da aposte e ganhe： Everton defender Ashley Williams has claimed that he did not realise just how big of a club he was joining when he made the move to Goodison Park last summer.
da pinnacle： The Welshman spent eight years with Swansea City between 2008 and 2016 – making more than 350 appearances – before moving to Everton ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.
The 32-year-old started 35 of Everton’s 38 Premier League matches last season, and he has revealed his delight at being able to represent “such a massive club”.
Williams told Everton’s official website:
“It’s the history of the club and the tradition. When you come into the city it’s either red or blue and on a matchday you know that the Everton fans are crazy for football and really live for the team.
“Once you become part of the club you realise how big football is to them and what the club has achieved before so you’re always trying to live up to the standards that have been set.
“I’ve enjoyed it. Coming to such a massive club like Everton, everyone welcomed me straight away and for us it’s been a decent season. The top six is difficult to break into; we gave it a good go and got European football in the end so it’s been a good season.”
Williams, who has earned 70 caps for Wales, helped Everton to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League table last season, but the Toffees were eight points behind sixth-place Manchester United.
The Merseyside outfit have also had a turbulent start to the summer as rumours surrounding Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley continue to gather pace, with the attacking duo both expected to depart Goodison Park before the start of the new campaign.