Oumar Niasse is a player that the vast majority of Everton fans would have banked on being sold this summer.
Having had a less than fruitful loan spell at the Cardiff City Stadium last season, Niasse’s number looked to finally be up on Merseyside, with the Senegal international not in Marco Silva’s plans for the new campaign.
With Moise Kean’s arrival, Niasse fell further down the pecking order, with the Cenk Tosun, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the Italian more likely to start up front, while Richarlison could also occupy that spot if required.
However, following the closing of the European transfer window last night, Niasse is still at Everton, with no immediate route into the first-team visible.
So what comes next for the former Lokomotiv Moscow star? Does Silva elect to give him another chance?
It’s relatively easy to see the most realistic scenario for Niasse. With the forward out of contract in the summer, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 29-year old leave for a small fee in January. He could also sign a pre-contract agreement in January, ahead of leaving the club next summer.
Either way it doesn’t look likely that Niasse will get back to playing at Goodison Park. In fact, it’s likely that we’ve seen the last of the forward in an Everton shirt.
That being said, there is always a chance for redemption, and no-one exemplifies that better than Niasse himself. Ronald Koeman had effectively shown him the door and tried to push him through it, but he held firm and wouldn’t give in, and eventually proved to be a crucial play for the Dutchman.
Niasse has always shown a fantastic attitude, despite his shortcomings on the field, and hopefully he’ll succeed at whichever club that’ll be with.
But it looks likely that the striker could sit in the reserves for the rest of this season, at least until January, with game time on Merseyside extremely unlikely.
