Jonny Evans joins Leicester: West Brom sell defender in £3.5m deal after relegation release clause triggered
The Northern Ireland defender leaves West Brom just six months after they rejected approaches from Arsenal and Manchester City worth in excess of £20m
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Your support makes all the difference.Leicester City have signed Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans from West Bromwich Albion after activating a relegation release clause in his contract.
The 30-year-old has signed a three-year contract in a deal believed to be worth £3.5m, with Leicester triggering the clause that only came into effect if the Baggies were relegated from the Premier League.
After dropping down to the Championship, Evans was widely expected to leave the club with former Premier League champions Leicester winning the race for his signature.
However, West Brom turned down approaches from both Manchester City and Arsenal last season that could have seen Evans leave the club for in excess of £20m, representing a sizeable loss on his value within Darren Moore’s team.
Speaking after the move was announced on Friday morning, Evans told LCFC TV: “It’s great to join and I’m happy it’s all gone through. When this opportunity came up, it’s one that I couldn’t turn down. It’s an ambitious club, the owners are ambitious and everyone wants to push the club forward.
“I hope that I can give lots to the team and the club. It’s a great place to play football, the fans really get behind the team and the players are fantastic – these are all factors that made me want to sign for this football club.”
The former Manchester United defender joined West Brom in 2015 and has made 96 appearances for the club, having played nearly 200 games during his nine years at Old Trafford to bring a vast level of experience to the King Power Stadium.
The centre-back is likely to link up with England defender Harry Maguire, with 34-year-old club captain Wes Morgan providing cover. Both Robert Huth and Aleksandar Dragovic have left the club since the end of the season, with the former becoming a free agent and the latter returning to parent club Bayer Leverkusen.
Dragovic could yet return to the club, with manager Claude Puel interested in a permanent deal for the 27-year-old, but in Evans he believes he is adding a winning mentality to a side that still has the Premier League triumph of 2015/16 in its memory.
“Jonny is a player of great experience in the Premier League and to have him as part of our squad is fantastic news for the football club,” Puel said. “He knows exactly what it takes, he is a winner and a leader. He will bring a great deal to our squad and I’m delighted to welcome him to Leicester City.”
West Brom also confirmed his departure simultaneously to Leicester’s announcement, and a brief statement added “the club wishes Jonny, who captained the Baggies last season, every success in his future playing career”.
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