In hindsight, would the Friedkin Group harbour regrets over the sale of Iliman Ndiaye, who has not been effectively replaced at Everton?
Perhaps not, even though they should. The American owners are looking to sell their stake in the club after only two years, but they would still entertain the notion of European qualification, and all the financial amelioration that would come with it.
But Everton may struggle on that front, even after a defiant start to the 2026/27 season which has seen David Moyes’ side run five games unbeaten to start the Premier League season.
From a financial perspective, then, it feels like Everton could have made do without the Ndiaye money. Instead, they might have kept the Senegalese on Merseyside instead of selling themselves so short in attack.
Why Iliman Ndiaye is irreplaceable at Everton
Ndiaye is one of those rare players capable of turning football into an art-form. He makes the game look like poetry made tangible, so exciting and unpredictable down the left wing and the right.
He’s not the only missing piece at Everton right now, but Ndiaye has been the star of the show over the past couple of years, the difference-maker for the Blues in the Champions League.
Unbeaten after five Premier League games, Everton are as resilient as ever. Ndiaye’s brilliance and cultured drive in attack might have given this system the extra dimension needed to find a route back into European competition.
It was surely a mistake, if not a financial one, but it’s not the only one Everton have made in recent seasons. Three years ago, the Merseysiders sold an even better winger than Ndiaye to a Premier League rival.
Everton reject is now outshining Ndiaye
There have been any number of bungled deals on Everton’s part over the past decade or so – and it’s been two-way traffic on that street.
As you might have guessed, the player in question is Anthony Gordon, who now plays for Barcelona and is thriving after the La Liga champions opted to sign him from Newcastle United for £69m instead of buying Marcus Rashford in a permanent deal for less money.
The circumstances surrounding Gordon’s big-money sale to the Magpies were acrimonious, to say the least. He was hounded as he attempted to leave Goodison Park after missing training and pushing for a transfer as Frank Lampard fell by the wayside in the hot seat. Gordon had been with the club since boyhood, raised through the youth levels, so fan anger was understandable, to say the least.
After 78 senior appearances with Everton, who gave him his professional debut, Gordon left having scored only seven times, assisting eight goals besides, and the £45m fee Newcastle paid certainly represented good value.
But there was recognition on Merseyside that this was one of the most exciting English prospects out there, and his starring role for Barca and the Three Lions has underscored that point.
Top Assist Makers in La Liga (26/27) | ||
|---|---|---|
Player | Apps | Assists (per 90) |
Anthony Gordon | 6 | 4 (0.67) |
Lamine Yamal | 7 | 4 (0.57) |
Javi Hernandez | 7 | 4 (0.57) |
Job Ochieng | 4 | 3 (0.75) |
Dani Olmo | 7 | 3 (0.43) |
Is he better than Ndiaye? Well, after only six games in La Liga (five starts), Gordon has assisted four goals for Hansi Flick’s side, also more precise and relentless with his dribbling, completing two per game thus far with a 60% success rate.
The Senegal international, by comparison, has completed 1.8 per game, but with a 38% success rate, also creating fewer chances than Gordon and registering just the one assist so far, yet to score.
You could argue that Ndiaye also earned an elite move, but City had fought tooth and nail to sign Cody Gakpo from Liverpool this summer, falling back onto Everton’s maverick after that door slammed shut.
Gordon’s sale felt inevitable, even before he threw his toys out the pram and pushed for a move. That said, such an exciting, homegrown talent should have stayed at the club beyond the age of 21, and in warmer conditions, he just might have.
Such a talismanic player could have made all the difference over the past several years, and his success with Barcelona over the opening weeks of the new season suggest, along with a backlog of data from the Premier League, that Everton have fumbled an even bigger attacking talent than Ndiaye in recent years.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
