“The perfect match” — Dibling signs in as Everton's latest exciting new recruit

Everton have completed the long-awaited transfer of Tyler Dibling after negotiating a deal with Southampton for the 19-year-old worth a reported £35m, with a further £5m dependent on appearances.

The Blues had a series of bids flatly rejected by Saints earlier this month, with the south coast club seeking to maximise any return on a hot young academy prospect whom some at St Mary's believe is their best product for a generation.

However, with the transfer window dragging on into the new season and the teenager having expressed his desire to make the move to Merseyside, the Southampton hierarchy eventually relented and acquiesced to similar terms to Everton's final offer.

It has been suggested that a 20% sell-on clause based on any future profit the Toffees might make ended up being lower than initially proposed by Southampton.

“I'm buzzing to sign," Dibling told evertontv. "I felt the Club already, even before I was in the building, just from social media and from people telling me about the Club. I've never been so excited to play football and I'm just ready to get going.

“I think it's the perfect match because of where the Club is right now. Obviously with the new stadium, the fans here are unreal and it has a family feel to it. I think it was the perfect fit and was a no-brainer to join.

“I think I’ve come to Everton at the perfect time and hopefully I can be here for many years.

Dibling, who scored four goals in 44 games for Saints, has signed a four-year contract at will wear the No 20 shirt.

“[The Brighton win] gave me a feel for the Club. It looked unbelievable," he continued. "I also played in the last Men’s game at Goodison. It was so loud. I was looking around and thinking, 'This is quality'. That was a really good insight for me into what it's like here with the fans and the atmosphere they can create.

“There's no better feeling than when you're doing well in football and to feel that love from the fans is one of the best feelings ever. I'm excited to play here.” 

One of the few positives of what was a miserable season for Southampton in the Premier League last season as they narrowly avoided recording the lowest ever points total for a top-flight side since 1992, Dibling follows Thierno Barry (22) and Adam Aznou (also 19) into the football club this summer as promising young recruits who can form the core of a new unit at Hill Dickinson Stadium for the long term.

He showed huge promise in the first half of Saints campaign but his form tailed off over the second half of the season, a dip attributed by observers to too many minutes too soon and his team's poor overall form.

Dibling is said to have been registered in time to feature in Everton's home tie against Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening when Blues fans could get their first look at the latest new signing.