Hajduk fans have heavy hearts tonight as Nikola Vlašić completes his transfer to Everton Football Club.
After 120 official appearances in the Hajduk jersey, the 19-year-old midfielder Nikola Vlašić has hung up his boots at Poljud for a new feat Everton FC. The transfer has become the largest in Hajduk’s history.
?⚪️ | #WelcomeVlasic! ?
— Everton (@Everton) August 31, 2017
The 19-year-old forward has joined from @hajduk on a five-year contract: https://t.co/rLYyIqtsT9 pic.twitter.com/qcBlBM0ceR
From Everton’s official website:
“I am very excited about the opportunity to play for this big club,” said the Croatia international. “The Premier League is the best league in the world, and this is one of the top clubs in England. It is such a big honour for me to be here.
“When I heard that Everton was interested in me, I knew straight away I wanted to come here. Whenever someone called my manager or my father, I told them I only wanted to come to Everton.
“The ambition of the Club is to ultimately play in the Champions League, and I want to help achieve that goal. I believe in myself and this team - I think we can do great things together.”
“When there is a manager like Ronald Koeman who wants you, there is no need to talk about it much. I wanted to come here because of the manager, because of the big players, because of the reputation of the Club. It is the opportunity of a lifetime.
“I played a lot of games for Hajduk Split, but the Premier League is something else. Playing football in England is a much bigger stage - football is number one here. I believe in myself. I want to learn from my teammates, improve and I believe I can be successful here,” concluded Vlašić.
? | "I am very excited about the opportunity to play for this big club."
— Everton (@Everton) August 31, 2017
evertontv interview ➡️ https://t.co/NFSBTZAADR #WelcomeVlasic pic.twitter.com/kdEhPygzn7
Nikola, at just 19 years old, is the youngest player in Hajduk’s history to have 100 appearances for the club. In his Jubilee performance for Hajduk, he also wore the captain’s band, announces Hajduk.hr on August 31, 2017.
Vlašić is the youngest Hajduk debutant in European matches (in the game against Dundalk he was just 16 years old) where he also became the youngest Hajduk scorer in European matches. Additionally, Vlašić is also the youngest Hajduk scorer in the Croatian First League, scoring in the match against Zadar at 17 years old.
Nikola scored a goal in his first and last official performance in a Hajduk jersey in which he recorded a total of 9,381 minutes, achieving 13 goals and 26 assists.
Everton’s manager Ronald Koeman added:
“We are very happy to bring Nikola to the Club as he is one of the big young talents in Europe. He showed that quality when we played Hajduk in the Europa League and he is only 19, so he will develop. Nikola is one of those players who can play a big part in Everton’s future and in what we want to achieve as a club.”
?? | Take a closer look at our new signing's sporting family and career to date: https://t.co/detL8td7jJ. #WelcomeVlasic pic.twitter.com/5XctFheVKr
— Everton (@Everton) August 31, 2017
The final details of the contract have yet to be announced, but it has been reported that the Nikola will stay with Everton through 2022 for around 10 million EUR.
