On Saturday, Everton announced their first signing of the summer, acquiring Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa.
The fee is officially undisclosed, but Fabrizio Romano reported that it is £9 million.
Iroegbunam, who’s signed a three-year deal, told Everton’s official site: “I’m very pleased. Everton is an amazing club, a big club and I’m just really happy to join and I can’t wait to get started.. It was a move that I didn’t want to pass by”.
He went on to say: “When I’ve been to Goodison as an opposition player, I’ve seen how the Everton fans are. You can tell straight away what the atmosphere is like – they are always backing the team. I’m going to work hard for them”.
Manager Sean Dyche added: “We’re pleased to add Tim to our midfield options. He is a young player who is still learning and developing but clearly has a lot of the qualities we want in that area of the pitch”.
Who is Tim Iroegbunam?
Currently 20, Iroegbunam joined Aston Villa’s academy from West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion in 2021.
The vast majority of his senior appearances have come for Queens Park Rangers, playing 32 times in the EFL Championship during a loan spell at QPR during the 2022/23 season.
For Villa, he has played 19 times, 15 of which came last season, totalling 300 minutes, his two starts coming against Ajax in the Europa Conference League and Manchester City in the Premier League.
He saw a lot more action in the second half of Villa’s season, as a result of their depleted midfield options.
Iroegbunam’s arrival on Merseyside could suggest the Blues are preparing for life after Amadou Onana, who plays in a similar position.
Profitability and Sustainability Rules implications
This signing is particularly interesting considering, as reported by Patrick Boyland and Jacob Tanswell in The Athletic, Lewis Dobbin is set to go in the opposite direction, joining Villa from Everton.
The Toffees and the Villans are both, reportedly, on the verge of breaching Profitability and Sustainability rules, so we could see move of these unofficial swap deals in the coming years as two clubs agree deals with each-other that may prove mutually beneficial for both.
