We need to find a way to get him and Grealish playing closer to each other, they’re levels above everyone else in the side.
Either Grealish CAM to be closer to a wide Ndiaye or even Ndiaye as a ST given our other options seem poor and we have a shiny new RW on the bench
Iliman Ndiaye
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Thoughts on the club putting out a highlight video of a player after a 2-0 loss?
Mixed personally.
He was clearly balling and I'm glad I've been able to see it but there's something extremely cringe about it.
"Down to 12th!
ole ole"
Mixed personally.
He was clearly balling and I'm glad I've been able to see it but there's something extremely cringe about it.
"Down to 12th!
ole ole"
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weimaranerblues
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Re: Iliman Ndiaye
He had a good game probably the best player on the pitch , the game wasn't much at all no one else stood out , even Haaland was average but could have had 4. . but he wasn't awesome. Undoubtedly he's are best player by a mile
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Makes a mockery of the Fantasy Premier League Stats, that N'Diaye was apparently worse than 7 City players in the Bonus Points System, and only 3rd in the Influence Creativity and Threat Stats.weimaranerblues wrote: ↑Mon Oct 20, 2025 9:28 pm He had a good game probably the best player on the pitch , the game wasn't much at all no one else stood out , even Haaland was average but could have had 4. . but he wasn't awesome. Undoubtedly he's are best player by a mile
He did have 5 more Defensive Contributions than anyone else on the pitch with 17, and he's a winger!
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Like the tweet last week, what's the issue? The club is making efforts to up fan engagement. A lot of our fans are kids so they'll like Ndiaye dribbling clips.
I dont get the notion that we should hide under a rock d a club until we're a good team. Its alright to put your supporter hat on sometimes.
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Could do with getting this fella on a new deal with a mahoosive release & sell on clause if he hasn’t already got one…Nice article in The Athletic though
Ndiaye looks to have taken his game to the next level at Everton – here’s how…
Oct. 24, 2025 12:23 am EDT
It was the kind of performance that makes the rest of the Premier League sit up and take notice. For long spells of Saturday’s game against Manchester City, Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye was practically unplayable, regularly wriggling out of tight spots to cause mayhem in the final third.
There was the weaving run from the right flank and arrowed shot, destined for the top corner but ending with Gianluigi Donnarumma’s acrobatic save; a low cross that Beto could not covert; a through ball that Beto whistled past the post, and a slaloming dribble from deep that saw him evade three Manchester City defenders to start a promising Everton counter.
Ndiaye’s display was the talk of social media in the days after the match, with fans of rival clubs, including City, quick to laud his ability.
Chances are, you have already seen one of the highlight reels doing the rounds from the game. If you haven’t, go and seek one out. Similar compilations were made during the recent international break, with his goal for Senegal — a run from inside his own half followed by a composed finish — against South Sudan also going viral.
There is something mesmeric about the 25-year-old when he is in this kind of form. In an era where just about everything seems choreographed, his individual brilliance feels like a throwback. Ndiaye surveys what is in front of him and he improvises. The beauty is in just how off-the-cuff it all seems and his ability to find solutions under pressure.
Everton lost the game at the Etihad Stadium 2-0, spurning golden chances in the opening period to take the lead, but Ndiaye nevertheless made his mark. Even his manager, David Moyes, rarely effusive in his praise, gave a glowing review.
“Ili’s performance in the first half was outstanding,” Moyes told Everton TV. “He was the standout player at that time in the game.”
The £15million ($20m) Everton spent to bring Ndiaye to Merseyside in the summer of 2024 is proving to be one of the best pieces of business they have done in some time.
It is a tale of perseverance and trusting in talent, even when it is not flourishing.
Everton worked hard to sign him, first making an approach in January 2023 while he was at Sheffield United. He was part of an original list of four wingers pursued — Kevin Schade, Georginio Rutter and Dango Ouattara were the others — but he decided to stay put with promotion on the cards in Sheffield and Everton struggling for survival. They tried again that summer, but he joined boyhood club Marseille instead.
