Everton announced today that they have signed young forward Tyler Dibling from Southampton. The England youth international is widely considered to be one of the brightest prospects in the game, and is another young signing as the Toffees make over their ageing squad. The Exeter-born player has inked a four-year contract with the club.
The 19-year-old is the eighth signing of the transfer window for the Blues, and his confirmation marks a weeks long chase for the player with the Saints first not budging
from their £45 million valuation along with add-ons and a hefty sell-on percentage. After having three offers declined, the Toffees moved on to other targets.
However last week the Saints called Everton back wanting to resume the conversation and finally settled on a transfer fee of £35m with another £5m in easily achievable add-ons, along with a 20% sell-on fee.
Speaking to the club’s media after signing his contract, Dibling said –
“I’m buzzing to sign. I felt the Club already, even before I was in the building, just from social media and from people telling me about the Club. I’ve never been so excited to play football and I’m just ready to get going.
“I think it’s the perfect match because of where the Club is right now. Obviously with the new stadium, the fans here are unreal and it has a family feel to it. I think it was the perfect fit and was a no-brainer to join.
“I think I’ve come to Everton at the perfect time and hopefully I can be here for many years.
“[The Brighton win] gave me a feel for the Club. It looked unbelievable. I also played in the last Men’s game at Goodison. It was so loud. I was looking around and thinking, ‘This is quality’. That was a really good insight for me into what it’s like here with the fans and the atmosphere they can create.
“There’s no better feeling than when you’re doing well in football and to feel that love from the fans is one of the best feelings ever. I’m excited to play here.”
On working with manager David Moyes, Dibling added –
“I think the manager is perfect for me. Obviously he’s helped so many players before who were in my position. I’ve spoken to him and I know he’s going to be good for me.
“There are so many players here to learn from, real quality players like Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye.
“I’d say the wow factor in my game is my dribbling. That’s what I’m best at and that’s what I want to excite the fans, and I hope I’ll get to do a lot of it.
“My aim for this season is just to play as many games as I can and to help the team as much as I can with goals and assists. As a team, hopefully we can have a good season and see where it goes.”
On the new signing, Moyes said –
“We are really pleased to bring Tyler to Everton Football Club. He is a talented young English player with lots of potential.
“Tyler adds to our attacking options and we will support him in his future development.
“We are eager to build a team that Evertonians can enjoy watching and be proud of, and Tyler can help us achieve that..”
