CHAIRMAN: WE AIM TO COMPLETE TRIANGLE

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has welcomed record signing Andrew Johnson to Goodison Park and hinted he will not be the club's last signing of the summer.

The 25-year-old £8.6m signing from Crystal Palace broke off from training with England on Tuesday to put pen to paper on a five year contract.

With Tim Howard also set to arrive from Manchester United on a season-long loan on July 1, Evertton have moved swiftly to begin drafting in the club's summer additions.

And with two new signings in the bag, Everton are now turning their attention to central defence.

Kenwright said: "At the end of last season, David confirmed he would like to strengthen the squad with a new goalkeeper, a defender and a striker.

"We have completed the first two parts of the triangle and I'm hopeful we can complete the third."

Johnson's £8.6m signing beats the previous record transfer of £6m for James Beattie from Southampton in January 2005.

Kenwright is delighted Everton have got their man after a battle to secure the striker's services.

"There is no such thing as a simple transfer these days and this one probably took a while longer than most," added the Everton chairman.

"It's no secret that David wanted Andrew Johnson a year ago but we adhered to Crystal Palace's request not to push with our enquiries. They were understandably keen to keep Andrew to help them regain their Premiership status.

"Simon Jordan, though, was as good as his word and when it became obvious that Andrew was for sale this summer,he was as straightforward as any chairman I have ever dealt with.

"Simon is a canny negotiator but from what I have perceived over the last two weeks, he deals with the truth, which always makes things easier. We kept our powder dry until relatively late as other clubs made their approaches.

"But the actual transfer itself was reasonably simple once both clubs had agreed the fee. It's my impression that Andy became an Everton player from the moment he met our manager.

"He was honourable enough to say he wanted think about the situation for 24 hours before letting anyone know his decision. But I was pretty convinced he was going to be in a Blue jersey long before the end of that period."

Johnson's unveiling to the media will take place at Goodison at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon.