Everton have confirmed the signing of forward Iliman Ndiaye from Olympique Marseille for an undisclosed fee, Soccernet.football reports.
The Senegal international has signed a five-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2029.
Ndiaye, 24, can play in various attacking roles and is Everton’s third signing of the summer. He joins after the return of Jack Harrison on loan from Leeds United and the signing of Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa.
Ndiaye, a teammate of Idrissa Gana Gueye in the Senegal national team, joined Marseille last August. He made 46 appearances for the French club, including 14 in their Europa League semi-final run.
Speaking to Evertontv, Ndiaye expressed his excitement about joining Everton.
“I am so pleased to be an Everton player,” he said. “The main reasons I wanted to join were how big the club is, its history, and the forward direction it is going in. I’m so excited and can’t wait to get going.”
Ndiaye highlighted the influence of Everton’s manager Sean Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell in his decision to join.
“Kevin and the manager both spoke to me and made me feel wanted. My Senegal teammate Idrissa also spoke highly of the Club.”
Ndiaye described his playing style as one that will excite fans.
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“I like to dribble, show skills, and get the fans out of their seats. I want to score goals and get assists, but I also like to work hard. As a striker, you’re the first defender. I love doing that bit.”
Born in France, Ndiaye began his youth career at Rouen before joining Marseille’s academy. He later moved to Dakar Sacre-Coeur in Senegal and then to England with Boreham Wood.
Ndiaye signed for Sheffield United in August 2019 and became a key player for the Blades, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists to help secure their promotion to the Premier League in the 2022/23 season.
Everton manager Sean Dyche said: “Iliman adds versatility to our attacking options and strengthens our forward line as we look to build on the progress we made last season. He is still young but has experience at European and international level, and we feel he will be a really positive addition to our squad.”
Everton finished 15th last season and will aim for a better position in the upcoming campaign.
