Abdoulaye Doucoure has explained how he managed to win over Carlo Ancelotti after the former Everton boss told him he did not want to sign him.
The midfielder made the move to Goodison Park in the summer of 2020 after years of speculation that a transfer from Watford would take place.
Doucoure quickly established himself as one of the most crucial members of the Blues squad following his Goodison arrival with a string of impressive displays.
In the 34 appearances he made last season, the Frenchman was often deployed in a deeper-midfield position than the one he played for Watford.
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And now reflecting on his move to Everton, the 29-year-old has explained how Ancelotti initially didn’t want to sign him.
“He is the most human coach I have met. He was also very honest,” he told French publication L’Equipe via Sport Witness.
“When I arrived, he explained to me that he did not particularly want me at the beginning but that the leaders had ended up convincing him.”
Doucoure then continued: “My first day in training coincided with the day before a match. Carlo comes to see me on the field and says to me: ‘So, Abdou, do you want to play tomorrow?’ I say yes, of course.
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“He said to me, a little mockingly: ‘Well, we’ll see if you’re training well’, and he left, laughing. I knew then that I was going to play and I did not want to disappoint him. He reassured me, freed me. He was one of the men who changed my game.”
Doucoure joined the Blues at the same time as Allan and James Rodriguez made their own moves to Merseyside.
And the Frenchman has opened up on how an evening out with Ancelotti and Everton’s new recruits was something he had never before experienced in his career.
He said: “Carlo had invited us to dinner at the restaurant, me, Allan and James, the three recruits, with our agents.
“We had spent a warm, relaxed time, talking about everything, football, but also our lives, until 1 or 2 in the morning. I had never experienced that in my career.”
Despite a bright start to the campaign, Everton would eventually finish the season 10th, but Doucoure has revealed how Ancelotti maintained a positive atmosphere within the squad.
“Sometimes the day after a game that I lost, I could not be very well. He detected it on my face,” the midfielder explained.
“So, on the field, he came to see me and said: ‘You had a good game, Abdou’. I knew that I had made a poor match but he looked me in the eye and insisted: ‘You did what I asked you’. He wants you to be in a permanently positive state of mind, happy to do your job.”
