Everton have completed the signing of Sweden defender Nathalie Björn on a three-year deal from Rosengård for an undisclosed fee.
The 24-year-old joins with a wealth of experience, having represented her country at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and has enjoyed a run of games with Sweden as they qualified for next summer’s European Championship in England.
The defender links up with her international teammate Anna Anvegård who was confirmed as an Everton player on Saturday.
The pair will not be able to meet their new teammates until later this summer, as they fly across Asia for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Once her duties with Sweden conclude, Björn wishes to hit the ground running when she links up with Willie Kirk’s side.
“It feels amazing to be an Everton player,” the Swedish international told evertontv.
“It has been a long process but I’m so happy to be joining this club.
“I feel the Club are building something here and it feels amazing to be a part of that journey.
“It has been a dream of mine to play in other countries and to try see how good I can be.”
Bjorn has her sights set on becoming one of the world’s best, something she feels she can achieve by working with manager Kirk.
“I think he’s a good coach and we have a really good understanding of each other,” she added.
“That played an important part in why I wanted to come to Everton.
“Working with Willie can help me become one of the best football players in the world.
“I feel I’m going to learn a lot just by training with my teammates and by playing against teams with good players.”
Björn becomes Everton's fourth signing of the transfer window and says she’s glad to have a familiar face around the training ground.
“It’s really nice to have Anna here too," added Bjorn.
“We have played together and known each other for a long time.
“It feels nice to have someone there that’s from back home.”
Sarvar Ismailov, Everton Women Sporting and Commercial Director, said “Nathalie was our target since January.
“She is an amazing player, an amazing character and a true leader.
“She is very mature for her age and a rock-solid defender who will definitely improve our backline.”
Kirk holds his new signing in high regards and is confident she can go on to be one of the best defenders in Europe.
“Nathalie is another top signing for this Club,” he told evertonfc.com.
“She adds a lot of competition to our team.
“I have seen a lot of clubs linked with her.
“She had options and it’s fantastic to see her choose Everton.
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“Nathalie is technically fantastic in terms of building from the back and will allow us to do that on a different level.
“Her pass appreciation is fantastic in terms of what she gives to her teammates.
“She’s flexible. She can play full-back and defensive midfield but, predominantly, I see her as a centre-back.
“She gives us options to play three or four in defence.
“I believe she can go on to be one of the top defenders in Europe and hopefully we’ll play a big part in that.”
