The last time Everton attempted to replace Idrissa Gueye, it did not go well.Given his impact and work rate at the time, the Merseyside club accepted in summer 2019 that they needed a couple of new additions to fill the void created by his departure to Paris Saint-Germain — a sound theory on paper that fell apart when it came to the actual recruitment of those players.Ivory Coast international Jean-Philippe Gbamin was full of promise but blighted by injuries, making just eight appearances across a four-year stint at Goodison Park before leaving on a free. The more experienced Fabian Delph also struggled to overcome fitness problems and work his way to prominence.By the end, the running joke was that the only way Everton could replace Gueye was to re-sign him from PSG… which they promptly did in summer 2022.Another four years on, with Gueye having left again, this time as a 36-year-old free agent, the club face the same task.Despite the additions of midfielders Hayden Hackney and Merlin Rohl, The Athletic reported earlier this month that a new central midfielder remains a priority for manager David Moyes and the club’s recruitment team.Let’s take a look at how they might go about it, assessing some of the players they have studied and adding some data-led picks of our own.What did Gueye bring? And what kind of profile do Everton want?For most of his time at Everton, and indeed elsewhere, the Senegal international was known for his prolific ball-winning. He regularly topped Premier League-wide charts for tackles and interceptions, and was a key part of the team’s defensive setup.Gueye was never, in the truest sense, a No 6. Rather than sitting in front of the defence and marking space, he was normally at his best when he was allowed to go looking for the ball and destroy opposition attacks.But whether it was due to his age (he will be 37 in September), tactical tweaks, midfield partner James Garner’s development or a combination of at least some of the above, Gueye’s ball-winning did start to wane last season. Garner did the bulk of the defending and, as the below shows, the former Lille, Aston Villa and PSG man was instead given more license by Moyes to link play and break forward.The big question Everton have to answer, then, is which version of Gueye are they actually trying to replace?As The Athletic has reported, the early evidence is that they want a taller (Gueye is 5ft 8in/174cm), physically robust player to complement their existing options. Should they get one, it would potentially allow them to go for a smaller, more attack-minded option at right-back and balance the team out in a different way.Everton’s new midfielder needs to be comfortable playing predominantly in a 4-2-3-1, but also in a 4-3-3 or with a back three at times. They often defend man-to-man under Moyes, so the ability to cover ground is also key.Gueye left Everton earlier this summer for the second time in his career (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)The manager wants to make his side more technically sound, but last season they averaged one of the lowest possession shares in the Premier League. Ideally, this new midfielder would be a progressive passer — something Everton also see in Hackney — who helps in possession, but can also distribute in a more direct manner at times.Given their need for a plug-and-play option rather than someone they can develop, we have prioritised players in Europe’s top leagues and the second-tier Championship, which also fits with Everton’s recent recruitment strategy.Last season’s key target: Joao PalhinhaIf Everton want a pure destroyer, there are few better than the Bayern Munich man. They courted him last summer before his loan move to Tottenham Hotspur.Standing at 6ft 3in and boasting both Premier League and international pedigree, the 31-year-old Portugal international has the height and physicality to make his mark in front of a defence. He is competent rather than spectacular on the ball, and was a threat for Tottenham in the final third, particularly from set pieces, as he showed in scoring against Everton on the final day of the campaign in May.Palhinha has rejected Everton once and would be a tough target to obtain if they try again. Aston Villa have also shown an interest in him this summer, and can offer Champions League football, while he recently said he would like to stay at Bayern and fight for his place after Spurs decided against triggering the €30million (£25.7m/$34.6m at the current rates) option contained in his loan deal.The Athletic has reported that the German champions would be open to a sale at the right price.Mandela Keita — next cab off the rank?Everton are one of several teams to have followed the progress of Parma’s Belgium international Mandela Keita.As the below playstyle wheel shows, the 24-year-old is an active presence off the ball and relatively adept both at retaining possession and ball-carrying.Like Gueye, Keita offers little in the final third. He rarely creates or gets into threatening positions and, at 5ft 11in, is shorter than Palhinha.He would represent more of a risk from an adaptation standpoint than someone like the Portuguese, who has made over 100 Premier League appearances for Fulham and Spurs, something that may well deter Everton, but has an interesting profile and, at that age, plenty of upside.Mandela Keita of Parma has been capped once by Belgium (Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)Another Gueye?After playing starring roles alongside namesake Idrissa Gueye for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations at the turn of the year and then the World Cup, Villarreal’s Pape Gueye was linked with Everton earlier this summer.While that reported interest is yet to be verified by The Athletic, sources in Spain, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, suggest the Paris-born 27-year-old could move this summer, with Villarreal keen to raise funds.Gueye is a tall (around 6ft 2in), left-footed ball player who can progress the ball and knows where the net is, as his standout goals against Iraq this summer attest. He is strong in the tackle, but most of his other defensive numbers are on the lower side.He is also expected to have interest from elsewhere and command a significant fee.