Season › 2018-19 › News Simms delighted to sign first pro deal Lyndon Lloyd Saturday, 25 May, 2019 6comments | Jump to most recent Ellis Simms's first professional contract with Everton has been officially announced by the club and the young striker says he now wants to progress with the Under-23s. The 18-year-old has been grabbing attention within the club with an astonishing scoring record for the Under-18s that saw him score 46 goals this past season. Simms made the step up to the Under-23s as well and he will be working with David Unsworth and his side full-time from next season. “It means a lot to me to sign this contract,” Simms told the official site. “It's what I've been aiming to do since I was a kid — sign my first professional deal — so I'm really happy. “My target now is to just keep going, keep scoring goals and keep working on the areas of my game that I need to work on, and keep progressing. “Hopefully I can continue to do that at the next step, which is the Under-23s. It's going to be quite hard to top the season they've just had but hopefully I can play my part and ensure there's more good things to come. “Seeing the pathway from the Academy through to the first team shows that this Club can progress players. “You know if you keep doing the right things you will get a chance, then it's down to you to take it.” Simms has been at the Finch Farm academy since he was 16 after being brought in from Manchester City. His impressive scoring record had led to interest from Germany recently but Everton have secured his signature. Reader Comments (6) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Jamie Crowley 1 Posted 25/05/2019 at 16:04:36 Saw him once and was impressed.Best hair since Lukaku. That afro is top shelf. Michael Kenrick 2 Posted 25/05/2019 at 16:10:26 Didn't we report this already earlier this month?Simms signs first pro contractI presume this is from a filler piece at the Official Website that now includes quotes from the lad. Derek Knox 3 Posted 25/05/2019 at 16:18:54 I thought so too Michael, but anyway great that the lad has committed himself to the Everton cause for the next couple of years (presumably).I have a good feeling about this lad, if he keeps his nose clean, and applies himself to the job in hand, we could well see him emerging into the first team. Justin Doone 4 Posted 25/05/2019 at 18:41:40 A picture can paint a thousand words and I think I now see why he's been so successful at U18. He looks physically strong and mature which along with a bit of pace and skill helps him stand out at that age.I hope he's still scoring and playing well at U23 level but it's a big leap when the age and maturity levels out.Good look to him and all the rest. Steve Ferns 5 Posted 25/05/2019 at 20:07:04 Korede Adedoyin is the one who has yet to agree a deal. Hopefully the youngster commits his future to us and then steps up to the U23s. John Dean 6 Posted 26/05/2019 at 11:58:26 When I've watched the U18s, Ellis Simms is like a man playing football with kids but most of that advantage will disappear soon so he will still need to improve on his great finishing skills.Einar Iversen looks likely to make himself a good career. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads