Marco Silva confident of seeing best of Idrissa Gueye at Everton
Friday 1 February 2019 15:53, UK
Marco Silva has no doubts that Idrissa Gueye will return to form and soon put the disappointment of missing out on a move to Paris Saint-Germain behind him.
Everton rejected an improved offer of £26.2m from PSG late on Deadline Day for the midfielder, who had handed in a transfer request earlier in the week to try and force through a deal.
Silva said he understood Gueye's desire to play in the Champions League, but insisted that the opportunity in front of him at Goodison Park was also fantastic.
"I know Idrissa very well, he is a good professional and a fantastic boy," Silva said. "He really likes our club, he is enjoying playing in our club.
"When a club like PSG comes in it is normal he starts to think about his future but now he has stopped, the market is closed and I don't have doubts we will see the best Idrissa Gana again.
"You can use the word disappointed and of course it was a good opportunity for him, but it is a fantastic opportunity for him to stay with us also."
The Everton manager went on to reveal that he was not aware of how close or not Gueye was to a move.
Silva said: "From the feedback I had with the board, they never told me the deal will be done or not, they didn't tell me it was close, and they never told me we need to prepare to replace Gana.
"I think with this information you can take your conclusion."
Holding onto Gueye, who arrived from Aston Villa for £7.6m in August 2016, was undoubtedly a positive piece of news for Everton, and despite not managing to bring in a striker, Silva was pleased with the window as a whole.
"I'm happy with the squad, I'm happy with the players we have to work with," he said.
"You always try to improve your squad in every moment that you can but I've said to you since the start of the January market what our situation in the January market will be."
Everton's opponents on Saturday, Wolves, sit two points and one place above them in the Premier League, and Silva is wary of the threat they pose.
"(Wolves) will be a good test for us as a team, not just offensively or defensively," Silva said. "We have to be stronger as a team and stronger than them in all the moments of the match.
"We know they are strong in the counter-attack with a solid block and fast players. Every moment you have the ball and are trying to create you have to take care of that and have good balance."
