Abdoulaye Doucoure spoke of his disturbed time under Frank Lampard in Everton, revealing that their relationship has taken a net slowdown, leading to his exclusion from the first team.
Lampard took charge of Everton in January 2022, guiding the club towards the survival of the Premier League dramaticly with a crucial 3-2 victory against Crystal Palace, a match where Doucoure was in the starting formation.
However, despite an initially positive relationship, things quickly went between the midfielder and his manager.
By reflecting on his experience under Lampard, Doucoure shared his frustrations concerning the lack of communication.
He said: “He did not speak, there was no communication between me and him,” he told the overlap. “I was training with those under 21 because I was excluded from the team, he pushed me back.
“After a home game, we had a great argument between me and him. I was not happy and I told him the truth because I am honest, and he didn’t like it. The day after what they said that you could not stay with the team, they felt disrespectful in front of the other players, and they said that you had to train with those under 21 or the train alone.
“I disrespected – Everton was a big lesson, and he learned!” 😬
Abdoulaye Doucoure on his time working under Frank Lampard 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/tz8vano1lz
– overlapping (@wearethetheoverlap) February 10, 2025
“I said,” I’m going to train alone “because I know how to take care of myself. Fortunately, it was not long, two or three days, because I think he was dismissed a week later.
During Lampard’s mandate, which lasted 44 games, Doucoure rarely gave a starting role. On the other hand, under managers like Carlo Ancelotti, Sean Dyche and now David Moyes, he was a key player.
“Frank Lampard is the only manager who did not trust me much. I think he made a mistake with me to be honest. I am a guy who works hard and a humble person, I work hard in training. Obviously, he can make a choice, I never dispute the choice that a manager made.
“Sometimes you have to be fair and I don’t think he was just with me, leaving me on the bench for so many games and not giving me my luck, it simply upset me with him. I was just waiting for my luck and he didn’t trust me, and I think he made a mistake because I made him wrong after that. Because after the new manager, Sean Dyche, I was a manufacturer of difference in the team.
“It was very difficult because I like Everton, and because of my relationship with him, I was pushing, I was almost out of the club. So it was very sad for me, because when you start to explore your options, to go to another club – I never wanted that. My faith is very strong, I always believe in hard work, hard work is paying. I was very happy to stay and I signed a new contract after that. »»
Since his departure from Everton, Lampard has taken over as director of Coventry City and has experienced improvements in the team’s results. Doucoure thinks that his former manager took important lessons from his time to Goodison Park.
“He was a great player, he was a fantastic player, everyone knows. But as a manager, in Everton, it was a big lesson for him, and I think he learned that. »»
