Phil Foden can see similarities between Erling Haaland and Manchester City great Sergio Aguero when it comes to his new team-mate's "scary" finishing ability.

Haaland joined City in a £64.2million (€75m) deal earlier this transfer window on the back of scoring 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund.

Across his two-and-a-half years with Dortmund, only Robert Lewandowski (122) and Kylian Mbappe (89) scored more times among players from Europe's top five leagues.

Indeed, Lewandowski (1.81) – who recently left Bayern Munich for Barcelona – is the only player to boast a better goals-per-game ratio than Haaland (1.07) during that period.

A year on from Aguero's exit for Barca, where the Argentine managed just five appearances before a heart issue forced him to retire, Haaland has big boots to fill at the Etihad Stadium.

Aguero scored 257 goals in 384 appearances for City, but Foden believes the reigning Premier League champions are in good hands with Haaland.

"In front of goal he's scary," the England international told Sky Sports. "Everyone knows his goal record, how many he scores.

"But he's coming into a completely different league, much faster football so it might take him time to get used to, but I'm sure when he's in his flow he's going to be unstoppable.

"Aguero is very similar. Haaland has got all different types of finishes as well. 

"He's scary in front of goal and if we can get him the ball in the right areas he's going to be really important for us this year."

Haaland was restricted to 30 games in all competitions for Dortmund last season, yet he still managed 29 goals at a rate of one 1.14 per 90 minutes.

Of those 29 strikes, which came from an expected goals (xG) return of 25.84, five were scored with his head, three with his right foot and 21 with his stronger left.

The Norway international scored the winner on his first outing for City in last week's friendly against Bayern Munich, and the field is not the only place he is making an impact.

"He's a top guy off the pitch, a great character, a great addition to the team," Foden explained.

"He makes everyone laugh and he's dead humble, which is important when you come into a team. He's hungry to achieve things with us, so it can only mean good things."

Haaland is set to make his domestic bow for City when Pep Guardiola's side take on FA Cup winners and Premier League rivals Liverpool in the Community Shield on Saturday.

Former Arsenal player and manager Terry Neill has passed away at the age of 80, the club has confirmed.

Neill made 275 appearances for Arsenal between 1960 and 1970, and was made captain at the age of 20.

The midfielder, who was also a player-manager for Hull City, received 44 caps for Northern Ireland before retiring from playing in 1973.

Neill went on to manage Tottenham in 1974, before moving back to their north London rivals two years later.

Arsenal reached three consecutive FA Cup finals on his watch from 1978, winning the 1979 final in a dramatic 3-2 success against Manchester United.

Neill also guided Arsenal to the 1980 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, which they lost to Valencia on penalties.

He left after seven seasons in charge at Highbury in December 1983, his last role in management, though he did work for Arsenal TV as a pundit in later years.

Barcelona have announced they have reached an agreement to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, with the Blaugrana seeing off competition from Chelsea.

Kounde, who has starred for Sevilla since arriving from Bordeaux in 2019, seemed set to join Chelsea after also being heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge throughout the 2021 transfer window.

However, despite Barcelona reportedly failing to match Chelsea's offer of £55million (€65m) for the 23-year-old, the Blaugrana had been touted as Kounde's preferred destination.

On Thursday, they announced a deal is now in place with Sevilla for the transfer of the France international, with the move subject to a medical.

Kounde ranked first in duels won (169), second in blocks (17) and second in headed clearances (56) among Sevilla players in LaLiga last season.

His arrival represents another major coup for Barca, who have already strengthened their backline by signing Andreas Christensen, as well as completing marquee deals for Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, after bringing in free agent Franck Kessie.

Meanwhile, missing out on Kounde's signature will be another source of frustration for Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, with the Blues struggling throughout a pre-season tour of the United States and also being turned down by Raphinha, who favoured a move to Camp Nou.

Chelsea defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso continue to be strongly linked with moves to Barca.

Dwight McNeil vowed to "get my stats up" under manager Frank Lampard after the winger joined Everton from Burnley.

The Toffees completed their second transfer raid of the close season on their former Premier League relegation rivals as 22-year-old McNeil followed James Tarkowski from Turf Moor to Goodison Park.

