Former Everton midfielder Gareth Barry has said that keeping Iliman Ndiaye at the club could be the key to the Blues qualifying for Europe. Barry, who made 155 appearances for Everton between 2013 and 2017 and scored five goals, believes the forward will be the difference in the team's push for continental competition.
Ndiaye's Future at the Centre of Speculation
Ndiaye's future has been the subject of intense speculation this summer after he turned down several new contract offers and expressed a desire to play Champions League football on the eve of the World Cup finals. Despite this, Everton remain adamant that the player, who scored their last goal at Goodison Park and their first at Hill Dickinson Stadium, is not for sale. The club has not put a price tag on his head, and their stance has not changed since David Moyes declared in April: "He is the last person I would consider selling."
In late July, Ndiaye's father Mouhamadou Abdoulaye Ndiaye insisted "he's not going anywhere," after revealing his son had called him. Following Everton sharing photographs of the player returning to training with his club colleagues in Germany, his international team-mate Idrissa Gueye, who ended his own Blues career this summer, replied: "Here to stay."
Barry on Ndiaye's Impact and New Signings
Speaking courtesy of BetVictor, Barry said: "Keeping Iliman Ndiaye would be fantastic if he wasn't wanting to leave and they persuade him to stay for that one year. He will be the difference. He's that type of player you're going to need to go to the next level. An Everton team with and without him will be a massive difference. So yeah, let's hope they can keep that good run going. They finished really poorly last year, but they were there or thereabouts for the European spot. So let's hope he can stay and produce that sort of form now and get Everton close to competing for the European places again."
The former England international, who arrived at Goodison Park on the same day as Romelu Lukaku and James McCarthy under Roberto Martinez, has been impressed with Everton's recruitment this summer. On the Blues' latest signing, Brennan Johnson, Barry said: "Brennan Johnson's obviously got ability. For me, it's quite a clever move for his career. Moyes seems to get the best out of these players that sometimes don't perform consistently, a bit up and down. I think Moyes' standards are that high, he doesn't let players slip, playing well one game and then having a quiet one the next. I think it's a good move all around, really, and Brennan seems to be that type of player. He's won a couple of trophies in the two years he's had at Spurs and Crystal Palace, so he might be that lucky signing as well. I think it's a good move for Everton and Moyes. I'm sure he'll be thinking, 'Right, I can get a consistent player here.' He's going to work hard on him, and I can see him having a good season at Everton."
Expectations for Hackney and Norgaard
Barry, who was deployed mostly in central midfield for Everton, also expects the club's recruits from Middlesbrough and Arsenal to do well at Hill Dickinson Stadium. He said: "Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard are both typical Moyes-style players, you know what you're going to get before they even come through the door. He demands high levels of consistency from his players. So, yeah, I think Hackney will be really hungry to prove he can do it at the Premier League level. He showed all the signs in the Championship. It would be tough for him to leave as captain of Boro, but it's a no-brainer. He has to go and show he can do it at a big Premier League club like Everton. Norgaard, you know what you're getting from him, he's a really clever player that Everton fans seem to like, and they'll buy into him straight away."
