Everton Agree Personal Terms With €28 Midfielder: Does He Fit Into Moyes’ Tactical Set-Up?

Everton Agree Personal Terms With €28 Midfielder: Does He Fit Into Moyes’ Tactical Set-Up? Everton are pushing hard to wrap up a deal for Pape Gueye. According to reports coming out of Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Merseyside club have already locked down personal terms with the 27-year-old midfielder. Now it comes down to hashing out the final details between the two sides. The proposed transfer package sits at a fixed fee of €28 million, alongside an extra €5 million in performance-related add-ons. That brings the total bill to €33 million. Everton close in on Villarreal’s Pape Gueye as David Moyes looks to rebuild midfield It is a sizeable chunk of change for Goodison Park accountants. Still, Villarreal appear ready to do business this time around. Back in the winter window, the Spanish club were digging their heels in and holding out for upwards of €40 million. Their stance has softened. With Galatasaray and a few other suitors lurking previously, the Yellow Submarine have accepted that €33 million represents a realistic valuation, and they are already scouring the market for a direct replacement. Gueye has a deal running at the Estadio de la Cerámica until June 2028 on roughly €1,880,000 a year. They hold the cards legally, yet the green light to sell is clear. Personal terms agreed for Senegal midfielder Money talks, but performance on the pitch is what got Everton knocking. Gueye is coming off the back of what was almost certainly the finest campaign of his senior career. During the 2025/26 season, he anchored a Villarreal side that shattered expectations by finishing third in La Liga to secure Champions League football. He was not just along for the ride either. Over 30 league appearances, logging 2,131 minutes, the midfielder chipped in with five goals and two assists. That output did not go unnoticed. A panel of 25 journalists alongside thousands of supporters across the continent voted Gueye as the SPORTY LaLiga MVP for the best African player in Spanish football. He edged out heavyweights like Iñaki Williams and Nicolas Pépé for the award. Look at Everton ‘s squad right now. The need for a genuine, uncompromising number six is blaringly obvious. David Moyes needs someone who can dominate the central zone, win second balls, and give the defensive line some breathing room. Gueye fits a lot of those physical metrics. He is 6ft 2in tall and brings raw physicality and positional discipline to a unit that has looked soft far too often. Goalscoring defensive midfielders do not grow on trees either. Finding five league goals from a player who spends most of his afternoon sweeping up behind the ball is a massive bonus. He has played top-tier European football. Stepping into the Premier League will not intimidate him. How Gueye fits into Moyes’ tactical setup GIRONA, SPAIN – APRIL 06: Pape Gueye of Villarreal CF controls the ball while under pressure from Fran Beltran of Girona FC during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Girona FC and Villarreal CF at Montilivi Stadium on April 06, 2026 in Girona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Naturally, there are caveats. Gueye plays on the absolute edge of the law. Eight yellow cards across 29 La Liga matches last term tell their own story. He commits 1.57 fouls per 90 minutes. In English football, an aggressive destroyer who picks up bookings at that rate can quickly turn into a liability during critical stretches of the run-in. Moyes has never shied away from managing fiery, combative midfielders. He actually thrives on it. But at €33 million, Everton cannot afford a misfire. Given their well-documented financial tightness, spending this sort of cash on a 27-year-old means he has to hit the deck running. It makes sense as a signing, provided Moyes pairs him with enough creative craft to make sure the Senegalese international is protecting something worth protecting.