It had been coming, but the news was confirmed today that Idrissa Gana Gueye has left Everton with the expiration of his current contract.
There was a clause in his deal for an optional year, but talks between the club and player looked to have broken down and with a lucrative offer coming in from Al-Diriyah in the Saudi league for the midfielder, Gana has chosen to leave the club.
The 36-year-old had been a mainstay for the club in the middle of the park over two stints, having first signed for the Blues in the summer of 2016 from Aston Villa. He left for three years to play at his boyhood favourite club Paris St. Germain before returning in 2022.
Gueye’s tough-tackling, no-nonsense style won him a legion of followers across the fanbase as he soared to the top of league in most defensive metrics, and was instrumental in keeping the club up during recent relegation battles.
He made a total of 236 appearances for the Toffees, winning the Club’s Player of the Season award in 2024/25 and twice being named Players’ Player of the Season. Gana scored 10 goals in that time, with 11 assists. The indefatigable player had a knack for popping up just outside the opposition box despite playing primarily as a defensive midfielder, though more often than not the resulting shots he took ended up in the higher levels of the stands than in the goal.
Speaking after the news was made public, manager David Moyes thanked the player -
> “Everyone at Everton is hugely grateful for Gana’s dedication, professionalism and influence on the pitch throughout his two spells at the Club.
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> “His leadership qualities in and around the dressing room proved crucial, particularly in our final season at Goodison. His commitment to the Club over many years was exceptional.
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> “Everyone connected to Everton thanks Gana – he will always be welcome at the Club – and we wish him and his family all the very best for the future.”
Everton currently don’t have a player that is a direct replacement for the Senegalese international, and it’ll be interesting which direction the manager takes with midfielders James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam, Merlin Rohl and Harrison Armstrong at his disposal. Summer signing Hayden Hackney is more attack-minded, but with £100,000 a week of wages now freed up, there might be room to make a signing to bolster the position during the transfer window.
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