Sandro Ramirez

Sandro Ramirez is already certain he made the right decision by joining the Blues this summer, and today hopes to get off the mark against Spanish opposition he knows well.

- Mike Taylor

Scan through Everton’s new-look squad list and you’ll see why there’s plenty of optimism around Goodison for the 2017/18 campaign.

Among the talent at Ronald Koeman’s disposal, there’s one name on today’s teamsheet in particular who Sevilla will be dreading the sight of.

9. Sandro Ramirez.

The 22-year-old forward proved to be the scourge of Los Rojiblancos last season, scoring in both of Malaga’s La Liga games against them on his way to notching 16 in total.

Indeed, Sandro’s impressive form particularly in front of goal, where he averaged a strike every 165 minutes in the Spanish top flight, a better rate than Barcelona’s Neymar (204 minutes), Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (192 minutes) and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema (174 minutes) - sparked a transfer scramble this summer, with a host of European clubs attempting to lure the graduate from Barcelona’s La Masia academy.

But when Everton came calling, Sandro insists the decision quickly became a straightforward one - and that was in no small part thanks to Blues boss Ronald Koeman.

“When a big club from the Premier League with as much history as Everton come knocking, it’s very interesting,” explains the Spaniard, who signed a four-year deal with the Club last month. “Ronald Koeman also showed a lot of faith in me and he is one of the main reasons why I’ve come here. I hope he has a big influence on my career. I had a couple of conversations with him and I felt I had the backing of him, as well as Steve Walsh and the rest of the backroom staff.

“I’m very, very happy to be here. I’ve had a fantastic welcome from the first minute I arrived and I’ve been really accepted by the dressing room. I’m glad I made the decision I did - and I know I’ve made the right one.”