Why it's time for Everton to move on from Idrissa Gana Gueye | OneFootball

The sequel is rarely as good as the original: just ask Everton and Idrissa Gana Gueye.

Born and raised in Senegal, Gueye made the move to Europe in 2008, where he established himself as one of the strongest midfielders in France with Lille, helping them win the Coupe de France and the Ligue 1 title before eventually taking his talents to England in 2015.

Gueye quickly established himself as a vital cog in Aston Villa’s midfield, and while he wasn’t able to help them stave off relegation, he did enough to see Everton sign him for £7.1 million. Gueye thrived in the center of the pitch and marked his presence as an all-action midfield dynamo capable of breaking up counterattacks as well as maneuvering it into the final third and getting on the end of dangerous chances.

After becoming the first player in Europe's top five leagues to win 100 tackles in the 2016–17 season, Gueye was awarded Everton’s joint Player's Player of the Year for the 2018–19 season along with Lucas Digne, before heading off to Egypt and spearheading Senegal to the AFCON Final.

He didn’t return to Goodison Park: instead, he returned to France and joined Paris Saint-Germain for £30 million, where he won two Ligue 1 titles across his three years, before deciding to make the move back to Merseyside.

Gueye’s stamina and strength proved essential as the Toffees staved off the drop by a razor-thin margin in 2022/23, before coming in clutch with vital goals against Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Arsenal in the home stretch of the 2023/24 season. And in the 2024/25 season, he recorded the most tackles in the Premier League (133).

Whether playing under Ronald Koeman, David Unsworth, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Frank Lampard, or David Moyes, Gueye’s combination of selfless running and never-say-die spirit has made him into one of the first names on the team sheet for quite a few different managers, as well as a fan favorite amongst Everton supporters.

And after chipping in with goals against Liverpool and Fulham in the opening months of the campaign, all signs pointed to Gueye continuing his omnipresent displays in the heart of the pitch. Nevertheless, his progress came to a screeching halt on November 24 after being sent off within 13 minutes against Manchester United after slapping teammate Michael Keane during an argument.

Gueye missed the next three Premier League matches until finally returning and playing the full 90 against Chelsea, before heading to Morocco and helping the Lions of Teranga secure their second Africa Cup of Nations trophy.

Since returning to Hill Dickinson Stadium, however, Gueye hasn’t quite looked the same. While he marked his homecoming with an assist in a 1-1 draw vs. Leeds, his level has dropped in recent weeks, losing possession 8 times against Brighton and Fulham and 9 times in their 2-1 defeat vs. Bournemouth.

However, his most recent display against Manchester United was arguably the worst of the bunch, with the Senegalese coughing it up on 11 occasions, committing 3 tackles, completing just 40 out of 48 passes and failing to complete a single one of his 3 cross attempts. What’s more, he was found partially culpable for the defeat, with Harry Maguire easily clearing his cross and setting the foundations for United to break on the counter and work the ball towards Benjamin Šeśko, who fired in the game’s sole goal.

Gueye has struggled to deliver in recent weeks, slowing down possession needlessly and giving the ball away with imprecise passes, whilst he’s also been caught ball-watching and looked second-best in quite a few physical challenges. It’s why, for the first time in his illustrious Everton career, fans are starting to call for Gueye to be benched and for Moyes to go with a younger option alongside James Garner, be that Harrison Armstrong, who has been shunted in an unnatural wide position, or a different player like Tim Iroegbunam or Carlos Alcaraz.

With Everton currently sitting ninth in the Premier League table, 12 points above the drop, it’s unlikely that Moyes will be too keen to change things up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Everton should continue with Gueye in the long-term picture.

When it’s all said and done, Idrissa Gana Gueye will go down as an icon of not just the Senegalese national team, but Everton, having scored 10 goals and 9 assists in 229 appearances across his two spells. However, at nearly 37 years of age, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Father Time is catching up to Gueye, and it’s why it’s time for both parties to cut the cord in the summer.

Reader Comments (3)

Gueye has been a great servant, but time is catching up with him. He's been poor since coming back from Afcon, but Moyes insists on playing him in every game, including midweek games. It doesn't make sense for Moyes to move Armstrong out to the wing now, to accommodate Gueye, considering he was so impressive beside Garner and KDH in his absence. Sadly Moyes stubbornness has cost us valuable points.

Ian Wilkins 3 Posted 25/02/2026 at 13:36:29

Gana has been a good seevant, good value for money, but cant continue the role he is occupying now.

Im never quite sure where he's supposed to be playing. He seems to have licence to roam but not the legs anymore to do so.

If he simply sat in frint of the back four, did s pure holding job, he’d be more effective.