Heir Apparent — Is Gana Gueye’s Successor Already in the Building?

First in the Premier League for successful tackles (120), at least 10 more than any other Premier League player; first for interceptions (59); second for ground duels won (179); in the 97th percentile for defensive contributions; in the 93rd percentile for defensive recoveries; and in the 100th percentile for clearances.

Those impressive defensive statistics sound like peak Idrissa Gana Gueye from either of his spells at Everton but, in particular, his final season with the Blues before he departed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.

They belong, however, to his midfield partner, James Garner, who has emerged from 2025/26 as an undisputed bright spot in an otherwise frustrating season, one that promised so much with seven games to go but ended with Everton more or less back where they finished the previous campaign in terms of points and league position.

The 24-year-old came into the season knowing that he needed to finally step out of the shadows and begin showing to Evertonians and the football world at large the kind of footballer he could be. The result was a stand-out campaign for the Blues, the club’s player of the year accolade and a full international cap for England.

Agonisingly, just as Everton fell short at the last, so, too, did “Jimmy” of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup this summer. “Gutted” was how Garner expressed it on social media; he must have felt he was in with a chance of being on the plane to North America after the England boss described him as the Three Lions’ “mini-Federico Valverde” after his performance against Uruguay in March.

The comparison was a hugely flattering one given how impressive Valverde had been a fortnight earlier in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League in which he scored all three goals and the similarities don’t end there.

Both players are, ostensibly, box-to-box midfielders but offer versatility in being able to also operate at right back while also being offensive threats and Garner led in the Everton team for chances created (56), for passes (1,793) and expected assists (6.0) while tying Iliman Ndiaye for third for goal involvements.

And yet, there was still a feeling that, in an attacking sense, Everton needed that little more from the man they signed from Manchester United four years ago. He hasn't quite emerged as the creative, goal-producing and goal-scoring attacking midfielder that his loan spell in the Championship with Nottingham Forest suggested he might be.

Much could be explained by the Blues’ overall shortcomings going forward under Moyes and Sean Dyche before him but Garner scored just two goals and his sublime through-ball for Beto in the Toffees’ demolition of Chelsea was as notable for its brilliance as its rarity.

While his defensive numbers are elite in England’s top flight, from an attacking perspective the likes of Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton probably stand out more among central midfielders. Indeed, Anderson was picked by Tuchel for the World Cup and is being hotly linked with a move to Manchester City this summer.

Over the close season, Everton and David Moyes will be continuing the squad-rebuilding project that began this time last year but there are doubts once more over whether Gueye will extend his stay at the club. The Senegalese failed to make the number of starts that would have triggered the option of adding a further 12-months to the initial one-year deal he signed last summer and he has not yet indicated whether he wants to negotiate fresh terms.

Regardless of whether Gueye stays, there is a strong need for a succession plan to Everton’s long-serving midfield stalwart. He will turn 37 in September, missed the last few games of the season through injury and, for the first time, his performance metrics have started to fall, indicating that age is finally starting to catch up with him.

There has been speculation that Moyes and the transfer committee were targeting a significant central midfield signing this summer and a further slot may open up if Tim Iroegbunam is sold but, given his stellar defensive metrics and his own admission that he sees himself primarily as a No 6, sitting in front of the back four, it could well be that James Garner is the solution to either the phasing out or departure of Idrissa Gueye (who has never identified as a "6" anyway).

Again, the Englishman produced the defensive stats in 2025/26 to support that argument, he is better on the ball than Gueye, has a superior range of passing, a far better shot and can offer a threat from set-pieces — all from defensive midfield if the manager opts to deploy him in a more withdrawn role.

As Paul Traill explored in his article on Gana this time last year, the thought of losing one of Everton’s most effective players of the Premier League era is a daunting one and there was plenty of evidence in the run-in that he was sorely missed as the team saw European qualification slip away as they failed to win any of their matches after that brilliant victory over Chelsea in March.

However, as he advances in years, Gueye’s departure is, sadly, inevitable — if not now then probably in a year’s time. In Garner, the club might not have a true like-for-like replacement and there is a case to be made they need a physical beast in that part of the pitch, but in the context of what still needs to be done in terms of building out the squad, he provides a neat “plug-and-play” option freeing up funds to be spent elsewhere.

Certain statistics credited to EFC Statto