Burnley's slide into the Championship has seen a flood of senior stars leave the club, as Vincent Kompany becomes the permanent successor to manager Sean Dyche and looks to shape them for a shot at an immediate return to the top flight.

England Under-21 international McNeil leaves after 147 appearances for Burnley, including their brief Europa League campaign of 2018-19, and has signed a five-year deal, with the deal reportedly worth up to £19million.

The winger is the third signing of the summer for Everton, after Tarkowski and Portuguese defender Ruben Vinagre, and believes he will be able to flourish under Lampard's watch.

"It is an amazing feeling to sign," McNeil told Everton's official website. "When I heard about Everton's interest I wanted to get it done straight away because of the club and how good the team is.

"I feel playing under a manager like Frank Lampard, he will help me to get my stats up – and that is what I want to do and improve my game. I want to help the team as best as I can."

Last season saw McNeil create 47 chances in the Premier League, a team-high at Burnley, but he only assisted for one goal. His total of chances created was also higher than any Everton player in the competition, with Demarai Gray leading their list after forging 42 opportunities.

McNeil's arrival comes after Everton were unable to fix personal terms to bring Clarets team-mate Maxwel Cornet to the club, though the latter is expected to seek an exit from Burnley ahead of the new campaign too.

Jurgen Klopp said it is "essential" Roberto Firmino stays at Liverpool amid reports he could join Juventus.

Juve are said to have targeted the Brazil international as they look to rebuild under Massimiliano Allegri, with Paulo Dybala having left on a free transfer to Roma.

Firmino has become a fans' favourite at Anfield after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim in 2015, but the 30-year-old is in the final year of his contract.

Liverpool manager Klopp dismissed talk that Firmino could be on the move ahead of the Community Shield showdown with Manchester City on Saturday.

"Bobby is crucial for us," Klopp said during a press conference on Thursday. "Bobby is [the] heart and soul of this team.

"The way we played in the last few years was only possible because of Bobby. That's why I’m really happy he could train the majority of the time here in the pre-season so far and everything looks really good.

"I am absolutely fine and, for me, there's no doubt about his quality. All the rest, we will see how this year goes, but yes, he is essential for us."

Firmino played 35 times across all competitions last season for Liverpool, scoring 11 goals. For the past five years, he has been a crucial part of the Reds' fearsome attacking trident alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Yet that trio is no more, with Mane having left for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, though Klopp has no complaints over the prolific Senegal forward's decision to move on.

"We lost Sadio who was a fixed member of the line-up for six years, he told us he wanted a new challenge," Klopp added.

"He told us early enough and we accepted it. We had time to prepare that and that's what we did."

Klopp revealed goalkeeper Alisson and forward Diogo Jota will miss the clash with City due to injury.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo back in Spain but conceded he was unsure if it was "feasible" for Atletico Madrid to sign the Manchester United star.

Ronaldo is reportedly seeking a move away from United less than a year after returning from Juventus, supposedly because of a lack of Champions League football after the Red Devils' sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season.

The Portugal captain, who scored 24 goals in 38 games in 2021-22, returned to United's training ground on Tuesday having missed the club's pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.

It seems suitors for his services are not as plentiful as anticipated, with Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn appearing to rule out a move, while nothing has yet come of reported interest from United's Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Atletico had also been talked of as a potential destination, though club president Enrique Cerezo described it as "practically impossible".

An Atletico fan group called for the club to rule out signing Ronaldo on Wednesday, with Union Internacional de Penas Atletico de Madrid issuing a statement on the matter saying the forward represents "the antithesis" of the team's values.

Tebas would encourage any move to bring the 37-year-old back to Spain, though, telling reporters: "I would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo in LaLiga again.

"Whether it is feasible or not for Atletico Madrid, I do not know. There would have to be some player departures if they wanted to. To sign a player of that level, you must make room."

Ronaldo spent nine years at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018 and became the club's record goalscorer, netting 451 times in 438 games for Los Blancos.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp called on his players to provide more support to new arrival Darwin Nunez following a 1-0 defeat to Salzburg.

The 23-year-old played the first half of Liverpool's friendly against the Austrian side, with a largely second-string line-up for the opening 45 minutes seeing Nunez joined in attack by fellow new arrival Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott.

