Idrissa Gana Gueye

Idrissa Gueye is a 36-year-old Senegalese defensive midfielder currently playing for Everton in the Premier League. A Champions League and Ligue 1 winner during his career, Gueye returned to Goodison Park after his time in France and has remained a reliable presence in the Everton engine room, bringing experience and defensive discipline to a side that has needed both in abundance.

In the 2025/26 season Gueye has made 22 appearances, logging 1,851 minutes and contributing two goals and two assists alongside a steady average rating of 6.8. His recent form has shown an upward curve after a quieter spell earlier in the campaign. A composed 90-minute display in Everton's 3-0 home win over Chelsea earned him a rating of 7.67, his best of the run-in, and he followed that with a 7.2-rated performance in the 2-2 draw at Brentford, where he also picked up an assist before being withdrawn in the 74th minute. His ability to screen the back four and recycle possession has been central to Everton's more competitive results in recent weeks.

At 36, Gueye is not the box-to-box force he was during his first Everton stint or his peak years at Paris Saint-Germain, but his positional reading and experience give the team structure in midfield. Everton have leaned on him as a starter across all five of his most recent matches, suggesting the coaching staff view him as a key organising figure rather than a rotation option. SportSignals' AI analysis engine has tracked Everton's matches this season and the team's improved defensive solidity in games where Gueye has completed 90 minutes is a pattern worth noting.

In Everton's next fixture, the key question is whether Gueye can maintain the level he showed against Chelsea and Brentford or whether the physical demands of back-to-back starts catch up with him. His positioning when Everton are out of possession and his role in transitional play will be worth monitoring, particularly against opponents who look to press high and exploit the space behind a holding midfielder.