Quizzed on whether it comes as any surprise that Everton faced little competition for Ndiaye when bringing him back to English football, with his ability first becoming apparent at Sheffield United, Gray added: “Well, that's what happens. I mean, if you do your scouting properly. And that was a strange one, because he was making a few headlines, yes, a team that was really, really struggling. But no-one, I don't know why, what they looked at and didn't like about him. I don't know, but that was to Everton's benefit, so we'll not complain.”
Everton have Ndiaye tied to a contract through to 2029, so are under no pressure to sell. If they were to open themselves up to offers, though, then the likelihood is that considerable profit would be made on the France-born winger.
Asked if he could generate a fee four times higher than that which took him to Merseyside, Gray said of Ndiaye’s asking price: “Easy, easy, easy, easy. I'll tell you what you want - that’s a player on the pitch. I think that money in the bank doesn't get you up the league. It can buy you new players, but what do you lose? You lose a really good player who's a hugely important part of the team.
“Defensively, fine, you can get away with it. If you sell defenders, I always think you can bring other people in who can defend and teach them, but the talent he has is very difficult to replicate and to teach. He's just a natural, talented footballer, so to try and replicate that, even with another £60-70 million, it's going to be very difficult. You have to then encourage somebody to come as well, which is never easy.”