Everton chief executive Angus Kinnear has admitted that holding on to top performers remains a significant hurdle for clubs of the Toffees' stature, even during periods of on-field progress, as speculation continues to swirl around forward Iliman Ndiaye's future.
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, Kinnear addressed the club's efforts to keep hold of Ndiaye, who has attracted interest from Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal, while also touching on the ongoing situation surrounding Jack Grealish, who spent last season on loan at Goodison Park from Manchester City.
"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. "I really hope that he's with us for many years to come but 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."
Ndiaye, 26, contributed six goals and three assists last season and has emerged as one of Everton's most important attacking players. His potential departure would come against a backdrop of financial regulation that continues to shape recruitment strategy across the Premier League. Clubs are currently restricted to spending 85% of total revenue on player wages under squad cost ratio rules, with UEFA imposing a stricter 70% cap for clubs competing in European competition.
Everton themselves are no strangers to the consequences of financial mismanagement, having been docked eight points during the 2023-24 campaign after breaching profit and sustainability regulations then in force. Kinnear pointed to that painful episode as a reminder of why the club must proceed cautiously in the transfer market, even as ambitions grow.
"I do think it's important that those financial foundations are in place both from an SCR perspective so you're operating within the financial rules," he explained. "Everton have seen probably better than anybody what happens when that goes wrong. The challenge that the clubs of Everton's size have is trying to be ambitious in terms of your spend but also trying to do that in a sustainable way."
He drew comparisons with Newcastle United and Aston Villa, both of whom have had to sell key players this summer despite recent success. Newcastle have parted ways with midfielders Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali along with winger Anthony Gordon, while Champions League-bound Aston Villa sold Morgan Rogers to Chelsea. "It's not about having one year of success," Kinnear said. "You see some of the challenges that Aston Villa and Newcastle are experiencing now after two or three years of success. We do it in a sustainable way. 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."
On Grealish, who made 22 appearances for the Toffees before a serious injury cut short his campaign in January, Kinnear confirmed that dialogue between the two parties has continued despite the England international remaining under contract at Manchester City. He appeared as a substitute in City's Community Shield defeat by Arsenal on Sunday.
"Jack is a player we've remained in contact with," Kinnear said. "It was no secret that he decided to have his rehabilitation done here for the remainder of last season when he didn't have to do that. 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. The most important thing is he's back. He had a very serious injury, he's worked really hard to get back from that."
Everton endured a difficult conclusion to last season, finishing 13th in their debut campaign at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after a winless run in their final seven fixtures. Kinnear struck a note of cautious optimism looking ahead. "Last year we were all bitterly disappointed by the way the season finished, but there were some real signs of recovery and signs of potential," he said. "I know David [Moyes] believes that this season he can go one step further and start to achieve something really tangible on the pitch."
Everton begin their new campaign at home against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.