Everton hero Abdoulaye Doucoure detailed his relationship with Frank Lampard that almost saw him leave before scoring the Toffees’ Premier League survival goal
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure claimed that his feud with Frank Lampard felt personal.
Doucoure, 30, had an extraordinary bust up with former Toffees’ boss Lampard that saw him almost leave the club in January.
It’s almost impossible to consider following the Malian’s resurgence under Sean Dyche over the back half of the season, but his and Everton’s current position could have looked extremely different.
Doucoure scored vital goals in the draws against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest in March, before netting the biggest goal of his career on the final day in the 1-0 win against Bournemouth, securing Everton’s top-flight status.
But Doucoure was left on the periphery of the squad at the beginning of last season under Lampard, seeing him fail to start another league game under the Englishman since the opening day defeat against Chelsea.
He said: “It was hard because it was the first time in my career that I didn’t play as much as I want, especially for reasons I don’t know.
“I was one of the fittest players in the team and someone who always gave everything, so to not be able to help the team in bad moments when we were losing many games in a row was so hard.”
It was evident that Doucoure and Lampard didn’t get on, with tensions escalating that high that the pair had to be separated after the 2-1 defeat against Southampton in January.
Doucoure’s position under Lampard was over as he explored a move away from Goodison with Fulham interested.
But Lampard was sacked with just a week left of the transfer window and the Mali international’s career at Everton was given a lifeline.
He continued: “If the previous manager had stayed a few weeks more, I would have been gone.
“It was impossible to not play for a year, but I think with him that was the plan. Even if I was training well and fresh, I don’t think he’d put me in the team. It was like he had something personal against me.
“I knew if the club changed manager, I would get a chance again. So I had to keep my head down, waiting for my chance and it worked well. I was happy to be the one to score the goal to help the team stay up.
“It was a long season with low and high moments. For me personally, it was a challenge but it helped me to grow and achieve more success. Since the new manager came in, there was a lot of hard work from everyone and we deserved to stay up.
“I was very close (to leaving) but was happy to stay and help Everton.”
How do you think Doucoure will fare this season? Let us know in the comments section.
