Some Everton fans have been discussing how striker Oumar Niasse is still at Goodison Park, having been with the club for the past four years.
Niasse moved to Merseyside from Lokomotiv Moscow at the close of the January 2016 transfer window in a deal worth £13.5million, having scored 13 times in 23 appearances.
The club also awarded the Senegal forward a four-and-a-half-year contract worth £55,000-per-week upon his arrival, with former boss Roberto Martinez claiming: “We’re delighted as Oumar is a player we’ve been following for a long time. He brings a real hunger and desire to be successful into what is already a strong squad.”
But that hunger and desire only lead to two starts in five Premier League appearances for Niasse before the close of the 15/16 campaign, then no inclusions in a matchday squad before joining Hull City on loan the following winter.
Four goals in 17 top-flight outings for the Tigers led to a second chance at Goodison in which he would score eight times over 22 league games, but a poor start to life under Marco Silva in 2018/19 saw the 29-year-old shunned from the senior fold again.
Were the club naive offering Niasse £55k-p/w?
Yes
No
One appearance between September and the turn of the year saw Niasse leave on loan this time for Cardiff City, where he would not score in any of his appearances for Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds as they crashed back into the Championship.
Silva was not in the mood to offer Niasse another chance upon his return from South Wales, leaving the 4-cap striker waiting until Duncan Ferguson’s interim spell for his first outing of the term.
Carlo Ancelotti has since called on Niasse late on in our last two Premier League games, but with the forward’s contract up in the summer, his time on Merseyside is as good as over with club chiefs actively searching for potential suitors.
But the fact that Niasse is still at Goodison Park four years on from his £13.5m transfer has sparked some debate on social media.
Here are a few of the messages shared…
Parasite stealing money
— dave smith (@dickyeverton) January 27, 2020
Nothing much to understand:
Niasse is on £55k, he has zero incentive to move as no other manager in his right mind would pay him a fraction of that amount.— colinsmith50 (@colinsmith50) January 27, 2020
Simple really. Just refuse to leave when under contract.
And people still sing his name 😂
— Paul (@covo_85) January 27, 2020
You’re all being unfair.
Name another player who can run at defenders at pace and make the ball bobble all over the place so that it’s impossible to tackle him.
It’s a difficult skill to master, but Oumar is the worlds best.— Bren Connolly (@BlueBren) January 27, 2020
Not only is he the only person to ever be banned for two games for successful deception of an official (as far as my limited knowledge goes) but he also appears to have no talent. None. And earns a million + a year.
Hes going to sign for Barca next isnt he.— Manni (@shatteredsynaps) January 27, 2020
If he had successfully controlled the ball in injury time last Tuesday that last 3 mins would have played out completely differently and we’d be in the top half of the table.
— Paul McMullan (@Slidey77) January 27, 2020
Jim….agree prob one of the worst signings talent and skill wise I have seen in my lifetime. But when he actually got to start a game he gave 100 per cent of his limited ability and he scored goals and was a general nuisance the one time he got regular games.
— Mike O (@daighy) January 27, 2020
In other Everton news, the club are said to be courting a £34million forward.