Cuco Martina has become the seventh signing of Everton’s summer.
Martina will reunited with Ronald Koeman after penning a three-year contract with the Blues on Monday upon the expiry of his existing deal with Southampton.
It was at St Mary’s that the defender first worked with Koeman during his final season before becoming Everton manager and almost joined him on Merseyside.
An early-season injury to Jeremy Pied prompted Southampton to reconsider allowing Martina, 27, to seal his anticipated move to Goodison Park.
And the Curacao international made no secret of his delight at finally signing for the Toffees.
He said: “Everton is a big club with big ambitions and I’m really looking forward to joining this group of players and the manager as we try to step forward next season.
“Obviously, I know the manager from my time at Southampton, so I know what he wants and he knows what I can do.
“Everton supporters are really passionate about their club and everyone’s excited about where the club is aiming.
“You can see this is a club that wants to achieve something and the players we are bringing certainly show this.
“When you come to a new club, you need to get to know one another so the training camp in Holland will be great for me and for the other new players as well.
“We will play against Twente, one of my old clubs too, and I’m really looking forward to showing everyone what I can do.”
Koeman is expected to deploy Martina in Seamus Coleman’s absence as the full-back continues his recovery from a season-ending leg break in March.
“Cuco Martina is an experienced player who can perform in different positions at the back, which is important,” said the Everton manager.
“It’s also important, with the number of games we will face in the coming campaign, that we have strength and competition in the squad.
“I brought the player to Southampton, so I know what he can do for us here and this is why I’ve now brought him to Everton.
“He is a player who will strengthen our squad and be able to play in different positions when that’s needed, too.”
Martina has been included in Everton’s squad for their upcoming friendlies in Holland and Belgium, against Twente and KRC Genk respectively.
Fellow summer recruits Jordan Pickford and Sandro Ramirez will also receive their first taste of action since their return from the Euro U21 Championships.
However there will be no place for Ross Barkley, who misses a second successive pre-season trip due to the midfielder’s ongoing groin injury.