By the hour mark, Liverpool had switched to a full-strength side, suggesting that Nunez may begin the season outside the starting line-up, but were unable to claw their way back into the match.

Nunez's game was a far cry from his four-goal show against RB Leipzig the last time he took to the field, and Klopp made it clear his new addition requires sustained support from team-mates.

"First half, we made too many mistakes which they could use. We had good moments as well, we could have scored in the whole game four, five goals at least. We didn't do that," Klopp told Liverpool's club media after the match.

"Darwin was much too often alone. Everybody dropped, everybody was involved in the build-up but too wide, and we could only pass the ball to Darwin in the box.

"He had his moments and nearly scored, but he needs much more support around him. You keep other players busy that they cannot focus on him. So many things. In the second half, imagine now Darwin would have been there in the box, that could have helped as well. It is like it is – it doesn't feel great, but we take it and go from here."

Liverpool will now look ahead to the Community Shield clash against Manchester City on Saturday, with a final friendly against Strasbourg a day later, before their Premier League season commences on August 6 against Fulham.

Arsenal's Edu-led evolution is set to come to a head in the 2022-23 season, with the technical director stating publicly this week that a top-four finish is the target.

Inconsistency throughout last season, culminating in a poor run of form at the end of the campaign, saw Arsenal's absence from the Champions League extend to five years.

With Mikel Arteta at the helm and Edu leading the recruitment, the Gunners now believe this is their time and, with the Brazilian's comments in pre-season about this being the season for success in the long-term plan, the pressure is on.

Arsenal have brought in the likes of Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale in recent times, while they have also cemented the futures of young players like Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe.

One major piece of the puzzle was missing last season, however, with no striker to take the mantle of leading the line until Nketiah's purple patch – but the London club are hoping that will change with the capture of Gabriel Jesus.

Signed following a trophy-laden spell at Manchester City, the fact that Arsenal managed to land Jesus, in a World Cup year no less, is a feather in Edu's cap, but the real question is, can he end Arsenal's number nine curse?

Staggeringly, no number nine has hit 15 goals for the club in a Premier League season since the 1998-99 campaign, when Nicolas Anelka found the back of the net 17 times.

Since then, Davor Sukor, Francis Jeffers, Jose Antonio Reyes, Julio Baptista, Eduardo, Park Chu Young, Lukas Podolski and Lucas Perez have all graced the number nine shirt with varying, but largely disappointing, returns.

Alexandre Lacazette came closest with a 14-goal haul in his first Premier League season but, with just four top-flight goals last year, it was clear the Gunners needed a significant upgrade on the Frenchman.

Jesus has also fallen short of the 15-goal mark in his Premier League career, with a season-high of 14 in the 2019-20 campaign – though it is worth mentioning his City career has seen him be a member of the supporting cast, rather than the leading man.

He will be first choice through the middle at Arsenal and his numbers are encouraging compared to those who have recently had that role.

In Lacazette, Arsenal had a forward who scored 78 Premier League goals at a rate of 0.5 per 90 minutes, totalling just over 14,000 minutes in the competition– a record that Jesus easily beats.

Jesus has scored 95 Premier League goals at a rate of 0.6 per 90 minutes, playing just over 100 minutes more than the Frenchman – and his return is comparable to what Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang achieved during his stint at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal's former captain outscored both with 104 career Premier League goals, a rate of 0.65 per 90 minutes, but he played over 300 minutes more than Jesus did for City.

Again, his role for City was different, playing alongside the likes of Sergio Aguero and, when his fellow South American departed, Pep Guardiola elected to mainly utilise him in a wider area – limiting his opportunities in front of goal.

Through the middle, Jesus' task will be to improve the return in the final third where, during the 2021-22 season, Arsenal netted 39 goals in open play compared to an xG of 48.2.

A number of missed opportunities were high xG chances that, over the course of the season, could have made a significant difference in the battle for Champions League football.

What Arsenal lacked in a recognised striker, however, they made up for in other areas, with a further 21 goals over the course of the season coming from set-pieces.

