Angus Kinnear says Everton want to keep Iliman Ndiaye and pursue Jack Grealish, but not by taking a financial gamble that puts the club at risk. Speaking to the BBC, the Everton chief executive drew a clear line between ambition and squad cost ratio discipline.
Everton's spending line
"Our vision is very much that our best players like Ndiaye are retained, play at the club and help us achieve what we all want to achieve," Kinnear said.
He added: "you've seen at Newcastle, Aston Villa, clubs who are performing well, retaining top talent is challenging and that is a challenge that Everton also face".
The firmest line came on spending. "That will mean that we won't have a transfer window where we blow the doors off and put the club at risk from an SCR perspective," he said. That is the key part of Everton's summer. The club want to strengthen, but they are still living with the memory of the 8-point deduction in the 2023-24 season for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
Ndiaye and Grealish in the frame
Ndiaye's case is obvious enough. He scored 6 goals and made 3 assists last season, and Kinnear's comments make clear that Everton see him as part of the core rather than a player to cash in on. He has also been linked with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, so retention is not just a theory.
Grealish is a different situation, but just as relevant to the club's summer plans. Kinnear said: "He's a player who's fallen in love with the right shade of blue but ultimately he's a Manchester City player at the moment and we need to respect that".
He made 22 appearances for Everton last season before injury ended his campaign in January. Everton finished 13th in their first season at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and they also failed to win any of their last 7 games last season. The squad needs help, but Kinnear's message is that Everton will not solve that by stretching beyond what their model can bear.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
