Hayden Hackney has revealed David Moyes’ influence in his move to Everton.
Hackney completed an initial £16.5 million transfer from Middlesbrough on Thursday to become the second signing of the summer window at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
He joins Merlin Rohl, whose season-long loan move from Freiburg was made permanent at the end of the previous campaign for a total package of £18M.
Negotiations for last season’s Championship Player of the Year had dragged due to his boyhood club holding out for an overall package closer to their £25M valuation.
But the Blues finally made a breakthrough earlier this week to secure Hackney’s signature ahead several Premier League counterparts, notably Crystal Palace.
And the midfielder, who has penned a five-year contract on Merseyside, admits that Moyes was a driving force in swaying his decision to leave the Riverside Stadium.
He said: “As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, it was always going to be Everton.
“It’s such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it’s going in. I just wanted to be part of that.
“The manager’s track record of bringing players from the Championship to the Premier League was a massive part of my decision as well.
“Hopefully I can be the next one to do it successfully for Everton.
“I think fans can expect a bit of everything from me – attacking and defensively. I think I can carry the ball well, arrive late in the box, and hopefully score some goals.
“I think there’s plenty more to come from me. Obviously, I haven’t played in the Premier League yet, so once I get used to that I think I can kick on from there.”