New recruit wants to reach the ‘next level’ with Everton

Aug 8 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

NEW Everton signing Leighton Baines believes moving to Goodison can take his game on to a higher level.

And the ambitious England under-21 international reckons playing in the UEFA Cup can aid his attempts to break into the full national side.

The 22-year-old left-back completed his transfer from Wigan Athletic yesterday after passing a medical and penning a contract which ties him to the club until 2012.

Baines will have to wait for his debut as a hamstring strain has ruled him out of a swift reunion with his former team-mates in Saturday’s Premier League opener at Goodison.

But the Kirkby-born defender is eager for his first taste of European football, and said: “Europe is always something you are looking for as a player, and something I am happy about because you need that European experience to help you progress on to the next level.

“Everton had a good season last time out, the lads did really well so hopefully we can build on that, get into Europe again and have a decent European campaign.”

He added: “I am very happy now it is all done and I am looking forward to getting on with it all here.

“People knew this was the place I wanted to come and I am glad now that it is all done.

“I am a local lad and all my family support Everton so it’s good to be here at last.”

Baines is Everton’s third summer signing and he has been impressed with the quality of manager David Moyes’ previous captures.

“There has not always been a lot of (transfer) activity over the years but when they get someone in they are always top quality, like Andy Johnson and Mikel Arteta,” he said to evertonTV.

Baines already has a friend in the Everton dressing room in striker James Vaughan, with the pair becoming pals during the summer when they were in the England squad for this summer’s Uefa European U21 Championships.

And Baines said: “I watched Everton’s recently friendly with Werder Bremen with him – hopefully there will be a lot more European games like that this season.

“I got to know ‘Vaughany’ well over the summer, we spent a lot of time together.

“There seems to be a good mix here. There are some experienced lads and quite a few good young lads as well – Victor Anichebe as well being one of them.

“He and ‘Vaughany’ were a real handful up front last season and playing against them wasn’t easy.”

Baines has now returned to a club who rejected him when he was just 12 and is the second player Everton have signed this summer who was shown the door as a youngster, Phil Jagielka having been signed from Sheffield United for £4million. And manager Moyes said: “We are pleased to have him. It is a signing for now and it is also a signing for the future.

“Leighton is someone we have been after for a long time and he is someone who will give good competition to our squad.

“We see him as a left-back. We already have Nuno Valente to play there and Joleon Lescott can cover in that position, but we really want him (Lescott) to be a central defender.

“We needed to add to our squad after we sold Gary Naysmith to Sheffield United. Leighton is a young player and he fits in with our policy of trying to buy good British players if we can. And he is a big Evertonian. We have been impressed by him and the reports that we have had about him over the past 12 months have been good.

“He really came to prominence last season and has done well in the Premier League and at the European Under-21 Championships, so that was a big factor.”