Abdoulaye Doucoure has opened up about his troubled time under Frank Lampard at Everton, revealing that their relationship took a sharp downturn, leading to his exclusion from the first team.
Lampard took charge of Everton in January 2022, guiding the club to Premier League survival in dramatic fashion with a crucial 3-2 win over Crystal Palace, a match where Doucoure was in the starting lineup.
However, despite an initially positive relationship, things soon soured between the midfielder and his manager.
Reflecting on his experience under Lampard, Doucoure shared his frustrations over the lack of communication.
He said: “He didn’t talk, there was no communication between me and him,” he told The Overlap Breakdown. “I was training with the Under-21 because I was excluded from the team, he pushed me away.
“After a home game, we had a big 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 they said you cannot stay with the team, he felt disrespected by me in front of the other players, and they said you need to train with the Under-21s or train alone.
“He disrespected me — Everton was a big lesson, and he learnt from that!” 😬
Abdoulaye Doucoure on his time working under Frank Lampard 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/tz8vAno1lz
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) February 10, 2025
“I said, ‘I’m going to train alone’ because I know how to look after myself. Luckily it was not long, two or three days, because I think he was sacked a week after.
During Lampard’s tenure, which lasted 44 matches, Doucoure was rarely given a starting role. In contrast, under managers like Carlo Ancelotti, Sean Dyche, and now David Moyes, he has been a key player.
“Frank Lampard is the only manager who didn’t trust me a lot. I think he made a mistake with me to be honest. I am a hard-working guy and a humble person, I work hard in training. Obviously, he can make a choice, I never contest the choice a manager makes.
“Sometimes you have to be fair and I don’t think he was fair with me, leaving me on the bench for so many games and not giving me my chance, it just upset me with him. I was just waiting for my chance and he didn’t trust me, and I think he made a mistake because I just proved him wrong after that. Because after the new manager came, Sean Dyche, I was a difference-maker in the team.
“It was very hard because I love Everton, and because of my relationship with him I was pushing away, I was nearly out of the club. So it was very sad for me, because when you start exploring your options, going to another club – I never wanted that. My faith is very strong, I always believe in hard work, hard work pays off. I was very happy to stay, and I signed a new contract after that.”
Since leaving Everton, Lampard has taken over as manager of Coventry City and has seen improvements in the team’s results. Doucoure believes his former manager took away important lessons from his time at Goodison Park.
“He was a great player, he was a fantastic player, everyone knows that. But as a manager, at Everton it was a big lesson for him, and I think he learned from that.”