Everton sign Nigerian international Payne and Portugal's Toni Pereira

Everton has secured the signings of two internationals, Portugal goalkeeper Ines Pereira and Nigeria forward Toni Payne.

Ines Pereira, a 25-year-old Portuguese international, joins Everton following the expiry of her contract with Swiss side Servette.

Pereira, who represented her country at EURO 2022 and the 2023 World Cup, has been loaned to Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruna for the upcoming season.

During her time at Servette, she made 47 league appearances and achieved 20 clean sheets, contributing to back-to-back titles in the Swiss Women's Super League. She also has two Portuguese league trophies from her tenure with Sporting Club de Portugal.

Manager Brian Sorensen expressed his excitement about Pereira's signing, saying, "Ines is a player I’ve been tracking for a while, from around the age of 18. We have two excellent goalkeepers with us now and Ines is one we see making an impact to our squad in the future."

She has a lot of experience – playing at the EUROs and the World Cup – but she is still young and has a lot more to give."

Toni Payne, a 29-year-old forward, has also joined Everton after a successful six-year spell in Spain with Sevilla.

Payne was part of the Nigerian squad at the 2023 World Cup, where they reached the last 16.

She expressed her enthusiasm about joining Everton, stating, "I’m super excited to be an Everton player. It’s been my dream to play in the UK and in such a strong league like the WSL."

"I’m excited to have the opportunity to play at a club like Everton with so much history in football. Now was the right moment for me to look for another challenge to push myself. It’s going to be different and new, and I’m really happy about my decision."

Sorensen praised Payne's signing, noting, "I’m extremely happy to bring Toni to the club. She is exactly the type of player we need. I’m 100-per-cent confident Toni can fit right into our team and into this league because she has a wealth of experience from Spain but also for the Nigeria national team."

Payne is eager to start her journey at Everton and is impressed with the club's investment in developing players and the league.

She added, "I’m impressed with how the league is investing in teams and the league itself. I see such a rapid growth and it’s something that I’m really excited and eager to be a part of. I’m excited to be part of the rapid growth in the WSL and to play in a style that fits me perfectly. I can’t wait to get started."