Idrissa Gueye begs Everton for PSG transfer with letter to club officials

According to a Sky Sports report, Idrissa Gueye has sent a letter to club officials asking to be transferred to Paris St. Germain, though he has not filed an official transfer request.

This is bad. (I know, just the sort of brilliant insight you come here for.) In the midst of a terrible run of form and with very little time left in the transfer window, Everton is looking at going without their most consistent midfield performer. There are those who do not rate Gana’s performances, but frankly his numbers are so good that I just cannot even be bothered to go through that rigmarole in this piece.

Everton still have a good deal of leverage here. Gana is under contract until 2023, which is an eternity. However, that leverage puts Everton in a tricky position. If they succumb to pressure and takes a low ball offer from PSG, it sends a message to the rest of the roster that all they have to do is cry a little and they can get out to wherever they want to go. It would make Everton as a club powerless, its contracts with its players would mean nothing if a player is playing well. You cannot build a project that way.

Realistically, when a 29 year old gets the chance to go to PSG, it’s probably going to happen. The current offer for Gana is about 21m, Everton is asking for over 40m. This deal needs to get done somewhere in the 30s for Everton to save face and send the message that they will insist on market value for their players in the market.

We are currently three points out of 7th place. If a top six club wins the FA Cup, then the 7th place team will be in next year’s Europa league. Any deal for Gana in January needs to be accompanied with at least a short term replacement so that we have some kind of chance of getting back on form and into Europe.

Losing Gana for around 20m and not replacing him would be an absolute disaster. It would send a message that Everton cannot afford to send about its size and power in negotiations. I hate to see Gana go, though I think he deserves the chance to chase UCLs in the last few years of his career. I just hope his exit plays out in a way that is to the long term good of Everton.