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Everton confirmed on Friday that Idrissa Gana Gueye has left the club after his contract expired at the end of June, closing a Merseyside chapter that spanned two spells, nine years and 236 appearances. The Senegal international, who turns 37 in September, is reported to be finalising a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Diriyah on an initial one year deal with an option for a second.
A Second Spell That Outshone the First
Gueye first arrived at Everton from Aston Villa in 2016 and left for Paris Saint-Germain three years later. Few expected the return in 2022 to produce the best football of his career, yet it did. Gueye won Everton's Player of the Season award for 2024/25 and was twice named the Players' Player of the Season, remarkable recognition for a defensive midfielder in his mid thirties competing against attacking talent for the honour. Manager David Moyes credited his professionalism and his leadership in the dressing room, singling out his influence during Everton's final season at Goodison Park as particularly significant.
Senegal's Veteran Eyes a New Challenge
For Senegalese football, Gueye's departure from the Premier League closes out a run that included a Ligue 1 title with PSG and close to a decade of continuous top flight football in England. His move to Saudi Arabia follows a well worn path for players entering the final stretch of their careers, but it does not erase what he built on Merseyside. Talks over an extension reportedly stalled partly because of the timing of his World Cup involvement with Senegal, and once those talks cooled, a Gulf move became the expected outcome.
The Midfield Gap Everton Must Now Fill
Everton have already brought in Hayden Hackney this summer, and manager David Moyes is understood to want further reinforcement in central midfield following Gueye's exit, with Parma's Mandela Keita and Villarreal's Pape Gueye among the names linked. Whichever direction Everton go, they are replacing a player whose tackling numbers led the Premier League as recently as two seasons ago. Gana Gueye leaves as one of the most effective defensive midfielders of Everton's recent history, and one of the more understated African success stories English football has produced this decade.
