Everton Football Club have completed the summer acquisition of Super Falcons forward, Toni Payne following her exit from Sevilla at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Having spent six years in Spain, the lethal forward who is the first summer signing of the Women Super League outfit couldn’t hide her excitement over the move to UK as she looks to compete against top stars in the league.
“I’m super excited to be an Everton player. It’s been my dream to play in the UK and in such a strong league like the WSL. I’m excited to have the opportunity to play at a club like Everton with so much history in football”, the versatile 29-year old spoke to Evertontv after signing her contract.
“I’m impressed with how the league is investing in teams and the league itself, I see such a rapid growth and it’s something that I’m really excited and eager to be a part of”.
Having faced off against England’s top players in the 2023 World Cup (where Nigeria fell just short in the round of 16), Payne’s desire to play in the WSL was further ignited by the prospect of joining Everton.
“Now was the right moment for me to look for another challenge to push myself. It’s going to be different and new, and I’m really happy about my decision”, she added.
Everton manager Brian Sorensen hailed Toni Payne’s arrival at the club, saying that he is “extremely happy to bring Toni to the Club.”
“She is exactly the type of player we need. I’m 100-per-cent 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 really fast. A player without any injury history, too, so we are confident she will be a big success for us”.
“The way we play, it’s very dynamic. We don’t operate with a typical front three, it’s more so about filling the right spaces and having the ability to create opportunities. That’s where she will fit in very well”.
“Toni can play across the front line and in behind but can also do combination play and drop into midfield”.
“All of these qualities make her a great asset and she will be an important player for us”, he stated.
Toni Payne will now look to make a statement at the Paris 2024 Olympics game with Super Falcons who ended a 16 years wait for an Olympics appearance ahead of the opener against Brazil in the women’s football tournament.