Everton boss Roberto Martinez is delighted with the signing of winger Gerard Deulofeu and he quickly vowed to keep strengthening the squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
Martinez brought the 21-year-old Spanish starlet back to Merseyside on a three-year contract from Barcelona, with the option of a further year, to add to his acquisition of Tom Cleverley from Manchester United.
Deulofeu enjoyed a successful season-long loan with the Toffees in the 2013-14 campaign before staying in the Spanish La Liga with Europa League winners Sevilla last term.
As a result Martinez feels the player is “more mature” than his previous spell at Everton when he scored three league goals in 29 appearances.
He added: “Gerard needs no introduction to anyone here, for we are all well aware of his incredible footballing talent.
“We got to know him really well from his loan period, not only as such a talented player, but also his great character. He will be a fantastic asset to our club.”
Barcelona have included a clause which gives them first refusal to buy back Deulofeu if Everton decide to sell, while the European and Spanish champions can also trigger a release clause in his contract if they make an offer to Everton meeting certain requirements within the first two years.
However Martinez is just pleased to get him back on board early in the window as he looks to get a squad capable of vastly improving on last term’s 11th-place finish.
He said: “Our objective was to secure Tom and Gerard as quickly as we could and I’m really pleased this is exactly what we’ve done.
“Having done this now, we will have more time over the remainder of the window to carry on strengthening our squad, which is already strong, and we will use this time ahead of us well.”
The Toffees can be backed at 1.73 to win their Premier League opener against newly-promoted Watford at Goodison Park on August 8.
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