Brazilian midfielder Allan signs three-year deal with Everton
Sep 05, 2020
Liverpool [UK], September 5 : Brazilian midfielder Allan has signed a three-year deal with Premier League club Everton on Saturday.
Allan, who joins Everton for an undisclosed fee following five years with Italian club Napoli, has nine senior caps for his country, having won the Copa America last year.
The 29-year-old played 61 games under Carlo Ancelotti when the Everton manager was in charge of Napoli and Allan admitted he could not turn down the opportunity to work with the Italian again and join a club "with a rich history and real ambition".
"It is a real pleasure to sign for Everton. I am immensely happy to be here. I hope, like I have done in my entire career, I contribute with my performances together with my teammates and that I put in some great games, great performances and win important things," he said in a club's official statement.
"It is a club with a rich history in the Premier League, has real ambition and then there is Professor Ancelotti. He has done everything possible to bring me here. It is the size of the club and the name of the coach which means you don't think twice about coming to Everton," Allan added.
Allan was formerly with Napoli's domestic rivals Udinese for three years -- in his final campaign in 2014/15 he ranked as the top ball winner in Europe's five major leagues -- after transferring from Vasco da Gama in Brazil.
The player is a cup winner in both Brazil and Italy and was part of the national team alongside new teammate Richarlison which won its home Copa America tournament in 2019, adding to the Under-20 World Cup he claimed with his country eight years earlier.
Allan played more than 200 times for Napoli, including 158 Serie A appearances and 26 games in the Champions League.
He featured in all 38 league matches in 2017/18 when Napoli accumulated 91 points to finish a close second to Juventus in Serie A.
Allan, who was born in Rio de Janeiro and started in football as a youth player with the city's Madureira club, helped Napoli to three runners-up finishes in Italy's top division.
He won the Coppa Italia -- Italy's premier domestic cup competition -- in his final season with the Stadio San Paolo club.
