Doucoure, who left Everton this summer to join New Future City Sports in the Saudi League, reviewed his five years at Everton in an exclusive interview and talked about the decision to leave, the derby conflict with Liverpool, the two coaches Dyche and Moyes, as well as the club's internal mentality when facing penalty points and many other topics.
Was it a difficult decision to leave Everton?
This is a tough decision, but I think it's a win-win situation. Obviously, I knew my time would end one day because my desire has always been to come to Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. I also know they (Everton) are trying to bring in new players.
I had an offer from Everton, but the offer from Saudi Arabia was much higher. I received a lot of interest from the Premier League. Sunderland made me a good offer because I knew their manager (Regis Le Bris) very well, he was my coach at the academy in France. There was also some interest from Leeds United and Burnley. But if I stayed in England, Everton would be my first choice. So I don't really have an answer for those teams.
Did Everton try their best to retain you?
They gave me an offer so they knew I could stay. But we didn't have any negotiations on the length of the contract or the financial terms because I had already made my choice. They didn't do anything crazy to keep me. When I spoke to David Moyes he was very candid. He said, "Listen, I'd love to keep you, but if you have other ambitions, we'd love to let you go." I feel happy now. The club has moved on and I think both sides are happy to have spent these five years together.
Looking back on your career at Everton, how do you feel?
I always give 100% effort. I know it wasn't pretty or perfect, but I did my job for the club. I helped them fight and left a very good personal image there. Even when we struggled, I really enjoyed my time in the blue jersey. I will always be very proud to have played for Everton.
In the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, your celebration caused a conflict and you were sent off. Can you recall the scene?
That's crazy. Many people remember that derby and what happened at the end. When I travel, people always ask what's going on. I said to them: "Guys, you've forgotten the score (2-2)." It was a last-minute goal in the last derby at Goodison. This is the most important thing to me.
That conflict was nothing. I have nothing against Curtis Jones or the Liverpool players. It was just a football game. Obviously Liverpool were unhappy not to win the last derby at our home ground but we didn't let them succeed.
I remember after the game we went for a urine test with Idrissa (Guy), and McAllister came up to me and said, we acted like we won a final or something. He was very angry. I said to him: "No, we just drew the game - I told you my friend, it's not easy to win at Goodison." And he left the room. I could tell they were furious. My friends and I went out to eat in the city the other day and people went crazy. I was like the king of the world. They said: "You are a legend."
You went through five managers at Everton. What's the difference between Dyche and Moyes?
Ditch is the coach who has the greatest influence on me. He arrived at a very critical time. In those moments, you have to be strong. I knew my mentality was strong, but after that, I discovered more of my potential. Within three or four months, everything changed. Everton suits me very well both personally and as a club.
The final problem with Sean (Ditch) is that he is very pragmatic and very direct. Sometimes he would say something that fans didn't appreciate and they would respond on social media. Like Benitez, he will reach the end one day. Once the performance deteriorates, everyone will turn around. I felt sorry for him because he didn't deserve to be remembered that way.
Sean is very strict. Sometimes players can't handle a tough coach and that's the problem. Moyes can be harsh at times but he doesn't care about those off-field details. He just wants people to train well and give everything they have to win games. I think that's sometimes what players want, you know?
During your tenure, the club experienced two penalty points due to financial irregularities. How does this impact the locker room?
We were talking about a lot of things and we just wanted to focus on football. Sometimes when we come to practice we talk about penalties and financial issues. It started to become: 'What's going to happen tomorrow?' I remember one day we were in the video room and [then director of football] Kevin Thirlwell said we were going to get another penalty point and we were like, 'How are we going to end the season?' We were so confident we could avoid relegation that it became a joke. "Tomorrow, we're going to get another five or six points deducted." You can tell we're a huge target. They are attacking the club and even us players because we have done nothing wrong. If the club makes a mistake it's not our fault and you can feel it's unfair to us.
This became a motivation. We said, "This is our life. We can't let them do this." We have the ability to win games on the field. As long as we keep winning, there's nothing they can do to us.
What mistakes do you think the club has made in the past?
(After Ancelotti and Brands left) the standard of the club dropped a lot. Digne is one of the best left-backs in the league. When I saw that [Digne was sold after a row with Benitez] I thought: "How can they let someone like that leave the club in this way because of a row?" It made no sense because Digne loved the club and he wouldn't have left to go to Aston Villa.
What do you think of the current Everton team?
Defensively, the team has not changed much. James Garner did a great job at left back. He can play anywhere. Everything seems to be in place. Grealish adds a lot. Same thing with Hall, I think fans are going to love him because he's such a good player. Ndiaye always brings goals and assists. I'm a huge Beto fan. I know he can succeed because he has a natural ability to score goals. Fans just need to be patient because it won't be easy for him. I chat with him sometimes. There will always be doubters, but Beto’s mentality is strong. He's had some really bad moments, but he's back and now is the No. 1 forward. You have to have a strong mentality and personality to play for this club.