football centre in Burton upon Trent, preparing for what will be his third season at Barcelona. In his time at the Camp Nou, he has won two league titles, the Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.

Sitting down with The Athletic during pre-season, Szczesny answers questions thoughtfully, occasionally reaching into his pocket to pull out a vape, turning it over in his hands before taking a drag.

“Do you mind if…?” the 36-year-old asks.

He does not attempt to hide it. Like much else about him, he doesn’t try to hide anything.

“I never claim to be a perfect person,” he says later.

That same honesty runs through the rest of the conversation. He speaks openly about falling out of love with football, using meditation to detach emotionally from the game, embracing a supporting role behind Joan Garcia and, eventually, describing his nicotine habit as a weakness rather than pretending it does not exist.

In a sport where public image is often carefully curated, Szczesny seems more interested in being authentic than appearing to be flawless.

This is the story of someone who fell in love with football all over again.

“When I stopped, I didn’t want to play football anymore,” he says. “I didn’t imagine anything happening after 2024. Now I’m living one of the best times of my career, and I’m loving every minute of it.

“I kind of fell out of love with football. I didn’t enjoy playing anymore. I didn’t enjoy waking up for training.

“I had one year left of my contract with Juventus, which at some point they were not able to afford.

Szczesny initially retired after leaving Juventus in 2024 (Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

“We decided to part ways, and I was not ready for any challenge. I didn’t want to change countries, move clubs, find new schools for the kids and find a new place. It was an easy decision (to retire) for me and the family. Once you get to a certain point of your life, family actually comes before football.”

Having made that decision, Barcelona offered Szczesny a surprising step back into the game.

“When I really settled, and I was really happy at home in Marbella, then this opportunity came, and I think it was just too big not to take it”, he says.

“I hesitated for some time. It wasn’t a straightforward decision, but it was too big. In the end, I still love the challenge, and I’m still very ambitious.

“When an opportunity like that comes along, and you have the ambition in you, and you believe in yourself… even for your own ego, you want to test yourself, and you want to see what you can do at this level.”

He arrived in Barcelona in early October 2024, but did not make his debut until January, during the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. He needed a few months to regain the necessary fitness following his retirement.

He fell in love with Barcelona, and it wouldn’t take long for the fans to fall in love with him too: “I was already a retired footballer, and now I get to live such a beautiful moment. I’m kind of one of the fans on the pitch.

“I made a conscious decision when I came back to football. I said to myself: ‘If I make this decision, I will enjoy it at 100 per cent’.

“I do treat it as a bonus to my career. I’m going to make the most of it — I’m gonna enjoy it the way that I like to enjoy it, and it seems authentic to people. I very much feel the love back as much as I fell in love with this place and with this football club.”

During his time with Arsenal, Szczesny, as reported by UK newspaper The Independent, was fined after being caught smoking. That led to the chant Barcelona fans began singing after immediately connecting with him. They shout ‘Szczesny fumador (the smoker)’.

Barcelona have had two street parades to celebrate trophies since he joined the club. At the first one, he wore a straw hat bearing the words: ‘Fumador’ (smoker). At the second, he joined some fans in singing his chant.

“I’ve never had my own chant before, so that’s already a surprising thing,” he says. “I enjoyed it. I try to be as authentic as I can, and people seem to appreciate it.

“It might not seem the most professional thing in the world, but I am who I am. People know that I have one addiction that I cannot get rid of.

“And I think even that feels authentic to them, because I would imagine that a lot of players have certain addictions, whether it’s nicotine or alcohol or gambling, I don’t know. But there’s one player who is quite open about it, and that’s me. And it’s an addiction that I’m not even willing to fight. I embrace it, and maybe it just feels authentic to people.

“People don’t think I smoke because they saw a hidden photo of me from the paparazzi. I admitted to my addiction, and it’s an addiction that a lot of people in the world have.

“People can probably relate to it. I don’t even think about recommending people to take up smoking. I think it’s a terrible thing and everybody should avoid it. It’s a weakness of mine, but I’m fine with that weakness.”

That authenticity follows into how he acts around the rest of the squad.

“I’m aware of the persona that people see now as the oldest player in the dressing room, but the one who smiles a lot and is very relaxed. But that’s not the only thing that is behind the person. Sometimes what you show on the front page is not all that there actually is.

Szczesny, with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, celebrates winning the Spanish Super Cup in January (Getty Images)

“I could shut up and not smile and not enjoy my life as much and try to be judged more as a professional footballer and a person who actually has this big knowledge of the game, which I can pass on to the younger players of the team. But I choose not to.”

