Final-day relegation hero sends Everton message for next season

Everton’s final-day relegation hero Abdoulaye Doucoure has sent fans a strong message for next season following the confirmation of their Premier League status.

Sean Dyche’s side edged past Bournemouth on the final day with a one-goal victory which meant both Leeds United and Leicester City were condemned to the Championship along with Southampton. Goodison Park was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief at the final whistle, but fans were hesitant to truly celebrate the escape, as their attention turned instantly to avoiding another relegation battle next season.

The club also narrowly avoided relegation during the 2021/22 campaign and the decline of their squad over recent seasons has been a worrying sign. There’s also huge question marks over their financial situation, their board of directors and their ability to build a squad. However, if there’s anything we can count on, it’s the belief of the current squad, and manager, including Doucoure who produced an excellent second-half of the season under Dyche, and his contributions across the final few months arguably kept the Toffees up.

Speaking to the Official Everton Website, the midfielder reflected on the team’s struggles and sent a strong message for next season: “We’ve been in this position for two seasons now, so we can’t go back to this every year,” he acknowledged. “We are going to reflect on what happened and the mistakes we made. For each player, I don’t think the season was good enough.

“When you play for Everton, you need to be much better than that. I don’t think Sunday was our best game, me included, but you have to believe. When you represent Everton, you have to always give your best.”

Doucoure started just one game under Lampard before his sacking in January, before going onto start 15 of their 18 games under Dyche in the league, netting five times and providing two assists and he’s completely turned his Everton career around and he, alongside the rest of the club, are looking to avoid a third-successive relegation battle.