Other areas where Arsenal shone included the goals they scored on the counter-attack, netting a joint league-high of six, which Jesus should be able to improve. Arsenal also hit the woodwork on 18 occasions, so they will be looking for the Brazilian to make them more clinical.

Pre-season has also been encouraging for the early part of Jesus' career in the capital, scoring four goals in as many games – including a well-taken chipped finish in the 4-0 Florida Cup drubbing of London rivals Chelsea.

Jesus should get support from Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, who both hit double figures for goals last season, while Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Nketiah and Gabriel Magalhaes all scored at least five.

That ought to also help Jesus' assists return, with the 25-year-old providing 29 during his time at City – including eight last season, enough to be joint-top of the Premier League champions' assist charts alongside Kevin de Bruyne.

According to the numbers, Jesus is more than capable of being the man Arsenal have needed ever since Aubameyang's fall from grace – but he cannot do it alone and the Gunners need to be firing on all cylinders.

Juventus have been targeting a deal for Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, hoping he can be acquired for around £20million.

Firmino, 30, has spent the past seven seasons with Liverpool, playing a major role in winning the 2019-20 Premier League and 2018-19 Champions League, but in the past season a series of injuries limited him to his fewest league appearances (20) and league goals (five) since arriving at Anfield.

Corriere dello Sport claims the Brazilian was not Juventus' first choice when weighing up the striker market, but interest grew as it became increasingly unlikely they would be able to bring Alvaro Morata back to the club from Atletico Madrid.

TOP STORY – WITH MORATA UNLIKELY TO RETURN, JUVENTUS PIVOT TO FIRMINO

Darwin Nunez's arrival has given Liverpool an abundance of options up front, and instead of letting Firmino operate as a back-up as his value continues to diminish, the club could elect to cash in, if the price is right.

The report from Italy claims Juventus have also been investigating the possibility of acquiring Chelsea's Timo Werner or Manchester United's Anthony Martial, but securing Firmino would put an end to those pursuits.

Reports from England have indicated Liverpool are not interested in selling for the fee Juventus have so far proposed.

Meanwhile, Marca is reporting that Juventus are also in the hunt for Benfica left-back Alejandro Grimaldo, with Manchester City and Newcastle United their main competition.

ROUND-UP

– Spanish publication Cadena Ser claims Frenkie de Jong has told team-mates he has no plans to leave Barcelona in the current transfer period, despite strong interest from Manchester United.

– Cadena Ser is also reporting that Barcelona will look to sell highly paid goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for financial relief if they can not convince De Jong to leave.

– According to The Athletic, Bournemouth are set to sign 23-year-old Middlesbrough winger Marcus Tavernier for £10million.

– Roma are reportedly in the final stages of securing Georginio Wijnaldum on a loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain, with negotiations said to be continuing about the percentage of salary the French club will cover during his stay in Italy.

– The Daily Mail is reporting that Ajax have raised their asking price for Manchester United target Antony to £84million, likely indicating they have no intention of parting ways with the 22-year-old Brazil international.

Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards has joined Premier League side Crystal Palace on a five-year deal.

The eight-cap United States international spent the majority of the past two seasons on loan with Hoffenheim, where he made 34 appearances.

He was pushed further down the central-defensive pecking order at Bayern following the arrival of Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus earlier this month.

Palace confirmed on their official website on Wednesday that Richards has put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Selhurst Park.

Patrick Vieira's side are reported to have paid an initial £8.5million (€10m), potentially rising to £11m (€13m), for the 22-year-old.

Richards, who departs Bayern having made 10 first-team appearances after joining from FC Dallas in 2018, is looking forward to a new challenge in England.

"I grew up watching the Premier League and grew up watching [Wilfried] Zaha, so it'll be cool to spend some time on the field with and be a part of this historic club," he said. 

"I'm really excited for it. It's a lot of young players but also young players who have a lot of fight. Palace is a club that seems like they're always fighting."

Richards was given a permanent contract by Bayern after impressing on an initial trial basis four years ago, but he was unable to become a regular in the senior side.

"Chris came to the FC Bayern Campus at the age of 18. He demonstrated his talent in his first year when he played for our reserves," Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said.

"That's why we signed him from FC Dallas, and Chris went on to develop really well on loan at Hoffenheim. 

