Everton continued to step up their summer recruitment drive with the signing of Swansea defender Ashley Williams for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £11 million.
The 31-year-old put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Toffees, and speaking about his latest signing, new Everton manager Ronald Koeman explained why he was so keen to bring the Welsh skipper to Goodison Park:
“We wanted to bring in a strong player in the central defence position, a player who knows the Premier League and Ashley fits the bill for us very well. He is an experienced defender and the kind of player we need in the team. He is a leader. He showed this at Swansea and he has shown it for his country and he is looking forward to his new challenge here at Everton.”
The History
Williams began his youth career at West Brom, but was released by the Baggies at the age of 16. He then spent two seasons at non-league side Hednesford Town, before joining Stockport County in 2003.
He lasted five years with the Hatters, making 165 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and registering two assists, while he was also handed the captain’s armband at Edgeley Park.
In March 2008, then Swansea manager Roberto Martinez swooped to sign Williams for a then club-record transfer fee of a reported £400,000, and the centre-back immediately established himself as a key player at the Liberty Stadium, helping the club rise from League One to the Premier League by 2011.
Over the past five seasons, Williams, who took over the Swansea captaincy from Garry Monk, has been one of the most consistent centre-backs in the Premier League, and helped lead the club to two top 10 finishes, as well as a Capital One Cup success in 2012/13.
Williams, born in Wolverhampton, qualified to play for Wales due to his Welsh grandfather, and made his international debut in a 2-0 win against Luxembourg in March 2008. He led his country to qualification for this summer’s European Championship in France, and the team exceeded all expectations to reach the semi-finals, only to lose 2-0 to Portugal. Williams has currently made 66 appearances for Wales, scoring two goals.
The Prospects
As alluded to by Koeman’s comments, the former Swansea defender has been brought in to provide some leadership to a defence that conceded 55 goals last season, with only five teams having a worse record.
Koeman trialled a three-man defence during pre-season, a system he utilised whilst at Southampton, and also opted for the same set-up at home to Spurs on Saturday afternoon.
At this point, though, it remains to be seen whether the Toffees’ boss will only use this against the stronger teams in the Premier League and revert to a four-man defence thereafter.
Following John Stones’ departure to Man City, Williams looks set to be the first-choice selection at centre-back at Goodison Park, with Phil Jagielka, who Koeman revealed will not be leaving this summer despite interest from Sunderland, likely to be battling it out with Ramiro Funes Mori to start alongside the Wales international.
The Toffees have also been heavily linked with Sunderland defender Lamine Kone though, and should they sign the Ivorian, the chances of using a three-man backline would certainly increase.
Analysing the underlying statistics of Williams, Jagielka and Funes Mori in terms of their goal threat last season, the Argentine held a clear advantage, averaging a goal attempt every 97.1 minutes, significantly superior to both Williams (214) and Jagielka (216.8).
Nonetheless, Williams’ all-action type of defending, with a desire to put his body on the line every times he steps foot onto the pitch, has seen him put up strong numbers for clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI) over the past few seasons.
Only Leicester’s Christian Fuchs (with 25) garnered more bonus points than Williams (24) in the last campaign, with the centre-back regularly benefitting when his side managed to keep a clean sheet.
In addition, Williams has missed just nine Premier League matches over the past five seasons, so his durability offers another string to his bow.
Williams, Jagielka and Funes Mori are all priced at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), and whilst the new boys’ CBI boosts his appeal, it’s worth noting that Funes Mori scored four goals last term from just 24 starts and is one to monitor if he nails down a regular role.
The new recruit was handed an extended break following his Euro 2016 exertions, and with 10 days’ training alongside his new team-mates, should now be ready to take on West Brom next weekend.
He edges into the picture just as Everton embark on a very favourable upcoming run (wba, STO, sun, MID, bou, CPL, mci, bur), with only the trip to Man City in Gameweek 8 providing a stern test of he Toffees defence; clean sheets around that encounter look likely.
Ultimately, Koeman’s chosen formation will depend how we assess this new Everton rearguard.
Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman (when fit) will be the favoured options if stationed as wing-backs. Both are more expensive at 5.5 apiece in FPL, though with Coleman injured, Baines is set to emerge as a candidate to consider over the medium-term, particularly bearing in mind Koeman oversaw a Southampton side that kept an impressive 27 clean sheets over the past two seasons.
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