“I just feel at home at Everton” - Idrissa Gana Gueye | OneFootball

Idrissa Gana Gueye is one of the most influential names in Everton’s recent history and the Senegalese midfielder has never shied from expressing his love for the club. 

Signed from Aston Villa for £7.1 million in 2016, Gana Gueye has racked up 222 appearances for the Blues across six and a half seasons in two distinct spells separated by his three seasons at Paris Saint-Germain between 2019 and 2022.

Despite turning 36 this summer, Gana Gueye has shown little signs of slowing down. He has accumulated 2,623 of the possible 2,700 minutes of Premier League football since David Moyes returned to the Everton dugout in mid-January - the highest for any player in the Toffees squad.

He was elected the Players’ Player of the Season in 2024/25, and there were few surprises when a new deal was penned this summer as the Senegalese continues to be a key cog in midfield for Moyes.

Explaining his love for the club, Gueye said, “It is something that just comes naturally. Honestly, it's hard to explain to someone who doesn't know this club.

"From very early on, I enjoyed nice moments with the supporters, the players and staff here.

"I just feel at home.

"Everton means a lot to me. I had the opportunity to extend my contract in the summer and I didn't hesitate. I was delighted to stay here.

"I said it when I came back here [from Paris Saint-Germain in 2022] that the goal was to get the club back up to where we feel it belongs – playing in Europe, fighting towards the top of the league.

"We haven't reached that goal yet, so we keep going – we keep working."

Gueye has featured in every league game this season, scoring twice, the second of which arrived in the 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday. It was his second goal in his last seven Premier League games (he also scored in the Merseyside derby at Anfield) - matching his goal tally from his last 46 appearances in the English top-flight.

He’s also assisted three goals since Moyes’ return in January and only Iliman Ndiaye (11) and Beto (8) have more direct goal involvements than Gueye’s five this year.

"It's been good to work with the manager," he says. "He has had the patience and the experience to really help us. He gives us a lot of advice and we speak a lot, inside and outside of the pitch.

"Obviously, he knows the club very well and he knows this group very well, so he knows what is required for us to achieve our goals.

"We keep working hard together, listening to the advice of the manager and the staff and giving our best to get those results we all want."

It has been a positive start to life at Hill Dickinson Stadium for the Toffees who have lost just one of their opening seven matches in all competitions. They’ve recorded wins against Brighton, Mansfield Town, Crystal Palace and Fulham at this venue and the state-of-the-art new waterfront home has lifted the club’s profile massively.

Gana Gueye, however, still remembers the charms of Goodison Park.

"This is a difficult question for me because of all of the memories we had together at Goodison Park," he smiles. "I still have them in my mind. It's too soon to switch them off and I won't ever forget them.

"But, yes, the stadium is amazing, unbelievable. I love the atmosphere and now it's for us to make it our home.

"We want to take this place and make it ours, establish how we play there, make it a place to enjoy with our fans.

"For me, as a player, I feel like that feeling is coming. We have had a good start at home, apart from the one defeat against Tottenham, but I really enjoy it and we want to kick on from here."

Reader Comments (2)

Been a great servant, and we will miss him when he hangs up his boots.

I don't think he's hit the heights of last year, but he popped up with an important goal in Saturday.

Weve had great service from him, a great transfer fee in, and minimal transfer fees paid. No doubt a positive influence with French & African team mates.