It’s now so obvious who Everton’s best player is and David Moyes must build the team around him

As the season goes on, it’s becoming more and more apparent who Everton’s most important and ultimately best player is.

Everton spent in excess of £100m on new signings in the summer, although not all the new recruits have been successful.

Thierno Barry and Tyler Dibling arrived in big-money deals but are yet to really make the grade on Merseyside.

Jack Grealish has quickly established himself as a key player in David Moyes’ side, but there is one existing member of the squad who is really starting to become a talismanic figure.

Iliman Ndiaye looking on during Everton vs Aston Villa.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Everton’s best player is comfortably Iliman Ndiaye
With all the money spent in the summer, Iliman Ndiaye was almost pushed to the side somewhat and has been forced to play out of position on the right wing.

But, despite that, Ndiaye has comfortably been the best performer, especially in recent weeks during this tough period of form.

Premier League fans were in awe of Ndiaye’s performance against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday, and he should’ve had a couple of assists if Everton had a more prolific centre-forward.

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Some even partly joked that he could win a Ballon d’Or if Beto could finish, but there definitely is some truth in that prediction.

Ndiaye said he wants to be the best player in the world, and he’s certainly doing all the extra training and analysis to work towards that goal.

Riyad Mahrez became world class around the same age as Ndiaye (25), and he is of a similar skill level, so it’s very possible the Toffees winger could become one of the best playmakers in the world with the right framework around him.

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David Moyes must build the team around Iliman Ndiaye
At the moment, Ndiaye is almost being utilised as an enabler to other players such as Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall.

That said, Moyes should now consider building the team around Ndiaye and moving him back to his favoured position in the number 10 role.

Interestingly, as evinced by Transfermarkt’s data below, the 25-year-old has played the centre-forward role more times than any other position in his career.

Position Games played Goals Assists
Centre-Forward 49 10 12
Left Winger 36 7 1
Attacking Midfield 36 9 2
Second Striker 16 7 3
Right Winger 12 3 2
Left Midfield 5 3 0
Right Midfield 4 0 0
So perhaps Moyes should look at playing him as a false nine or maybe as the attacking midfielder behind Beto or Thierno Barry.

Ndiaye admitted he’s not as comfortable off the right, so it’s time for Moyes to find a way to maximise the talents of his best player.