Manchester City Secure Iliman Ndiaye in Deadline-Day Deal

Manchester City waited, watched, then struck. On the final day of the window, they stepped across Tottenham’s path and walked away with Iliman Ndiaye.

City agreed a £65m deal with Everton for the Senegal international, structured as a £60m fee plus £5m in potential add-ons, according to The Athletic. For a player Spurs thought they had moved smartly for, it was a brutal reminder of where the real financial power still sits.

Tottenham had turned to Ndiaye after failing to prise Cody Gakpo away from Liverpool, another wide forward who had been on City’s radar. That hesitation proved costly. Once City decided to move, the chase was over almost before it had begun.

For Ndiaye, the choice barely felt like a contest.

“It’s easy to make the decision about whether you want to be at Manchester City or not,” the 26-year-old said after sealing the move. “You can see the recent history; you want to be part of that project.”

City’s hierarchy sold him the vision quickly and decisively. No long courtship, no drawn-out saga.

“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.”

This was not a player hedging his bets. Ndiaye spoke like someone who had spent years climbing towards exactly this moment.

“Obviously, you want to be part of this new project. 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.”

For City, Ndiaye’s arrival was only half of an outrageous late splurge.

Enzo Fernandez joins in record deal

As the clock ticked down, City also pushed through the £125m signing of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, a fee that equals the British transfer record. The move reunites the World Cup winner with Enzo Maresca, a coach who knows exactly how to plug the Argentine into his system.

One deadline day, two marquee arrivals, nearly £200m committed. This was not a quiet reset. It was a statement that City intend to refresh and dominate in the same breath.

While the champions stacked their deck, Spurs were left scrambling.

Spurs turn back to Chelsea after double miss

Tottenham’s late-window plan collapsed in stages. First Gakpo stayed at Liverpool. Then Ndiaye slipped from their grasp as City accelerated talks with Everton and closed the deal.

With time draining away, Spurs had to pivot again. The search for a wide forward led them back to Stamford Bridge, where they moved to secure a loan for Mykhailo Mudryk. The agreement beat the deadline and reunites the Ukrainian with Roberto De Zerbi, the coach who once unleashed his raw pace and direct running at Shakhtar Donetsk.

It was a smart salvage job, but there is no escaping the contrast. City walked away with Ndiaye and Fernandez, two heavyweight additions to an already star-studded squad. Tottenham ended the night with another short-term fix and a lingering question: