Credit: Imago

Pete Hanson

Thu 21 May 2026 8:15, UK

Decision time is looming for Everton and Idrissa Gueye.

The veteran Senegal midfielder is reaching the end of his contract, with Gueye, 36, set to see his deal expire at the end of June.

While Everton did hold the option to extend his deal by an extra 12 months, it has been reported by that Gueye has not made enough Premier League starts to automatically trigger the renewal.

David Moyes is reportedly keen for Gueye to stay at Everton, but talks will need to be held for him to stay put at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

But with Everton seeing their season peter out, is there now an argument that Moyes should make a more painful decision when it comes to Gueye’s future?

Everton have tough Idrissa Gueye decision to make

No one is disputing that Gueye has been an excellent servant to the Toffees over two separate spells on the blue half of Merseyside.

And, if he were to stay, there would not be any eyebrows raised that he will be retained for at least 12 more months at the Hill Dickinson – albeit the Athletic says talks will need to be held as he has not hit the automatic trigger number for renewal.

But, by the same token, Gueye will be 37 in four months time, and there is a valid argument to be made that perhaps Moyes and the Everton hierarchy should be looking for a younger profile.

Gueye made 37 Premier League starts last season, which has already reduced to 25 this term with one more game still to play against Tottenham on Sunday.

It is hard to imagine a world where those starts do not continue to dwindle, particularly with the emergence of James Garner as excellent deep-lying midfielder.

It is possible Gueye would be happy to accept an increasingly peripheral role given his age and status in the squad.

But the best option may be to look elsewhere, and for Gueye to find a more prominent role elsewhere.

Who could Everton replace Idrissa Gueye with?

Everton are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window, with a particular focus of improvement in the forward areas set to be on the agenda.

But several central midfield options have been linked already, chief among them being Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.

Any deal for Hackney looks complicated as things stand after Boro were reinstated to the Championship play-off final following Southampton’s explusion over the ‘Spygate’ saga.

Former Norwich City midfielder Gabriel Sara, currently with Galatasaray, and Venezia midfielder Issa Doumbia are also said to be on the Toffees’ radar.

Whether any of these players would directly replace Gueye or would complement the midfield options remains to be seen, but it stands to reason that Everton have to be looking towards the future.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.