Jack Harrison has explained why he decided to choose Everton over Aston Villa.
Speaking to evertontv, the winger opened up on his arrival at Goodison Park after a hectic few days of negotiations.
Despite signing a new contract at Leeds United earlier this year, Harrison had been heavily linked with a quick return to the Premier League following the Whites’ relegation.
Everton were said to be interested in snapping Harrison up earlier this summer but it wasn’t until last week that they approached the relegated club.
While the 26-year-old looked set to join the Toffees, various reports claimed that Aston Villa were looking to hijack the deal and they looked close to missing out on another attacking target.
However, Sean Dyche’s side eventually won the race for Harrison’s signature and confirmed his arrival yesterday.
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Jack Harrison was left convinced that Everton was the right place for him to thrive
Speaking to the club, Harrison said: “It’s a pleasure to get the deal over the line. I’m really excited to be here.
“Everton expressed their interest right from the beginning and that was definitely valuable. You always want to be around good people and that’s the impression I got here straight away.”
On speaking to Dyche and making his decision to choose Everton, the forward said: “It came down to a lot of people here at the Club and the direction the Club wants to go in.
“We came to the consensus this would be the best place for me to thrive.
“From the beginning, the manager expressed how much he wanted me. It was a difficult period last season but, after speaking with people, the Club is in a really positive position and heading in the right direction.
“I know the first game [against Fulham] was unfortunate but there was a lot of good things that came out of that game and I’m hoping to contribute to that.
“Speaking with everyone here, experiencing what it’s like at the Club and the facility [at Finch Farm] really emphasised that so I’m super excited and just ready to get going.”