Everton have conducted some questionable business in the transfer market in recent years, signing multiple players who have failed to make any impact at the club.
Allan joined the Toffees from Napoli for £21m before struggling to prove any sort of worth for his hefty fee, before departing the club for a minimal fee just a few years after his move to Merseyside.
The club spent more than £60m on new additions during the 2019/20 season, with players such as Ben Godfrey also joining the club for a fee in the region of £25m – with the defender now a regular, in an unnatural right-back role.
However, the club also purchased another talent who had huge expectations upon his move to Goodison Park but has looked a shadow of his former self in recent months and has been struggling to make an impact in the final third under boss Sean Dyche.
Abdoulaye Doucoure's stats during his time at Everton
Midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure arrived at Goodison back in the summer of 2020, with the club signing him from Watford on a £20m deal after the Hornets suffered relegation back to the Championship.
He's been a consistent figure for the club under numerous managers, as the Toffees have frequently battled against relegation since his move to Goodison.
The Malian featured 29 times in the Premier League during his first season on Merseyside, as he helped the club achieve a tenth-place finish under experienced boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Despite not being known for his goalscoring ability, he's often contributed with some crucial goals for the club since his big-money move, including the decisive goal on the final day of 2022/23, where he fired home against Bournemouth to secure the club's Premier League status for another season.
Dyche's arrival in January 2023 has allowed the 31-year-old to operate in a more advanced role, as the number ten behind the striker – a decision that would allow the Malian to add a different dimension to the Toffees' forward line.
He's scored 11 goals over the last two campaigns, including six during 2023/24 – but he's failed to find the back of the net in any of his last 14 matches dating back to early December.
How much Abdoulaye Doucoure earns at Everton
According to Spotrac, midfielder Doucoure earns a whopping £130k-per-week, a figure that makes him the club's highest-paid player, ahead of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and talented youngster Jarrad Branthwaite – who rake in £100k-per-week and £15k-per-week, respectively.
Abdoulaye Doucoure
£130k-p/w
Jordan Pickford
£125k-p/w
Andre Gomes
£112k-p/w
James Tarkowski
£100k-p/w
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
£100k-p/w
Jarrad Branthwaite
£15k-p/w
His weekly wage sees him pocket £6.7m a year at Goodison, with Doucoure taking home £26.8m in wages alone upon the conclusion of the current season – a staggering amount.
The Malian has undoubtedly been a success during his time at the club, but given his attacking role, his recent goalscoring form has been a concern, with the 31-year-old looking like a shadow of his former self – Liverpool Echo's Chris Beesley writing that he is 'still labouring to recapture his early season form', following the recent draw with Luton Town.
However, with his big-money contract expiring at the end of next season, this summer could be the last chance the club have to recoup some of his £20m fee before he's allowed to enter pre-contract talks with sides outside the Premier League.
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