Idrissa Gueye has finally completed his transfer from Everton to Paris Saint-Germain, for a fee believed to be $36.5 million.
The Senegalese midfielder has been an awesome destructive force since he arrived in the Premier League at Aston Villa in 2015 and moved to Everton in 2016. He made 108 appearances for Everton and Gueye was one of the PL leaders each season in categories such as most interceptions and tackles made.
Everton confirmed the departure of the 29-year-old on Tuesday and thanked him for “always giving everything” for the Toffees.
“Thank you! Since my arrival I have felt at home at this club, you have welcomed me and my family with open arms,” Gueye said in a statement on social media. “Everton FC gave me the opportunity to continue in the Premier League and the last 3 years... I have had some amazing experiences which I will cherish forever. I am grateful to have had the love and support of you all throughout this journey and I must say no matter the weather or performances the support was always there.
“As you know I am about to start a new journey, a journey that I have dreamed about since a kid and when this opportunity presented itself I couldn’t turn it down. To my teammates and coaches I will miss you and will continue to support you. Everton... we are family and will continue to be and for me Merseyside will always be BLUE.”
Gueye will now be playing for PSG in the UEFA Champions League and Everton really couldn’t stand in his way.
Is it blow for Marco Silva’s side? Absolutely. Gueye gave his midfield balance and shielded the defense superbly in the second half of last season. Losing Gueye and not bringing back Kurt Zouma on a permanent basis will certainly see Everton’s defensive unit be weaker than 2018-19. New signing Fabian Delph was signed to fill the void left by Gueye, while Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin will also battle for a central midfield spot.
But having signed Andre Gomes permanently, plus chase the likes of Wilfried Zaha and other forward players, it is clear that Silva and Technical Director Marcel Brands have big plans to spend big in the final days of the summer transfer window.