Idrissa Gueye, Everton and the search for the heir to…

Idrissa Gueye, Everton and the search for the heir to his tackling throne

"They need more of his type.

"He is the one that has the tenacity during those difficult periods in the first half when it's tough for his team. Pick of the bunch."

This was Gary Neville's assessment when on commentary duty for Sky Sports at Goodison Park back in March when Everton defeated Chelsea 2-0 - their first of three successive home wins over 'big six' opponents with victories against Arsenal (1-0) and Manchester United (4-0) to follow.

But rather than bolstering the squad with more players of his ilk, the Blues now face the prospect of having to replace Idrissa Gueye.

Everton have turned last season's loan star Andre Gomes' switch into a permanent one and also added Fabian Delph to the engine room but Marco Silva insists the latter is not a replacement for Gueye and an alternative must be found.

Sanctioning the sale of a player who will turn 30 early next season is, perhaps, not as straightforward as it would be in other cases.

As Silva said after the 2-0 win over Chelsea: "The second-half of Gana was really good and that is the Gana I know, and the Gana we need as a team."

The midfield dynamo wanted to leave for Paris Saint Germain in January and had since spoken about not giving up on his 'dream' move to a Champions League club.

His sale would leave a sizeable void in the two areas in which he excels: interceptions and - most of all - tackling.

Since arriving in the Premier League, the Senegal international has ranked second, first and second for total tackles made each season.

He's third on the current list, behind Wlifred Ndidi and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

So as Marcel Brands and his team of scouts scour the European markets for players, will they have found an heir to Gueye's tackling throne?

Is there an emerging midfielder who could pick up the mantle with the 29-year-old poised to quit Goodison?

Based on the number of tackles made per 90 minutes, here are some of the top players from Europe's leading five leagues, excluding the Premier League.

All players made at least 20 league appearances last season and - based on Everton's recruitment policy of last summer - are aged 25 or under.