Transfer Watch: What Schneiderlin's arrival means for Everton

A host of Premier League teams will be affected by this month’s Africa Cup of Nations. Defending champions Leicester must make do without Algerian duo Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani, Manchester United have lost Eric Bailly to the tournament, while Liverpool have to continue their pursuit of the Premier League title without key man Sadio Mane. The attacker was an unsurprising inclusion in Senegal’s national squad, as was Idrissa Gueye.

The 27-year-old has been one of the signings of the season following his arrival from Aston Villa over the summer, with a WhoScored rating of 7.31 second only to Romelu Lukaku (7.44) of all Everton players this season. Gueye’s impact at Goodison Park has been immediate, with the midfielder making more tackles (93) than any other Premier League player this season. Now unavailable for the rest of the month, Everton were rightly concerned. 

Factoring in James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic’s ongoing injury concerns and Gareth Barry's advancing years, the Toffees could well have been left in a sticky situation. News of Morgan Schneiderlin’s impending move to Goodison Park, then, couldn’t have been better timed as far as the fans are concerned. The Frenchman was cast aside as soon as Jose Mourinho came to Old Trafford having totaled just 11 minutes of Premier League action under the United boss. 

United supporters were enthused at the Frenchman’s arrival in 2015 as they saw the midfielder as the foundation from which to build a Premier League title charge and a view to replacing Michael Carrick in the long-term for the side. To say it didn’t go according to plan, though, is quite the understatement for Schneiderlin, who struggled for form and was routinely overlooked for the bigger games under Louis van Gaal. Mourinho also favoured Carrick, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini in the middle of the park, with the 27-year-old failing to convince the Portuguese manager when handed the chance to stake a claim for a starting spot. 

With Everton, though, Schneiderlin has the chance to re-build his career in a comparatively pressure-free environment. United fans demand the team challenge for top honours each passing season, but - and with all due respect - Everton have lesser expectations, which would allow the France international to thrive and show his best form since his Southampton days. Schneiderlin established himself as one of the finest in his position during his time on the south coast under Ronald Koeman, with the player’s best WhoScored rating in a single season (7.51) coming in the Dutchman’s debut campaign at the St. Mary’s. 

A reunion on Merseyside seems a match made in heaven for player and manager, with Koeman understandably confident he can bring out the best in Schneiderlin once more. With Everton short of options in the middle of the park now Gueye is unavailable, his prospective arrival comes at just the right time as the Toffees require defensive reinforcements in the middle of the park. In the last five Premier League seasons, Schneiderlin has made more tackles and interceptions combined (772) than any other player, which reinforces statistically calculated WhoScored strengths of ‘tackling’ and ‘ball interception’. 

An 88% pass success rate during his time in the Premier League is also a solid return for Schneiderlin, not only a very capable ball winner, but also able to retain possession with ease. With the current Everton crop struggling to pick out a teammate, he brings some much-needed composure to a Toffees outfit that averages 50.5% possession and boasts a 77.6% pass success rate. What’s important further is the arrival of Schneiderlin could see Koeman revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation he favoured during his debut season at St. Mary’s having used it on 19 of 38 occasions in the Premier League. A midfield partnership of Schneiderlin and Gueye - when he’s back from Gabon - is a solid base for the Toffees to build upon. 

It’s a combative pair that would allow the attackers to put further pressure on opposition defences and allow full-backs Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman greater license to press forward. Having also experimented with a three-man defence on occasion, Koeman can now revert to a favoured system to bring consistency to the side. Schneiderlin may not be the final piece of the jigsaw for Everton, but the Frenchman’s possible arrival goes some way to completing the puzzle for Koeman and the Toffees.