Everton and Crystal Palace have completed a swap deal that sends Dwight McNeil to the Toffees. The Welsh international, who earned 45 caps for Wales, will join the club that finished 13th last season.

Johnson told Everton’s TV channel that he “immediately wanted to come and be part” of the club when told of the Toffees’ interest. “There were a lot of reasons why I was so keen to join – the manager, the players, the direction the team is going in,” he added. “You can see this is a club that wants to go in the right direction, and I’m a player who wants to go in that direction too, so it feels like a really good match.”

Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season following a disappointing run of results at the end of the campaign. However Johnson believes the club will strive to do “everything to get back into European competition”, adding that “Everton has the ambition to win trophies – and I believe we can do it.”

The swap underscores both clubs' desire to strengthen squads ahead of a challenging Premier League campaign.