Frank Lampard has described Dwight McNeil as a “huge talent” after the winger completed his move from Burnley to Everton for a fee that could reach £20 million (€24 million).
The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract and becomes the club’s third summer signing after his former Burnley team-mate James Tarkowski and the on-loan Sporting defender Rúben Vinagre.
Rafael Benítez, the former Everton manager, was keen on signing the former England under-21 international last summer and Lampard needs additions to his forward line after the sale of Richarlison to Tottenham.
“I have been a big admirer of Dwight for some time,” the Everton manager said. “He has huge talent and is exactly the type of player we want to bring into the squad to help us improve.”
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Rochdale-born McNeil made 146 appearances for Burnley having graduated through their academy. He failed to score and provided only one assist as Burnley were relegated from the Premier League last season but believes Lampard’s approach will improve his output.
“Speaking to the manager about what they want going forward, it really excited me and appealed to me,” he said. “I feel playing under a manager like Frank Lampard, he will help me to get my stats up – and that is what I want to do and improve my game.”
Everton’s director of football Kevin Thelwell said: “Despite being only 22, he has plenty of Premier League experience and the statistics prove we have brought in one of the best young talents in English football. We are confident that, working with Frank and his coaching staff, Dwight can become even better and enjoy a long, successful career with Everton.”
Meanwhile Crystal Palace have signed Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards on a five-year deal. The 22-year-old American centre back joined Bayern from FC Dallas in 2018 and had been on loan at Hoffenheim since February 2021.
“I grew up watching the Premier League and grew up of course watching [Wilfried] Zaha, so it’ll be cool to spend some time on the field with them [the players] and be a part of this historic club,” Richards told the Palace website. – Guardian
