Andros Townsend admits that his decision to join Everton was a ‘no-brainer’.
Townsend has been reunited with his former Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez at Goodison Park after signing a two-year contract after leaving Crystal Palace.
The former England international, 30, was one of two arrivals confirmed by the Blues on Tuesday as Benitez attempts to ready his troops for next season.
And Townsend believes the combination of working under the Spaniard again and Everton’s reputation made the choice to move to Merseyside an easy one.
He said: “I think everyone knows what Everton is.
“It’s a massive football club, it’s very ambitious, a club which has been trying to get back to where it belongs into Europe and beyond.
“I’ll be doing all I can to help the club do that. As the old cliche goes, it was a no-brainer.
“Rafa is very experienced. He does a lot of work on the tactical side on the training pitch, he leaves no stone unturned.
“But, more importantly, he’s a great man, a great man-manager, and he’s always talking to you. I’m sure he will be very successful here.”
Townsend’s capture was swiftly followed by experienced Premier League goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who has also joined Everton on a free transfer.
Begovic recently spent the past four years with Bournemouth but spent spells with AC Milan and Chelsea, where he was part of their 2017 title-winning side.
The 34-year-old replaces Robin Olsen, who returned to Roma at the end of last season, in providing competition for first-choice stopper Jordan Pickford.
“When I first heard of the possibility of joining Everton, I was really excited,” Begovic told evertontv.
“Opportunities like this don’t come round every day so I’m just really honoured and pleased to be here. I’m definitely here to compete.
“Jordan is a world-class goalkeeper and I think the group here is fantastic.
“We have a great goalkeeper coach in Alan Kelly. We are going to push each other every single day and set those standards in training.”