DONE DEAL! Everton complete £8m Nikola Vlasic transfer

Everton have made their first move on Deadline Day by signing winger Nikola Vlasic from Hajduk Split for around £8m. The Blues have been missing in action on Deadline Day so this was long overdue.

The Croatia U21 winger successfully completed a medical at Finch Farm this morning and put pen-to-paper on a five-year contract.

Vlasic was a relative unknown to Everton fans a few weeks to ago but rose to prominence during the Toffees’ Europa League play-off against Hajduk Split.

Ronald Koeman and Steve Walsh were evidently impressed and moved quickly to seal a deal.

Speaking about his move to Merseyside, Vlasic said -

“I am very excited about the opportunity to play for this big club. The Premier League is the best league in the world and this is one of the top clubs in England. It is such a big honour for me to be here.

“When I heard that Everton were interested in me, I knew straight away I wanted to come here. Whenever someone called my manager or my father, I told them I only wanted to come to Everton.

“The ambition of the Club is to ultimately play in the Champions League and I want to help achieve that goal. I believe in myself and in this team - I think we can do great things together.”

Playing for Ronald Koeman was a big factor in the player’s decision to move to Merseyside -

“When there is a manager like Ronald Koeman who wants you, there is no need to talk about it much. I wanted to come here because of the manager, because of the big players, because of the reputation of the Club. It is the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I played a lot of games for Hajduk Split but the Premier League is something else. Playing football in England is a much bigger stage - football is number one here. I believe in myself. I want to learn from my teammates, improve and I believe I can be successful here.”

Ronald Koeman added that the player was signed with an eye for the future.

“We are very happy to bring Nikola to the Club as he is one of the big young talents in Europe.

“He showed that quality when we played Hajduk in the Europa League and he is only 19, so he will develop.

“Nikola is one of those players who can play a big part in Everton’s future and in what we want to achieve as a club.”