The wingers at Chelsea have endured plenty of criticism throughout the 2025/26 season so far. The owners need to address this by signing Iliman Ndiaye when the transfer window opens again.
Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens joined Chelsea for around a combined fee of £100m, however neither have lifted the levels since joining in the summer.
Estevao Willian has been a hit and will clearly be a success in the future, but his recent injury and a spell of illnesses suggests he is still getting used to European football.
Why has Alejandro Garnacho been such an unpopular signing? 🤯
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Chelsea should go all out to sign Iliman Ndiaye
Chelsea need to add serious Premier League talent to their side if they want to close the gap to Arsenal and Manchester City, and Ndiaye represents exactly that.
While he only has five league goals this season for Everton, he is playing for a side who clearly do not have the attacking capabilities that Chelsea do.
When looking at his stats though, he would solve arguably the biggest issue the Blues have out wide – players taking on their full-back.
Everton v Manchester United - Premier League
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Ndiaye has attempted more and completed a higher percentage of his dribbles than Pedro Neto, Garnacho and Gittens.
Ndiaye has completed 45/90 dribbles, while Garnacho’s record is just 10/25. The Argentine simply plays it too safe in the final third.
This could be one of the reasons behind the struggles for Liam Delap, who has just one Premier League goal since joining the club.
SCENARIO: Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Yan Diomande but must sell one of their current wingers first…
Who are you sacrificing? 👋
Chelsea’s list of wingers:
Pedro Neto
Estevao Willian
Alejandro Garnacho
Jamie Gittens
Geovany Quenda (joining in summer of 2026)
Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig gestures during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and VfL Wolfsburg
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The England U21 international would thrive off more service into the box, and a winger beating their man provides plenty more opportunities for that.
If Chelsea are wanting to win the ball high up the pitch, there isn’t a better option than Ndiaye. He has won possession in the final third 15 times and made 124 recoveries, both numbers higher than Neto’s.
The Senegal international, who recently won AFCON alongside Mamadou Sarr and Nicolas Jackson, has shown he can play on both sides of the attack, with Chelsea needing reinforcements on the left more desperately.
The experiments of signing players for cut-price deals because they are out of form simply has to come to an end, and Ndiaye presents that opportunity.
The opportunity to do business is there as well. Everton currently have Tyrique George on loan from the club, with a fee in place should that become permanent.
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