"Now his big desire is to succeed in the Premier League. We wanted to make that possible and we wish him all the best at Crystal Palace."

Richards is Palace's fourth signing of the window after Sam Johnstone, Malcolm Ebiowei and Cheick Doucoure.

Lisandro Martinez says the lure of reuniting with Erik ten Hag played a big part in his decision to join Manchester United from Ajax.

The Argentine defender has moved to Old Trafford in a £56.7million deal on a contract until June 2027, with the option of a further year.

Martinez caught the eye in the Eredivisie and Champions League with Ajax and Arsenal were reported to hold an interest in landing him, but the opportunity to play under United boss Ten Hag again was difficult to resist.

"I was with him three years at Ajax and I know his style of playing," he told the club's official website.

"With him, I improved a lot, to be honest. He's here in Manchester now, so again the opportunity was there and for sure he’s very important in my [career].

"[He's] very intense, for sure. Good football. Winning mentality, you know? That's the most important [thing].

"Every player needs to have things clear. I think he's very clear also. So I think, with him, every day you can learn and then, in the game, you can understand also fully – tactics and everything.

"How did he help me to improve? In how we can understand fully the situations, the decisions inside the pitch. He’s there in every detail."

Martinez is looking forward to making his debut, with thte Red Devils set to face Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano before kicking off the new Premier League campaign against Brighton and Hove Albion.

"Now I can feel the fire, you know? I want to train right now, with the team. For sure, we will work hard to put the club in the high levels," the new signing said.

"I will give my 100 per cent every game, in every training [session]. For sure, also the team, we will do it. We will play as a team."

Tyrone Mings has "no issues" with Steven Gerrard's decision to replace him as captain of Aston Villa.

Villa confirmed on Wednesday that John McGinn will skipper the side heading into the 2022-23 campaign, with Emiliano Martinez taking over as vice-captain and Ashley Young named club captain.

Mings had worn the captain's armband since Jack Grealish left for Manchester City last year.

The England international has been a near ever-present in his three seasons at Villa but he faces a fight for a starting spot this term following the arrival of Diego Carlos.

Explaining his decision to change the leadership hierarchy, Gerrard told the club's official website: "John has demonstrated that he is ready to take on the captaincy through his performances on the pitch combined with his attitude and application in training. 

"He is a popular member of the dressing room who sets high standards and expectations of himself. Emi is a respected senior member of the squad while Ashley Young's experience speaks for itself and he is the perfect ambassador for the first team.

"Naturally, I have had to have a discussion with Tyrone and have explained my reasons for making this decision. More importantly, I believe that not having the responsibility of the captaincy will allow Tyrone to focus more on his own game which can only benefit him and the team."

Despite more questions being raised over his future following Wednesday's announcement, Mings took to Twitter to say he understands Gerrard's decision.

"For me this isn't about John or I, it's about what’s right for Aston Villa," said Mings, who played in 36 of Villa's 38 Premier League games last term.

"I have no issues with the managers decision; I've loved leading this team. Anyone who knows John McGinn knows how infectious he is and it will be an honour to play underneath his captaincy."

Villa face Rennes in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday ahead of their Premier League opener against Bournemouth the following weekend.

Gianluca Scamacca has revealed Roberto Mancini was influential in his decision to leave Sassuolo for West Ham, with the Italy head coach believing a Premier League move was best for his development.

Scamacca, who had been linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the transfer window, signed a five-year contract with the option of an extra 12 months at the London Stadium on Tuesday.

West Ham have reportedly agreed to pay an initial £30.5million (€36m) for the towering centre-forward, who scored 16 Serie A goals for Sassuolo last term.

Among players to have scored 15 or more goals in a top-five European league in 2021-22, only three were younger than 23-year-old Scamacca, namely Erling Haaland (22 goals), Vinicius Junior (17) and Dusan Vlahovic (24).

Scamacca's form with the Neroverdi led to him breaking into Mancini's Italy squad, making seven appearances for the Azzurri since his debut last year.

The striker made UEFA Nations League starts against Germany and England in June as Mancini looked to remould Italy's attack in the wake of their failure to reach the Qatar World Cup.

