Everton’s summer has already endured plenty of ebbs and flows, and yet we are far from its conclusion.
After all, Kevin Thelwell likely sees this as a window of revolution, despite what he previously warned fans to expect, and is therefore attacking the market with some vigour.
With three signings tied up and another few surely to come, one staff member has now come out to offer further praise to a player already at the club.
Ian Woan shares his Everton pre-season thoughts
The latest on Everton’s pre-season preparation comes courtesy of one of Sean Dyche’s backroom staff, Ian Woan, who actually honed in on one particularly impressive player from this summer’s training.
Iliman Ndiaye, who joined from Marseille earlier this month, remains their outstanding capture this window, but acclimatising to a Dyche regime is not always easy.
The former Burnley man demands plenty from his players, and thus far, it seems the 24-year-old is delivering.
Woan told The Athletic: ‘We saw the clips of what he (Ndiaye) was about when we were trying to bring him in, but you don’t get a proper feel until you see them close up.
‘What I’ve seen is his willingness to want to get on the ball and drive forward to affect a game. He’s confident on the ball and wants to work off it, which is a necessity in our team as we spend a lot of time without it.
’It looks like you can play him in the wide areas, in the 10, so there’s competition across the line now where we were a bit short before. He’s got a calm finish on him. There’s no fear to score a goal, which is always nice to see.’
Iliman Ndiaye could be backed by a wealth of Everton talent
When Ndiaye was first signed for Everton, he marked their third deal of the window, and quite comfortably their most exciting one.
After all, Tim Iroegbunam was more of an unknown acquisition, set for a bright future, whilst Jack Harrison’s return on loan marked a solid if unspectacular piece of business.
But the Senegal international offered something brand-new, set to take the first team by storm straight away.
A small but sturdy second striker, he promises to provide creativity and skill to a team that has been sorely lacking any kind of flair in recent years.
However, disappointingly so, since Ndiaye joined the signings have dried up.
Fears over finances once again became the dominant headline, with those worries recently assuaged as Amadou Onana moved to Aston Villa for a whopping £50m.
Now, Jesper Lindstrom is set to join Everton, whilst they continue to push for Wilfried Gnonto too among others, reigniting their activity.
By the end of summer, a squad that was previously lacking any extraordinary skill and excitement could now be inundated with it.
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