Everton have announced the signing of Iliman Ndiaye, with the 24 year old attacker signing a five-year deal on Merseyside.
Officially undisclosed, Andy Hunter in the Guardian as well as Gillian Kasirye and Elias Burke in the Athletic are both reporting the fee is somewhere between £15 million and £16.9 million.
Ndiaye is the Toffees’ third signing of the summer already, after Jack Harrison’s loan from Leeds was extended by another 12 months, while midfielder Tim Iroegbunam has arrived from Aston Villa as part of the facade PSR-related swap deal, with Lewis Dobbin going the other way.
Who is Iliman Ndiaye?
Born in Rouen, Northern France, Iliman Ndiaye moved to England as a 16 year old, joining National League club Boreham Wood, playing for them at youth level, failing to break into the first-team, also turning out for Sunday League outfit Rising Ballers Kensington.
In August 2019, Sheffield United took a chance on this unproven, untested teenager and it paid off, with Ndiaye scoring 22 goals in 88 appearances for the Blades, a key figure as they won promotion to the Premier League in 2023, most-notably scoring the winner against Tottenham in an FA Cup tie at Bramall Lane.
Last summer, he left the Steel City to join boyhood club Olympique de Marseille for £20 million and, in true OM fashion, it turned out to be a chaotic campaign even by les Phocéens’ lofty standards.
Following a penalty shootout defeat to Panathinaikos in Champions League qualifying, Marcelino resigned just seven games into his tenure due to threats by ultra groups, before two more managers, Gennaro Gattuso and Jean-Louis Gasset, came and went, as OM finished eighth in Ligue 1, thereby failing to get into UEFA competition.
Ndiaye was a regular for Marseille, making 46 appearances, albeit his tally of just four goals was somewhat underwhelming, and, as alluded to, having missed out on European qualification, les Olympiens were under pressure to sell.
At international level, Ndiaye represents Senegal, earning 20 caps to date, three of which came at the World Cup in Qatar, starting the round of 16 defeat to England, scoring two goals, most-notably on target during a 2-0 win over Guinea in Yamoussoukro during the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Where does Iliman Ndiaye fit at Everton?
In their own press release, Everton describe Ndiaye as ‘versatile’ and able to ‘play in multiple attacking positions’, which is very true.
Last season for Marseille, he was utilised in four different positions, second striker (three times), right-winger (seven times), left-winger (seven times) and centre-forward (16 times), having been predominantly played centrally as part of a front two by Sheffield United the year before.
So, it’ll be interesting to see where Sean Dyche deploys him: out wide, alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin or just off the front, the spot in which Abdoulaye Doucouré thrived last season?
