It has not proven a particularly happy return to Everton for experienced midfielder Idrissa Gueye, with the 33-year-old having no doubt been culpable for the Toffees' woes so far this season since his £2m switch from Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite having been hailed as a 'big player' for the club by then-boss Frank Lampard upon his arrival back at Goodison Park – after previously departing for the Parc des Princes in 2019 – the Senegalese international has flattered to deceive thus far, having created "more problems than he solves" according to journalist Greg O'Keeffe.
The veteran's woes have been laid bare by the fact that he has made three errors leading to goals so far this season, with that the most of any outfield player in the Premier League and just one shy of Tottenham Hotspur stopper, Hugo Lloris.
As Everton reporter Carl Markham noted, the £80k-per-week dud simply "looks like a mistake waiting to happen" such is his tendency to cost Sean Dyche's men, with the Merseysiders likely to be questioning the wisdom in bringing the one-time Aston Villa man back to the club.
With Gueye already not set to be a long-term solution in the centre of the park due to his age, Dyche should no doubt ruthlessly ditch the 98-cap menace from his side ahead of next season, with it perhaps time for the club's academy talent to be given a chance to shine.
If the former Burnley boss is hoping to find a figure to build his side around for the future, then the Englishman should look no further than that of 20-year-old starlet, Lewis Warrington, with the playmaker currently thriving out on loan at Fleetwood Town.
How is Lewis Warrington getting on at Fleetwood?
The promising youngster appears to be making the most of his time under ex-Celtic skipper, Scott Brown at Highbury, having already made 30 appearances in League One so far this season, with 28 of those coming from the start.
Hailed as a "very good player" by former Tranmere Rovers boss Micky Mellon after starring on loan with the lower-league side last term, Warrington has again shown his class this time around, illustrating his creative flair by creating three big chances and averaging 0.7 key passes per game in the current campaign.
That is a far superior record to that of Gueye – who has created just one big chance and averaged only 0.3 key passes per game from his 23 league appearances – with the Englishman having also shown himself to be both "combative and composed", according to journalist Joe Thomas.
The Birkenhead-born gem also clearly made a big impression on the aforementioned Lampard prior to heading out on loan, with the former Chelsea man having stated back in August:
"He is knocking on the door. Fleetwood was a tough game and he came on and influenced it. He's an incredible young professional, desperate to play for Everton and I love that. We'll see what happens next week."
The youngster's all-round quality has also been noted by Everton's official website, who said of his talents: 'A gifted all-round midfielder, he boasts impressive energy, and expansive passing range and eye for goal.'
As such, rather than persisting with an underwhelming, short-term fix like Gueye, Dyche must start afresh ahead of the 2023/24 campaign and put faith in young Warrington to perform for his boyhood club.
