Iliman Ndiaye of Everton celebrates Idrissa Gueye
Iliman Ndiaye of Everton celebrates Idrissa Gueye(Image: 2026 CameraSport)
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Iliman Ndiaye returned to training with Everton in Germany Monday - much to the delight of the now-departed Idrissa Gueye.
Some 31 days after Senegal were eliminated from the World Cup, Ndiaye reported for duty as Everton spend a week at their southern German base in between the 2-1 win at Hamburg last Saturday and next Saturday’s trip to Stuttgart.
The 26-year-old is subject to interest from Al Hilal and some reports last week went as far as stating he had agreed terms with the Saudi Arabian club. But the player’s father Mouhamadou Abdoulaye Ndiaye denied those claims, telling Wiw Sport in Senegal: “Many people called me to tell me that Iliman was going to leave. But rest assured, he’s not going anywhere.
“He called me this morning. I even teased him with a few words in Arabic, and we had a good laugh. He let me know he had no intention of going to Saudi Arabia. He knows he can earn a lot of money there, but he also thinks his level could drop. He’s not the type to prioritise money over his career.”
The winger, who scored Everton’s last goal at Goodison Park and first at Hill Dickinson Stadium, has rejected several new contract offers this year and spoke of his desire to play Champions League football on the eve of the World Cup finals. But the Blues maintain he is not for sale and the club stance has not changed since David Moyes publicly made his position clear in April.
Asked whether Everton can move on from having to sell their star players amid speculation over top teams casting admiring glances at Ndiaye and replied: “He is the last person I would consider selling.
“There are others as well [that I wouldn’t want to sell], but my point is I have no interest in hearing the talk if there is talk out there.
“I don’t think there is any club that is not a selling club at the right value for their player. I am not saying that means he is for sale, I am not, I just think it is a genuine thing where there is a price where people would say: ‘well, we have to do something.’
“But it is getting too hard to build teams and also supporters are looking for a quick return which managers are not getting. So why would we be giving up their better players?”
Idrissa Gueye appears delighted that Illiman Ndiaye is going nowhere
Idrissa Gueye appears delighted that Illiman Ndiaye is going nowhere
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Now, an Everton Instagram post captioned 'Ndiaye links up with his team-mates and begins routine pre-season training following his extended break after his World Cup participation,' while showing him being welcomed back by Jake O’Brien has been replied to by Gueye, who left the club this summer when his contract expired following seven years of service over two spells.
The midfielder who turns 37 next month and made 236 appearances for Everton in total and scored 10 goals, wrote: “Here to stay,” accompanying his message with a blue love heart emoji.
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