Nikola Vlasic arrived at Everton on transfer deadline day, and has suggested that the chance to work with Ronald Koeman made the deal particularly tempting.
Nikola Vlasic has suggested to Everton’s official website that the chance to move to Goodison Park was too good to turn down, especially as joining the Toffees presented him with the chance to work with Ronald Koeman.
Vlasic joined Everton on deadline day, helping the Merseyside club round off what many will consider to be an excellent window, with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wayne Rooney also arriving during the recent months.
And the 19-year-old – who had previously been vice-captain for former club Hajduk Split – expressed his delight at joining the host of new faces at the club, suggesting that he needed little convincing when the opportunity to come to England presented itself.
“Of course, the manager is a big name in football as well,” Vlasic told the club’s official website. “I think it will be very good here.
“When there is a manager like Ronald Koeman that 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 believe in myself. I want to learn from my teammates and improve – and I believe I can be successful here.”
With the Daily Mail recently reporting that Vlasic was going to be potentially loaned out as soon as he arrived at Everton – much like new Toffees teammate Henry Onyekuru, who has joined Anderlecht – it is perhaps fair to suggest that Toffees fans should not expect the teenager to hit the ground running as quickly as the likes of Sigurdsson and Rooney appear to have.
But based on the form he showed during his final weeks in Croatia – he scored three times in six league games – it would perhaps not be out of the question to suggest that he could quickly find his feet and prove that Koeman was right to make him one of his final signings from an incredibly eventful window.
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