Everton manager Ronald Koeman wanted to bring in a new striker before the transfer window closed last Thursday, but he instead had to make do with the addition of Nikola Vlasic from Hadjuk Split on deadline day.
The 19-year-old forward, who Transfermarkt value at £3.6million, was one of the more impressive performers for the Croatian side when the Toffees face them in the qualifying stages of the Europa League last month, and the club and manager Koeman obviously saw enough from the teenager to want to bring him to Goodison Park so soon afterwards.
Vlasic follows the likes of Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez to the club in terms of attacking signings, and he will need to work hard and perform well if he is to get regular minutes on the pitch for the Merseyside outfit this term.
To boost Everton supporters’ knowledge of their new man, here are five things they need to know about Vlasic…
His special debut
Vlasic showed just how highly-rated he was during his time with Hadjuk Split after being handed his first-team debut at the tender age of just 16 years and nine months in a Europa League qualifying tie against Irish side Dundalk in 2014.
It was certainly a special debut too as he also found the net, becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer in European competition as a result.
He went on to make an impressive 120 appearances in total for the Croatian club before joining Everton, even though he doesn’t celebrate his 20th birthday until next month.
He is a leader
Last summer, at the age of 18, Vlasic was named as the vice-captain of Hadjuk Split which shows the huge potential and leadership qualities that he has.
Even though he was the vice-skipper, he did lead the side out in a Europa League qualifier last term, and Ronald Koeman will be happy to add a young player who is clearly mature and not scared to have his say in what is going to be an important season for the club.
Family sporting pedigree
It is little surprise that Vlasic has made it as a professional sportsman considering the pedigree his family has.
His father Josko is a former decathlete who represented Yugoslavia at the 1983 World Athletics Championships and he still holds the Croatian national record for the event.
Meanwhile, Nikola’s mother Venera is a former basketball player and cross-country skier, while his older sister Blanka is a professional high jumper who won a silver medal in the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and bronze in Rio last summer.
30,000 goals
While Vlasic certainly has impressed at youth level for Croatia and in the early years of his professional career, one of the claims his father Josko made from his younger days is, quite frankly, ludicrous.
According to an interview with sports magazine MAX! – via Bleacher Report – in 2012, Josko is said to have claimed that Nikola scored a remarkable 30,000 goals before he signed for his first football club.
It would certainly be interesting to hear more about that story and whether the proud father has any proof of his bold claim!
He will boost the Everton attack
Ronald Koeman would have known that he needed to bring goals into the team following the departure of the prolific Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United this summer, and even though he hasn’t brought in the striker he perhaps wanted, he will believe that he has enough.
Having scored 12 goals and provided a further 20 assists in 120 appearances for Hadjuk Split, Vlasic will bring a further attacking presence and goal threat to this Everton side and will add to the qualities the likes of Wayne Rooney, Sandro Ramirez and Gylfi Sigurdsson offer.
