Everton reveals they signed Toni Payne from Sevilla because of her flexibility

Everton reveals they signed Toni Payne from Sevilla because of her flexibility

Everton Women manager Brain Sørensen has revealed why the club signed Super Falcons utility player Toni Payne.

Payne joined Everton from Sevilla where she spent the past six years with the Spanish top-flight team.

The 29-year-old midfielder/forward helped her country to the last 16 of the 2023 World Cup, having represented the USA up to Under-23 level.

Her time at Sevilla saw her clock up 169 appearances and she previously had a spell at Ajax.

“I’m super excited to be an Everton player,” Payne told Evertontv. “It’s been my dream to play in the UK and in such a strong league like the WSL.

“Now was the right moment for me to look for another challenge to push myself.”

During that World Cup campaign, Nigeria went up against the Republic of Ireland and competed against two of Payne’s new Blues teammates Heather Payne and Courtney Brosnan.

On his first signing of the transfer window, Brian Sørensen told evertonfc.com: “I’m extremely happy to bring Toni to the club.

“She is exactly the type of player we need. I’m 100 percent confident Toni can fit right into our team and into this league because she has a wealth of experience from Spain but also for the Nigeria national team.

“She can play multiple positions and is an intelligent player who is fast. A player without any injury history, too, so we are confident she will be a big success for us.”