From a bargain signing to a midfield engine, Gana’s relentless tenacity and professional character left an indelible mark on Everton during two vital spells in blue.
"Goodison Park is a very good stadium and the fans are very good, too. They push their team forward and I am excited to play there."- Idrissa Gueye.
Let’s talk about the man they call ‘Idrissa Gana Gueye’. Steve Walsh gets (warranted) flak from the Everton faithful due to his dire signings and more importantly, wasting big money on bang-average (sometimes terrible) players.
One signing I would say he 100000% got right was that of Gana. Plucked from relegated Aston Villa for a measly (in today’s terms) £7.1m and on a four-year deal.
I am not going to sit here and say I knew Gana was going to be a success. Far from it. I think I made the blind comment of ‘he has just been relegated; he can’t be that good’.
Yes, even I have my off days in terms of calling out players and if you asked my friends, them off days have become more and more frequent!
In the 16/17 season, Gana was dynamite. No hyperbole at all, he was quality. He marshalled the midfield with such ease and made the midfield tick over effectively, whether it was forward or regaining the ball.
Myself, being a fan of Claude Makelele, instantly drew the comparison to the little French maestro. Similar in height, similar in the way he was like a pit bull at the heart of our midfield and also, wasn’t scared to carry the ball and move the play on.
Gana became the first player in that season to reach 100 won tackles in all the ‘top 5 leagues’, which speaks volumes on how good he actually was.
Since the departure of Gareth Barry (sob), we have seen the delights of Gana and the hole left by Gareth was easily papered over with the experience and tenacity of Gana Gueye.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
One thing I will say about Gana, which in itself is unheard of at the moment in Everton’s midfield, is that when he lost the ball, which down the weeks and months became more and more frequent, he would be the first one tracking back in the face of the opposition to win the ball back, which pleased the Goodison faithful no end!
Not really known for his exploits down the years at Goodison, he did only manage 4 goals in his 3-year tenure. But the biggest compliment I can pay Gana and one that is very unheard of in this day and age, is that Everton rejected a bid made by French Champions in the January transfer window, which was duly declined.
Now, we have seen far too many times with the modern footballer. Bid is rejected, player sulks and gets his move. Gana wasn’t any of those things, he picked himself up to become even more indispensable to the Everton midfield and showed no sign of not wanting to be part of the Everton squad and even picked himself up Everton’s player of the season award in 2019 (shared with Lucas Digne) for these efforts.
Gana left for PSG in 2019 for £30m.
That was not the end of the story. He came back in 2022 with Everton treading water. Imagine leaving a team with Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and co. to come and play with Neal Maupay.
Many thought this would be a Gana going through the motions; it most certainly was not. Gana looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. Winners vs Crystal Palace, Brentford, and a rocket in a defeat at Anfield were highlights.
Not even that, he was by far and away the most important player again in the midfield of Everton.
We will forget that he slapped Michael Keane at Old Trafford to get himself sent off…. I mean, who wouldn’t? Gana Gueye was awarded Everton’s player of the year in the 2024/25 season; he fully deserved that too.
In my opinion, it is probably the best time for Gana to leave due to his age and to be fair, he was probably on north of £100,000 a week, so it does make sense that he has been low-balled and took the big bucks in Saudi.
Never forget us Gana! We love ya!