Ladd Signs For Everton

Everton have signed Wales international Hayley Ladd on a permanent deal from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.

A versatile operator with more than 90 senior international caps, Ladd, who can play in defence and midfield, joins as the Toffees' fourth signing of the January transfer window.

Ladd says she is looking forward to playing alongside the Blues’ “competitive” squad and under manager Brian Sorensen.

“I’m just really excited to be here and to get going,” Ladd told evertontv. “It’s an amazing club with a big history, especially in the women's game. It's a real privilege and a pleasure to be here.

“The squad, first of all, looks really competitive and there are obviously loads of top players. With Brian, he's really impressive. I think he's got clear ideas of how he wants to play.

“It's great to play under a manager who's got those ideas and really wants to dominate the ball. I'm really excited just to get started working with him.”

Ladd boasts of wealth of valuable experience, having previously spent time at Arsenal, in Finland on loan with Kokkola Futis 10, Coventry City, Bristol City, Birmingham City and most recently, Manchester United, where she won the club’s Player of the Season award for 2019/20.

Capable of thriving in different areas of the pitch, she discussed her versatility, explaining: “At Wales for a long time, I've been playing centre-half, but at United and Birmingham, I was playing in midfield.

“I enjoy both positions and I feel like, hopefully, I can add something to each position and really add just a degree of flexibility to whatever position I'm playing.”

The 31-year-old Ladd joins an Everton squad which has already been bolstered this month by the signing of France forward Kelly Gago, as well as the loan arrivals of Spain Under-23s defender Martina Fernandez and exciting teenage prospect Emma Watson.

“Having watched Everton this season, you can see there's some really good performances and hopefully adding more players to the mix will add to that,” Ladd continued. “Everton have been a team that has succeeded in this league for a long time, so you know there's a brilliant foundation there and hopefully we can finish the season really well.

“I'd like to think the sky's the limit in terms of what we can achieve now and hopefully I can add to that and contribute in any way possible.”

On his latest acquisition, manager Sorensen said: “Hayley is a player who we believe can bring a lot to our squad – both with her experience in the dressing room and versatility on the field.

“We’ve had a strong start to the January transfer window and I’m very pleased to see Hayley become our newest signing.”