Everton confirm Andros Townsend & Asmir Begovic signings

20 July 2021 22:15

Everton have confirmed the signings of both Andros Townsend and Asmir Begovic, who become the first arrivals of the Rafa Benitez era.

Townsend joins after his Crystal Palace contract expired at the end of last season. During the previous campaign he featured in all but two of the Eagles' Premier League games, but only scored once.

Speaking after the move was confirmed on Tuesday, Townsend told evertontv: "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.

"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 has previously had spells at Newcastle United and Tottenham. While at Spurs he spent the majority of his career out on loan to likes of Ipswich Town, Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers. He arrives at Goodison Park on a two-year contract.

Meanwhile, Begovic has joined from AFC Bournemouth on an 12-month deal with a one-year optional extension.

He said: "When I first heard of the possibility of joining Everton, I was really excited.

"Opportunities like this don’t come around every day so I’m honoured and pleased to be here.
The ambition is to get this club to where it belongs. We want to be challenging for those European spots, challenging for trophies and being in that upper echelon of the league.

"With the squad we have, the fan base, and the tradition of the club, everything is in place for us to be successful."

34-year-old Begovic will likely provide backup to England number one Jordan Pickford, with Robin Olsen returning to Roma following his loan spell.

Source: 90min