Iliman Ndiaye now says he wasn’t keen on leaving Sheffield United for Marseille.
The winger, who is currently at Everton, has been speaking to Canal+ Sport Afrique about his move from Sheffield United to Marseille and Foot Mercato have relayed his comments.
Ndiaye spent four years at Sheffield United and joined the Ligue 1 club in August 2023.
Three months after his exit from the English club, the 25-year-old stated he had to pick between Marseille and unnamed Premier League sides.
He then insisted he’d made the right decision by joining the Ligue 1 side as they are his “favourite” club. Earlier claims had stated he wanted to leave the Blades, and the general stance was he’d pushed for the move to Marseille.
The France-born Senegal international failed to impress at Marseille and they sold him to the Toffees in July 2024. He’s enjoyed a reasonable season with the Merseyside club so far, scoring nine goals from 34 games.
Despite earlier saying it was the right move to join his favourite club, the player has changed his tune and insists he wasn’t keen on leaving Sheffield United. He mentioned this when explaining why he struggled at the French club.
“The context was difficult, the coaching changes… I came to Marseille, and it happened quickly. People know that. I wanted to stay in Sheffield, and after that in Marseille, everything was [he snaps his fingers],” he said.
“The preseason wasn’t very good. I played a lot of matches, but we didn’t qualify for the Champions League. It was a big blow for us. It was a difficult year in every way.”
Ndiaye managed 22 goals and 14 assists from 88 games for the Blades between 2019 and 2023.