After making his move to east London, Scamacca revealed he had discussed his future with Manchester City's 2011-12 title-winning boss.

"We spoke before I came here, and he said it was the best place for me," Scamacca told West Ham's website. 

"[He wanted me] playing in a tournament that would help me to get better and improve, because the Premier League is the best league."

Scamacca could make his Premier League debut when West Ham face Mancini's former side at the London Stadium on August 7.

John Stones is confident Manchester City will continue to perform at an elite level following a period of change, with the Premier League champions recruiting the likes of Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips amid the departures of several big names.

Meanwhile, Stones' City and England team-mate Phil Foden has hailed Pep Guardiola's style of management as the biggest factor in creating a harmonious atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium.

Having clinched a second consecutive Premier League title – their fourth in six seasons under Guardiola – with an exhilarating comeback victory over Aston Villa in May, City have used the transfer market to kick-start an evolution of their squad.

Haaland and Phillips represent City's two marquee signings during the off-season, while the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fernandinho have all sought pastures new.

While Stones told the club's website he was sorry to see some of their most storied players depart, he is confident City's new arrivals will keep Guardiola's team competitive. 

"I'm always confident we can be successful," Stones said. "Whoever has come in, they have always been great from the start.

"We obviously spend that much time together and get to know people on a personal level first and then we go out on the training pitch and see what they can bring and the quality they have.

"Whoever has come in has stepped up. It's sad to see people go, whether it is retirement or wanting a new challenge and that's hard because we have so many good friends and good memories on the pitch, but we won’t forget those.

"But that’s football, there is always new people coming in and it is credit to the backroom staff and people involved in recruiting that the character fit of players that have come in do so well in the team."

Haaland's arrival should provide City with the focal point they missed at times last term – Kevin De Bruyne top-scored with 15 league goals for a side that shared the attacking burden during 2021-22.

Meanwhile, Phillips appears the ideal Fernandinho replacement in midfield after making more recoveries per 90 minutes (10.16) than any other outfield player to make a minimum of 15 Premier League appearances last season.

The intense competition for places at the Etihad was suggested as the reason for both Jesus and Sterling departing for domestic rivals in Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.

But Guardiola handed at least 900 minutes of Premier League football to 18 different players last campaign, a tally only bettered by four clubs, and Foden has hailed the tactician for his approach to squad management.

"He's really good at it, bringing everyone together," the creative midfielder said. "We have a big squad and everyone has to be ready to play.

"You see that all year round, everyone has to be ready to step up. Everyone sticking together in moments like those is so important and that's why we win a lot of trophies."

Ruben Vinagre is relishing the chance to work under "football legend" Frank Lampard and coach Ashley Cole at Everton after completing a season-long loan move from Sporting CP.

The 23-year-old, who previously spent two full seasons in the Premier League with Wolves, becomes Everton's second signing of the window following the arrival of James Tarkowski.

Vinagre only joined Sporting on a permanent basis earlier this month, but the loan agreement between the Portuguese club and Everton is reported to contain an option for the Toffees to purchase the defender outright next year.

He can operate as a left-back or left wing-back and will provide competition for Vitalii Mykolenko this coming campaign, with Niels Nkounkou another option in that position for Lampard.

Everton confirmed the loan signing on their official website on Wednesday, and the former Portugal Under-21 international – who is in line to make his debut in Friday's friendly against Dynamo Kyiv – is eager to get going.

"It's a dream come true to join a big club like Everton," he told Everton TV. "The opportunity to work with very good players and a very good coach in Frank Lampard made me excited to sign.

"The manager is a football legend. Everybody knows him and the opportunity to work with and learn from him and someone like Ashley Cole – one of football's best left-backs – is very big for me.

"Kevin [Thelwell, director of football] was important, too, because he knows me very well from when we worked together at Wolves.

"He explained to me about Everton's proud history and the qualities you need here because it's a very big club and you have to give everything for the supporters."

Vinagre featured 18 times during his time on loan with Sporting last season and did not taste defeat in any of his domestic league or cup appearances.

As well as making 69 appearances for Wolves in all competitions, the full-back has also previously played for Monaco, Olympiacos and Famalicao.