Ndiaye struggled in France. Marseille was a turbulent, combustible environment. Managers came and went and he was unable to navigate a path through. According to multiple people close to the deal — who, like all sources mentioned in the article, wish to remain anonymous to protect relationships — Everton stayed in touch through then-director of football Kevin Thelwell and his recruitment team, aware that he and his family had not settled in the south of France and were open to a return to England. They travelled to meet him before the end of the season and make their case. While others hesitated based on his time at Marseille, Everton ploughed on. Their previous interest and the regular progress checks paid dividends. Ndiaye felt wanted.
The forward’s first season at Everton was an undoubted success. He scored 11 times in 37 games across all competitions and was a mainstay in the side. Stationed predominantly on the left flank, he added goal threat and dribbling ability to an otherwise workman-like team.
The early signs are that he has raised his game again this season, adding new strings to his bow.
The dribbling is still there. He has averaged 12.2 metres from his 109 carries this season, with only Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku and Chelsea’s Pedro Neto attempting more at a higher success rate. Only three players (Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, Everton team-mate Jack Grealish and Nottingham Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi) have made more chances from carries. He is third in the league for successful take-ons.
The work rate also remains. He is second for possession won behind Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest and ground duels attempted. He is also in the top three per cent among his positional peers for recoveries and tackles won in the defensive third.
There have been times when Ndiaye has switched off defensively. He failed to track Nico O’Reilly’s run down the left on Saturday in the lead-up to Erling Haaland’s opener. But Moyes later questioned whether fatigue had played a part. Ndiaye, after all, had only returned from Senegal duty days before the game. Given his all-action style, there will be times when fatigue sets in and his minutes are managed.
The switch to the right flank, brought about by the loan signing of Grealish, has required some adaptation but allowed him to showcase different skills. He has scored twice at the back post from balls across goal, with his 83 per cent shot accuracy being the best in the Premier League.
Ndiaye has a poacher’s instinct but could do with more service. He has attempted just seven shots in eight games and his non-penalty expected goals (xG) is 1.4. To maximise his talent, Everton will need to improve on those numbers.
The biggest difference has been his spike in creativity.
Before this season, he had not registered an assist for Everton. The most he had managed in a single top-flight campaign was three during his time at Marseille.
Ndiaye has one assist to his name so far, which came when he set up Idrissa Gueye at Anfield. But he has arguably deserved more. It was from his stoppage-time cross that Beto brought a close-range save from Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, with Grealish netting the rebound to win the game for Everton. Beto also failed to convert his low cross at City.
Already this season, he has eclipsed last term’s expected assists total (1.4 to 1.6), putting him fifth in the league from open play. His crossing from the right is something we hadn’t really seen before in his game, and was also evident when he set up Ismaila Sarr in Senegal’s recent 5-0 win over South Sudan.
Ndiaye works hard to improve. He has employed a physical performance coach, Raphael Guinguincoin, since his time at Sheffield United. Hailing from French Guyana, Guinguincoin (known as Raph Darch on social media) is a former player in France’s fourth tier who has also worked with Marcus and Khephren Thuram and Bournemouth’s Bafode Diakite.
Sessions concentrate on injury prevention, movement and agility. In videos, Ndiaye can be seen running up dunes on the beach and doing slaloming drills with the ball. Another shows him leaning against a medicine ball on a wall at his home as he receives the ball on both sides. The idea is to improve his ability to hold off opponents under pressure and retain possession.
The early sense this season is that Ndiaye has reached another level in his play. What comes next will be intriguing.
Everton immediately rejected an offer of more than £40million from Inter Milan of Italy over summer, but his performances have put him on the radar of clubs in England and beyond. He is contracted until 2029 but is not one of Everton’s highest earners.
While Grealish is an obvious outlier — Everton are paying around three-quarters of his £300,000 City salary — Ndiaye’s pay is, according to sources, at least 50 per cent lower than others in that top bracket. With nearly four years left, a new contract is unlikely to be a priority for the club. But at some point, they may be forced to act if they want to keep one of their star men, just as they did with Jarrad Branthwaite over the summer.
This week, Ndiaye was nominated for the African Player of the Year award.
The next challenge for him at Everton is to cement his status as one of the league’s best forwards. To do so, he will need to add even more goals and assists to his game.
