Everton have been transformed under Carlo Ancelotti, and the Toffees have flown up the Premier League table since their impressive start to the decade. Although, a key man for the Toffees, who has been steadily performing all season long, caught some media backlash, via Gary Neville in commentary, due to one subpar performance against Arsenal.
During the match on Sunday, Djibril Sidibe allowed Premier League top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score a brace, which gave Arsenal a 3-2 victory. Some reports have even gone as far as to suggest Everton may not make the 27-year-old’s loan move from AS Monaco permanent on the basis of that performance alone.
However, failing to trigger the World Cup-winning Frenchman’s option to buy based on a 90-minute sample size would be an incredibly rash decision and one the club should avoid when considering the players future. As per WhoScored, so far this season only opposite number Lucas Digne has provided more assists in the Premier League for the Toffees, five, than Sidibe’s four.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, the 27-year-old right-back has been imperious barring his one off day. As per WhoScored, Sidibe leads the way for Everton regarding tackles per 90 minutes, averaging 3.6, along with registering the most interceptions per match, 1.9, as well. Clearly, Sidibe can influence proceedings at either end of the field, and that is an absolute necessity of a modern-day wing-back, who is expected to provide width in attacking areas.
As per WhoScored, only compatriot Digne and Richarlison have received higher average match ratings, 7.15 and 7.37 respectively, than Sidibe’s 7.06, highlighting his incredible consistency over 19 appearances. The Frenchman’s adaptation to the Premier League has been nothing short of seamless and with Seamus Coleman approaching the twilight of his career at 31, someone will need to fill the Irishman’s boots.
Everton should think long and hard about the decision they will have to make regarding Sidibe, valued at £10.8m (Transfermarkt), at the end of the season, but it would be foolish to make that judgement on one game alone. Seven players received a match rating lower than the 27-year-old’s against Arsenal, but unfortunately, he fell victim to the division’s deadliest poacher.
