Kevin Thelwell and Frank Lampard have both explained why Everton have signed Dwight McNeil after his transfer was confirmed on Thursday afternoon.
An undisclosed fee was agreed between the Blues and Burnley earlier in the week before the winger put pen-to-paper on a five-year deal to keep him at Goodison Park until June 2027. It's not yet clear whether the new man will be straight into the squad when Everton play their final pre-season match of the summer against Dynamo Kyiv on Friday.
However, director of football Thelwell was clearly in no doubt of the quality the 22-year-old can bring to his new side. The Everton chief highlighted the young age of the forward and hailed him as one of the best talents in English football following confirmation of his arrival on Merseyside.
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He remarked: "We are delighted to secure the signing of Dwight on a five-year contract.
"Despite being only 22, he has plenty of Premier League experience and the statistics prove we have brought in one of the best young talents in English football.
"We are confident that, working with Frank and his coaching staff, Dwight can become even better and enjoy a long, successful career with Everton."
McNeil becomes Lampard's third signing of the summer transfer window, following former Burnley teammate James Tarkowski and Ruben Vinagre to Goodison Park. And, the Everton boss confirmed that this was exactly the type of transfer he wanted to see to help progress the club forwards.
The manager added: "I have been a big admirer of Dwight for some time. He has huge talent and is exactly the type of player we want to bring into the squad to help us improve."
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