It is no easy task, but those who have worked with him feel he is ready to take that next step.
“Iliman is so skilful, so good,” his former team-mate Abdoulaye Doucoure told The Athletic. “He has a strong mentality, wants to succeed and go to the top so that’s why I really love him at the club.
“I always say to him, ‘Keep working hard, keep fighting and you can be a top player. Try to be the best player at the club and you can bring the club even further’.
“Iliman has this mentality. It’s just fun to watch, a joy.”
Ndiaye looks to have taken his game to the next level at Everton – here’s how…
Oct. 24, 2025 12:23 am EDT
It was the kind of performance that makes the rest of the Premier League sit up and take notice. For long spells of Saturday’s game against Manchester City, Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye was practically unplayable, regularly wriggling out of tight spots to cause mayhem in the final third.
There was the weaving run from the right flank and arrowed shot, destined for the top corner but ending with Gianluigi Donnarumma’s acrobatic save; a low cross that Beto could not covert; a through ball that Beto whistled past the post, and a slaloming dribble from deep that saw him evade three Manchester City defenders to start a promising Everton counter.
Ndiaye’s display was the talk of social media in the days after the match, with fans of rival clubs, including City, quick to laud his ability.
Chances are, you have already seen one of the highlight reels doing the rounds from the game. If you haven’t, go and seek one out. Similar compilations were made during the recent international break, with his goal for Senegal — a run from inside his own half followed by a composed finish — against South Sudan also going viral.
There is something mesmeric about the 25-year-old when he is in this kind of form. In an era where just about everything seems choreographed, his individual brilliance feels like a throwback. Ndiaye surveys what is in front of him and he improvises. The beauty is in just how off-the-cuff it all seems and his ability to find solutions under pressure.
Everton lost the game at the Etihad Stadium 2-0, spurning golden chances in the opening period to take the lead, but Ndiaye nevertheless made his mark. Even his manager, David Moyes, rarely effusive in his praise, gave a glowing review.
“Ili’s performance in the first half was outstanding,” Moyes told Everton TV. “He was the standout player at that time in the game.”
The £15million ($20m) Everton spent to bring Ndiaye to Merseyside in the summer of 2024 is proving to be one of the best pieces of business they have done in some time.
It is a tale of perseverance and trusting in talent, even when it is not flourishing.
Everton worked hard to sign him, first making an approach in January 2023 while he was at Sheffield United. He was part of an original list of four wingers pursued — Kevin Schade, Georginio Rutter and Dango Ouattara were the others — but he decided to stay put with promotion on the cards in Sheffield and Everton struggling for survival. They tried again that summer, but he joined boyhood club Marseille instead.
Ndiaye struggled in France. Marseille was a turbulent, combustible environment. Managers came and went and he was unable to navigate a path through. According to multiple people close to the deal — who, like all sources mentioned in the article, wish to remain anonymous to protect relationships — Everton stayed in touch through then-director of football Kevin Thelwell and his recruitment team, aware that he and his family had not settled in the south of France and were open to a return to England. They travelled to meet him before the end of the season and make their case. While others hesitated based on his time at Marseille, Everton ploughed on. Their previous interest and the regular progress checks paid dividends. Ndiaye felt wanted.
The forward’s first season at Everton was an undoubted success. He scored 11 times in 37 games across all competitions and was a mainstay in the side. Stationed predominantly on the left flank, he added goal threat and dribbling ability to an otherwise workman-like team.
The early signs are that he has raised his game again this season, adding new strings to his bow.
The dribbling is still there. He has averaged 12.2 metres from his 109 carries this season, with only Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku and Chelsea’s Pedro Neto attempting more at a higher success rate. Only three players (Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, Everton team-mate Jack Grealish and Nottingham Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi) have made more chances from carries. He is third in the league for successful take-ons.
The work rate also remains. He is second for possession won behind Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest and ground duels attempted. He is also in the top three per cent among his positional peers for recoveries and tackles won in the defensive third.
