How Everton could sign their new Iliman Ndiaye this summer

Everton love looking to the Championship to snap up some gems from the football league.

Already this summer, they’ve acquired the services of Hayden Hackney, who was one of the most talked-about talents in the second tier last season for Middlesbrough, with 16 goals in total next to his name for Boro from the midfield positions.

Costing £16m, the expectation will be that Hackney can slot seamlessly into David Moyes‘ starting XI when the Premier League kicks off again next month.

Iliman Ndiaye, while they did purchase him from Marseille, first made a name for himself in the Championship, too with Sheffield United, and the Senegalese forward remains one of the Toffees’ trickiest attacking players, even if he is prone to a drop-off in form.

Moyes could soon welcome in another Ndiaye-like talent to his ranks, as the EFL market is explored once again.

Everton reach agreement to sign £20m star

Everton are in the hunt right now for a number of attacking reinforcements.

Indeed, reports suggest that Moyes and Co are keen on landing Pavel Sulc from Lyon, alongside Roony Bardghji, who is currently on the books of Barcelona.

Away from casting their net out to far-off European divisions, Everton also have an eye on the lower leagues in England, with a agreement on personal terms allegedly reached between the Merseyside titans and Abdul Fatawu, who is on the books of Leicester City and have suffered back-to-back relegations to League One.

This is according to Turkish journalist Murat Ozen, who revealed he is on the the transfer agenda of Beskitas as well. A £20m price tag has been slapped on his shoulders according to prior reports.

It looks as if Everton have won their desired target over their Istanbul-based competitors, with the Toffees keeping everything crossed that Fatawu can be a Ndiaye-style success in the Premier League on his arrival, having previously set the second tier alight.

Why Fatawu could be another Ndiaye

Fatawu won’t follow in Ndiaye’s footsteps entirely here, as he immediately seeks out a Premier League move, over a European detour.

Still, he will look to the ex-Blades attacker as an obvious inspiration, as the £20m-rated forward will believe he can hit his potential teammate’s same flashy heights in the Premier League if he makes the move, with Ndiaye up to 15 top-flight goals as a skilful force down the flanks.

The Leicester number seven nearly has his counterpart beaten when it comes to Championship goals, with a bumper 15 next to his name from 84 second tier appearances.

With 21 assists also in his back pocket in the demanding division, Fatawu operates in much the same way as Ndiaye in constantly wanting to make openings happen through gung-ho, direct displays.

The Athletic’s Rob Tanner, when assessing the 22-year-old’s heroics during the 2023/24 season which ended in Enzo Maresca’s Foxes winning the Championship title, noted that many second tier defences “struggled to contain” the unpredictable 22-year-old, with 90 successful take-ons managed.

Ndiaye loved bamboozling defences, too, when he was situated at Bramall Lane, with 127 successful take-ons managed in South Yorkshire during the 2022/23 campaign.

He has since been able to be as tricky in the Premier League, with Como scout Ben Mattinson affectionately dubbing him a “creator of chaos” for his frenzied attacking play last year.

With 18 goal contributions under his belt in the elite league, he further has the output that backs up all his tricks and flicks, with Fatawu ready for a Premier League challenge, having only managed 11 top-flight appearances during the 2024/25 campaign due to injury.

He did collect two assists, though, with a hope that more regular gametime under Moyes can mean he solidifes himself as a Premier League level-talent, like Ndiaye managed to do at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton’s team is shaping up nicely for next season, with an EFL flavour running through the team even more if the 32-time Ghana international joins Hackney on Merseyside.