Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti remains unsure over whom his best central midfield partner for Andre Gomes is, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Ancelotti has deviated between a clutch of options since taking up his position at the helm in December, but is yet to see clarity over the roles that Gylfi Sigurdsson, Tom Davies, Fabian Delph or Morgan Schneiderlin can play going forward.
Summer signing Jean-Philippe Gbamin is also somewhat at risk, but having played so little since his £25million switch from 1.FSV Mainz 05 due to a series of setbacks with his thigh injury – the 24-year-old has not featured since the second game of the Premier League season – gives the Ivory Coast international greater scope for Ancelotti’s future planning.
The boss aims to use the remaining ten games of the league season to rotate between those currently at Goodison Park to see if Gomes’ natural partner is already at the club, but will not be afraid to sign a new midfielder who can inject extra energy to the side this summer.
“Of course you have to find a partner [for Gomes] but we have the possibility to play in different ways, maybe with Davies or Fabian Delph,” Ancelotti said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“Maybe they can combine better than Gylfi because they are more powerful players but it depends on the game or what type of game we want to play.
“If we want to play a game building up from the back, I think Gylfi and Andre give us the possibility to play better from the back.”
Who should partner Gomes vs Chelsea on Sunday?
Sigurdsson
Davies
Delph
Neither
Ancelotti had chosen against January signings despite the potential for activity being there, but will not be as withheld at the close of the campaign when it is expected that the Italian will court a new centre-back and right-winger – as well as a potential new central midfielder.
Sigurdsson has featured in all bar two of our top-flight games since Ancelotti’s first match in charge at home to Burnley, though the £25.2m-rated Iceland international has never played in his natural attacking midfield role under the Italian.
Delph has likewise only sat out two league games under Ancelotti, with the £13.5m-rated England international dropped to the bench last time out against Manchester United while also missing our 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at the start of last month.
Davies, too, has featured in all bar two games since Duncan Ferguson’s final match in caretaker charge, but the £16.2m-rated U21 international has only started five of the possible ten.
Schneiderlin has featured the least with only four league outings under Ancelotti, having been sidelined with a calf injury at the time of the Italian’s arrival and the £10.8m-rated Frenchman is now facing an extended spell out again after undergoing knee surgery.