I am 100% in agreement with Paul's analysis & conclusions. This player is already an Everton great for me; a model pro who shows up much more high profile players.

With a less erratic finish, a source of much irritation to me, he would be an exemplary modern midfielder in any company.

We are fortunate that he loves the club and one more season with better players around him should be high on our agenda.

A classic succinct match report on Saturday by the way. The game itself was not worthy of some of Lyndon's more vivid imagery.

Way back during His first Season with us, I posted on Toffeweb ( it’s on record !), that idrissa would probably be the greatest player, since Alan Ball, to pull on a Blue Shirt.
I was proved wrong, it would seem, but I got scoffed at by a couple of regular, respected posters.
As, I said on a previous thread here, players like him are extremely hard to find and would command an astronomical fee.
Whereby, we don’t have to pay a Transfer fee… only his wages.
We really do need to keep him, his age is totally irrelevant.
Even Moyes admitted, that he plays like a young player.
Statistics don’t lie, he’s awesome at his graft and I really do think he’s having his best Season with us.
He’s a Nugget!

It's Gueye who has the dilemma. Stay, be well rewarded and play at a high level for a team you love and in a wonderful new stadium. Leave for silly money which will make you a very rich man ( as opposed to just rich) but play kickabout footie in searing heat with little really mattering. Here's hoping that the " Baines approach to life" may be the one he chooses.

I actually think it would be a mistake to re-sign him now. I don’t disagree with any of the praise - he’s been excellent - but I think his legs are already starting to go. He failed to finish 90 minutes against City because he was cramping, and this is going to get worse as he gets (even) older.

I don’t know the financial situation, and if we can afford the ‘luxury’ of this, but if he were to stay it should be very much as a one-year transition, with him rarely playing the full 90 as a plan ’A’ and hopefully younger players learning from him.

Idrissa is 3 years younger than Jamie Vardy. He will be a big asset if he stays and is maybe subbed for the last 15 - 30 minutes.

Spot on Paul and thanks for reminding us how we went backwards in the summer of 2019! Gana has been a terrific player over his total of six seasons with us. We have so many players out of contract this summer we can ill afford to lose arguably the best of them.

With James Garner having incurred two lengthy absences in three seasons owing to back injuries, Tim Iroegbunam plainly needing time to learn his trade, Orel Mangala unlikely to return unless or until he proves his fitness and Abdoulaye Doucouré more than likely to leave it is an area in which we need to strengthen anyway. I have high hopes that Harrison Armstrong will prove his worth in pre-season but that is not certain given his youth and inexperience.

So retaining Gana is essential.

Gana is key to a smooth transition under Moyes. He has become more comfortable on the ball and is leading Europe in tackles. Also, Mangala and Garner would benefit from his guidance. This season suggests he has a couple in him still though his minutes will need to be managed carefully.

Maybe we sign him for two years, with an insurance policy, and shop him in the January window for a premium but let him choose the club.