Everton gamble has paid off as rivals beaten to star signing – Insider
Everton moved ahead of interested clubs to land a deal for Iliman Ndiaye in a transfer “gamble” from which they are now reaping the rewards.
This is according to former Man United, West Ham and Aston Villa scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that multiple other Premier League clubs had looked at the forward.
However, concerns raised throughout the scouting process had seen rivals back out of making a move, while the Toffees decided to ignore their doubts.
As a result, Ndiaye has been a bright spark in an otherwise frustrating season so far at Goodison Park, with his talent making him an instant fans-favourite.
The 24-year-old made the move from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille in the summer for a fee of £20million, having spent just one year with the French side.
His prior experience playing in England with Sheffield United had first alerted Premier League clubs to his talent after a fantastic spell in the Championship.
However, Brown admitted there had been doubts about how his skillset would translate to the top tier and put clubs off paying big money for his signature.
Everton land transfer gamble with Iliman Ndiaye success
Ndiaye spent four years with the Blades, during which time he scored 22 goals, provided 14 assists and earned them promotion to the Premier League.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment, confessed that clubs had given the Toffees a free run at the forward, but applauded their decision to take the gamble on his talent.
“I watched him while he was at Sheffield United,” he told Football Insider.
“He definitely, in that team, was the type of player who was clearly a level above his teammates.
“They didn’t have anybody who could do what he did, so he really stood out.
“But there were concerns for a few clubs about whether he could do the same thing with the step up into the Premier League.
“For various reasons, a few teams decided against making a move despite their interest, so he went to Marseille.
“He didn’t really pull up any trees in France and that interest from English clubs was still there, but so were the reservations from a number of the scouts.
“So I’d say Everton took advantage of that and took a gamble on bringing him in. They were desperate for a player who could give them something different.
“They’ve benefited from it, so all credit to them, that gamble has paid off and he’s been impressive since he made that move. Good luck to them.”
In other news, Everton have responded to Beto’s plan to join a new club.
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