Manchester City Sign Ndiaye in Late Transfer Window Surprise

Manchester City waited until the final day of the window to make their move. When they did, they ripped up Tottenham’s plans.

The champions struck a £65m agreement with Everton for Senegal forward Ndiaye, a deal structured as £60m up front with a further £5m in potential add-ons, according to The Athletic. Spurs had turned to the 26-year-old after failing to prise Cody Gakpo away from Liverpool. City, who had tracked both wide men, simply stepped in and shut the door.

Once the call came from the Etihad, the choice was straightforward for Ndiaye.

“It’s easy to make the decision about whether you want to be at Manchester City or not,” he said after the move was confirmed. “You can see the recent history; you want to be part of that project.”

City’s hierarchy sold him the vision quickly and clearly.

“They talked to me about where we could go, what we could achieve with me in the team, and I was interested from the beginning,” he explained. “There was nothing else that I wanted other than joining Manchester City.”

For a player who has climbed his way up, the moment landed with real weight.

“I’ve seen recently what they’ve been doing, and I feel like I will fit right in it,” he said. “I’m super excited to start. It’s an unbelievable moment. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point and I’m super excited and really grateful for this opportunity.”

The capture of Ndiaye rounded off a ferocious late surge in the market from City. The Everton forward arrives on the same day the club completed the £125m signing of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, a fee that equals the British transfer record and reunites the Argentine with manager Enzo Maresca.

Two marquee arrivals

Tottenham, by contrast, were left scrambling. Having missed out first on Gakpo and then on Ndiaye, the north London club had to rip up their own shortlist and start again with the clock ticking.

Their solution came from the same source City had just raided. Spurs turned back to Stamford Bridge and pushed through a late loan for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk, reuniting the former Shakhtar Donetsk flyer with Roberto De Zerbi before the deadline.

City walk away from deadline day with their attack reinforced and their midfield reshaped. Spurs, forced into a late detour, will soon discover whether their fallback plan can keep pace with that kind of firepower.