Paul Brown shuts down ‘far-fetched’ Everton move for Marseille ace Iliman Ndiaye
Everton signing Marseille forward Iliman Ndiaye in January is “far-fetched,” according to GIVEMESPORT journalist Paul Brown.
According to Alan Nixon (16 December), the Toffees are in the hunt to sign the former Sheffield United man on a loan deal.
The 23-year-old has made 23 appearances for Marseille since his summer switch from Bramall Lane, but has scored just once.
“I’m surprised by this one because he’s not getting much game time at Marseille,” Brown told GIVEMESPORT. “As far as I know, he’d be eligible for Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations. He played in both of their recent World Cup qualifiers in November.
“If he were to go away for AFCON, it would be a little strange to bring a player in who can’t play for you for the first few weeks that he’d be expected to arrive. So, that one seems a little bit far-fetched to me. But you never know.”
Underwhelming
There was a lot of excitement around the Senegal international in the summer transfer window, and that was understandable after his superb season last time out.
The attacker banged in 15 goals in all competitions, playing a key role as the Blades were promoted to the Premier League.
They unfortunately failed to keep hold of Ndiaye for their return to the top flight, with the club struggling massively so far. But the player is also struggling in France, with his only Marseille goal coming in Ligue 1 back in September.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for the attacker, but perhaps a January transfer is unwise given his expected participation in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Everton boss Sean Dyche is, however, a smart manager, and would be unlikely to sign off on such a transfer, particularly given the financial issues at the Goodison Park club.
In other Everton news, Darren Bent is “surprised” that “bigger clubs” have not made a move for one “brilliant” Toffees player.