Opinion

It’s clear how The Friedkin Group need to respond after Iliman Ndiaye admission

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Iliman Ndiaye has hit the headlines for some potentially ominous comments about his Everton future.

The winger is currently gearing up to play in Senegal’s opening match at the World Cup against France, but has found time to talk about his desires in football.

And one big desire of his, is to play in the Champions League.

How likely do you think it is that Everton could lose Iliman Ndiaye this summer? 😬

Surely a player of his quality will want to showcase himself on the top stage 🤩

Iliman Ndiaye ahead of playing for Everton.
Credit: Getty Images/Simon Stacpoole/Offside

He said in an interview with SportBible: “You don’t know where football will take you next.

“As I’ve always said, I want to be the best player and to do that, you have to play at the top. I want to be playing at the top level. I want to be playing Champions League football.”

The comments from Ndiaye have sparked a big reaction in the Everton fanbase.

It’ll be very interesting now to see what unfolds this summer, but it’s quite clear how The Friedkin Group should be responding.

The Friedkin Group must now show big ambition in the transfer market for Everton after Iliman Ndiaye comments

Ndiaye’s comments have not gone down too well with some people.

The winger is talking about playing Champions League football, as if he did not produce a string of really poor performances after returning from AFCON.

That said, he remains arguably Everton’s best player, and someone who can change a game in an instant.

Iliman Ndiaye playing for Everton.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images

He has the potential to become a top-class player, and Everton would be much worse off if he left the club.

Ndiaye knows what he’s doing. Interest has been reported in him in recent weeks, and it feels like he’s putting a call out for those clubs to come bidding.

It’s not ideal, but perhaps this kind of thing was to be expected when Everton threw away a golden opportunity to play in a European competition next season.

Granted, Ndiaye was guilty of missing some really good chances.

But it was ultimately a collective failure, with David Moyes probably the most culpable for the Toffees coming up short in the end.

This is now a precarious situation, but The Friedkin Group can send the right message to Ndiaye over the coming weeks with how they operate in the transfer window.

How much would it take for Everton to accept a bid for Iliman Ndiaye? 💷

David Moyes said every player has his price… 😫

Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye playing in the Carabao Cup and in the Premier League.
Credit: Getty Images/Clive Mason/Chris Brunskill/Fantasista.

Ultimately, if the winger sees that these owners are serious and ambitious, and top players are arriving at the club, he might be more inclined to stay.

That could be difficult given the lack of European football to actually offer. But it’s thought Everton have money to spend having kept their powder dry in January, and it’s also the case that the compensation order to Burnley won’t affect the summer budget.

If Everton can bring in three or four really top players this summer, this might settle Ndiaye back down.