Everton’s summer only seems to be getting better and better, with a fresh addition now inbound.
Having first welcomed Tim Iroegbunam to the club, in a switch that sparked the Premier League to try and close Everton’s PSR loophole, they then brought Jack Harrison back on loan from Leeds United, consolidating their squad.
However, it was clear that Kevin Thelwell wanted to add some real quality to Sean Dyche’s ranks, and at last that seems to be what he has done.
Iliman Ndiaye seems set to sign for Everton
The latest comes via transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who has issued an update on Everton’s pursuit of Iliman Ndiaye.
Having confirmed that the deal was all but done, this latest piece of information takes the story to the next level, actually claiming that the Senegal international is on Merseyside preparing to complete the deal.
He wrote on X: ‘EXCL: Iliman Ndiaye, currently on Merseyside undergoing medical tests as new Everton player. OM will receive €18.5m plus €1.5m add-ons, Ndiaye signs a five-year contract until June 2029’.
A hefty sum for a club in such financial distress, this could be the move that potentially sparks Amadou Onana’s Everton exit, or another club to try and convince Dominic Calvert-Lewin to leave.
Iliman Ndiaye will add magic to Sean Dyche’s squad
Whilst it might seem a somewhat lofty sum, this tricky forward is sure to add something special, the likes of which few others have, to Dyche’s squad.
He is a match-winner, capable of dancing through defences all on his own.
Fans need only heed the words of his former boss, Paul Heckingbottom, who could not have been more effusive in his praise for the striker. He once claimed: ‘Iliman has got that magic in him, we’ve always known that. But he buys his minutes on the pitch because of the role he performs, because of what he does, for the group as a whole.
‘If you only see the magic, then people can get used to that. But why I rate him, why I think he can become an even better player, is because of what he does and how he works for the rest of the lads.’
Clearly a hard worker as well, it will be refreshing to have someone who can finally fulfil Abdoulaye Doucoure’s shadow striker role.
Last season may have been a struggle with Marseille, scoring three and assisting five, but his final year at Sheffield United saw him post 27 goal contributions, justifiably earning him a move to his boyhood club.
So, it means a lot that he has been seduced to leave by Everton, with the allure of the Premier League and a club of this stature too much to deny.