There have been times when Ndiaye has switched off defensively. He failed to track Nico O’Reilly’s run down the left on Saturday in the lead-up to Erling Haaland’s opener. But Moyes later questioned whether fatigue had played a part. Ndiaye, after all, had only returned from Senegal duty days before the game. Given his all-action style, there will be times when fatigue sets in and his minutes are managed.
The switch to the right flank, brought about by the loan signing of Grealish, has required some adaptation but allowed him to showcase different skills. He has scored twice at the back post from balls across goal, with his 83 per cent shot accuracy being the best in the Premier League.
Ndiaye has a poacher’s instinct but could do with more service. He has attempted just seven shots in eight games and his non-penalty expected goals (xG) is 1.4. To maximise his talent, Everton will need to improve on those numbers.
The biggest difference has been his spike in creativity.
Before this season, he had not registered an assist for Everton. The most he had managed in a single top-flight campaign was three during his time at Marseille.
Ndiaye has one assist to his name so far, which came when he set up Idrissa Gueye at Anfield. But he has arguably deserved more. It was from his stoppage-time cross that Beto brought a close-range save from Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, with Grealish netting the rebound to win the game for Everton. Beto also failed to convert his low cross at City.
Already this season, he has eclipsed last term’s expected assists total (1.4 to 1.6), putting him fifth in the league from open play. His crossing from the right is something we hadn’t really seen before in his game, and was also evident when he set up Ismaila Sarr in Senegal’s recent 5-0 win over South Sudan.
Ndiaye works hard to improve. He has employed a physical performance coach, Raphael Guinguincoin, since his time at Sheffield United. Hailing from French Guyana, Guinguincoin (known as Raph Darch on social media) is a former player in France’s fourth tier who has also worked with Marcus and Khephren Thuram and Bournemouth’s Bafode Diakite.
Sessions concentrate on injury prevention, movement and agility. In videos, Ndiaye can be seen running up dunes on the beach and doing slaloming drills with the ball. Another shows him leaning against a medicine ball on a wall at his home as he receives the ball on both sides. The idea is to improve his ability to hold off opponents under pressure and retain possession.
The early sense this season is that Ndiaye has reached another level in his play. What comes next will be intriguing.
Everton immediately rejected an offer of more than £40million from Inter Milan of Italy over summer, but his performances have put him on the radar of clubs in England and beyond. He is contracted until 2029 but is not one of Everton’s highest earners.
While Grealish is an obvious outlier — Everton are paying around three-quarters of his £300,000 City salary — Ndiaye’s pay is, according to sources, at least 50 per cent lower than others in that top bracket. With nearly four years left, a new contract is unlikely to be a priority for the club. But at some point, they may be forced to act if they want to keep one of their star men, just as they did with Jarrad Branthwaite over the summer.
This week, Ndiaye was nominated for the African Player of the Year award.
The next challenge for him at Everton is to cement his status as one of the league’s best forwards. To do so, he will need to add even more goals and assists to his game.
It is no easy task, but those who have worked with him feel he is ready to take that next step.
“Iliman is so skilful, so good,” his former team-mate Abdoulaye Doucoure told The Athletic. “He has a strong mentality, wants to succeed and go to the top so that’s why I really love him at the club.
“I always say to him, ‘Keep working hard, keep fighting and you can be a top player. Try to be the best player at the club and you can bring the club even further’.
“Iliman has this mentality. It’s just fun to watch, a joy.”
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Me and @TheRam (mostly me) have been tipping him to explode this year so nice to see the wider footballing world waking up to it
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
1.4xg is actually very quiet tho tbh. Stuck out on the right dribbling whenever he gets the chance. Sad to see.
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Look at the full backs he's been working with though.
Need to address that in Jan.
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Couple of articles out there suggesting we may get as much as "over £30m" for him
Technically that would be correct I suppose. It would definitely be over £30m
Technically that would be correct I suppose. It would definitely be over £30m
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Has to up those numbers man, if you wanna be talking about 40, 50, 60 - he's not a 19 year old could be anything wonderkid, he's a prem winger. What was mbuemo getting, what was wissa getting, what was Eze getting?
Re: Iliman Ndiaye
Not allowing this.
You’re too mean to him.
I’ve always thought he was the man. He’s all mine