Case in point: before this interview, Szczesny approached the young players in Barcelona’s squad, pretending to sign their shirts and taking photos with them as if they were fans. They were in fits of laughter.

This is a very common sight around the goalkeeper: he’s always in a good mood, cracking jokes and creating a great atmosphere in the dressing room. It’s one of the things head coach Hansi Flick values most about him.

When Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan in 2025, Szczesny comforted a crying Gerard Martin in the dressing room. There’s a sense that he always knows what to say.

“It’s taken a long time to be able to play with almost no emotions on the pitch”, he says. “I played for a club (Arsenal) at a very young age that I also supported as a fan, and that just took a lot out of me. Every time we won games, I cheered as a player but also as a fan — and when we lost, I was sad as a fan as well as a player. It was just a lot of emotions to deal with, and then you have to prepare for the next game in three days, and you’re kind of not ready for it.

“When I left the team, I found out that the best thing for me to perform at the best level is to be completely emotionally out of the game.

“I kind of only treated it as a job. It doesn’t sound nice, but it was what was best for me. A lot of my meditation was about calming down all the emotions and focusing only on what’s in front of me.

“It takes a little bit away from the joy of winning the game because you are not as emotionally attached to the result. But it also saves you from suffering when you lose games, when the moments are more difficult.

“I felt that was not positive for my performances. It was a conscious decision. I found meditation is one of the techniques that helps me a lot, a lot of breathing exercises.”

His days as an Arsenal player came to an end in 2017, but his commitment as a fan led him to follow their title-winning season from afar.

“I suffered a lot (during) the Champions League final. But to win the Premier League after 22 years… It’s a big relief because I’ve waited for it for a very long time and I’m very happy they built a project of probably one of the best clubs in Europe.

“When I was there, we had one season when we were on top of the league for a very long time, and we lost in the end. I felt we were the best team in the league. But we were a very young, inexperienced team, and in the end, when it mattered, we fell short.

“It still hurts because it’s the one trophy that I haven’t won in professional football that I would have loved to win… winning the Premier League with Arsenal. It’s still bugging me from the inside, but as a fan I’m very happy about what happened this year.

“Arsenal is a place where I made my dream come true. Emotionally, it’s the maximum that I believe anybody can achieve: playing for the club of your dreams. I’ve achieved the dream. It’s the peak of your career. It’s a beautiful story, although I only won three trophies with Arsenal: two FA Cups and a Community Shield.

“It will probably always be the most beautiful part of my career. The one filled with the most passion. It was also the start of my career. I was very hungry, very determined to show people that I belong at that level.”

Szczesny during Arsenal’s FA Cup final win over Aston Villa in May 2015 (Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

After nearly two decades at the top of European football, Szczesny finds himself in unfamiliar territory. For the first time in his career, he begins a season as the clear No 2 behind Barcelona’s new first-choice goalkeeper, Joan Garcia.

During their years together at Juventus, Gianluigi Buffon taught him that a veteran goalkeeper can still shape a team without making life harder for the man ahead of him. And that’s exactly what he is giving to Garcia.

“I wanted to make sure that he doesn’t feel challenged from my side. My ambition is still there, and I still believe I can give a lot of good things to the team on the pitch, but I felt that it was important that in his first season at the top level he feels all the support in the world and not a challenge from my side. (I also want) to help him grow and give him a little advice in training.

“When I see something that he can improve, it feels a little bit uncomfortable because he’s a better goalkeeper than me. But I see that he wants to learn; he wants to get new information. Sometimes there are things that maybe I can tell him, although I can’t even do them anymore (laughs) because I’m not at his level, but I feel that my knowledge of the game is big and I can still help him. He’s willing to learn.

“I had Gigi (Buffon) as my No 2 at the end of his career, and I never felt challenged by him, so this might be a subconscious decision of mine because of what I was given by Gigi, I would want to give to Joan. I’m still friends with Gigi today, and we’re still in touch.

“So hopefully when I finish playing, Joan will be able to appreciate me trying to help him and not challenge him.

“I feel needed by the team, and I feel useful even when I don’t play. That’s why I decided to renew my contract and to stay until the end of the season. It’s challenging because of the level that we have, and I want to make sure that I’m also at that level.

“It’s something that makes me proud of myself every time I finish training, and I feel that I can still do it.

“You don’t always have to be the No 1 on the pitch in order to be able to help the team and help them deal with certain situations because you have the experience. I’ve lived a lot of difficult moments, a lot of good moments.

“So I can pass the experience on to younger players. It’s a good feeling.”