Allan first through the door as Everton confirm capture of Brazilian

Bem-Vinda !

Happy day! Welcome Allan, Monster Blue.

Some Samba Pa Ti, please. Welcome Allan.

Looking good in Royal Blue!

Great news finally... worth the wait. Really hope Gbamin gets back to fitness fast to help Allan play his natural game which is to help win the ball higher up the pitch and feed it to our flair players.

But my worry is where does Gomes fit into the scheme of things?

He is the one of the two players, Holgate being the other, who can spray a perfect cross-field pass!!!

We’ve been crying out for two quality central midfIelders who are prepared to put it on the line for the club and manager. Delighted Allan is confirmed, now for Doucoure.

James Rodriguez is the icing on the cake.

Good news. One completed.

"Professor" Ancelotti!

Splendid stuff, keep bringing in quality and somehow sell the low quality. Carlo does have some pull!

I agree Allan will be a central figure once he settles in. I am not sure it will be alongside André Gomes though.

Buckle up, we're going for a ride.

Complete overhaul of midfield, exactly what we needed.

Now it's time for Carlo to coach them up.

Second best midfield of my time: Pip, Arteta, Cahill
Best midfield of my time: Barry, McCarthy, Barkley

Allan, Doucouré, Rodriguez: where will they fall in the pecking order? Time will tell, but I'm excited to see where we go from here.

More players of this ilk, please! Please, Everton, remember the wise words of the great Inspector Clouseau: Out with the bad air, in with the good!

A midfield with extra bite, that's gonna be tasty to watch. Shirt No 6, alrite. Exciting times again.

Each summer transfer window is different, so I'm all excited again for an outcome we're going to witness in the near future. C-O-Y-B!

Really glad to have him here. If we were getting just one he would be it. Hope the others follow soon, always a problem with Everton, never straight forward.

Cillessen talk seems to be gathering pace. Even though he sat on the Valencia bench for some of last season he won't be coming to us to do the same. Maybe Jordan is under serious threat.

Who is the keeper this afternoon? Everyone on international duty.

Answering my own question, it's Tyrer, who I know nothing about.

A fee of about £22m or so. Really not too bad at all given that the rumoured fee was more like double that a few weeks ago. Presumably that's why it has taken time.

Rodriguez and Doucouré give us depth, experience and quality, assuming they sign too.

I'm assuming that will be it – bar teenage prospects or maybe a free transfer goalie who is better than Léssl (and possibly Pickford too).

It remains an extremely competitive league, however. So it will be interesting to see what Ancelotti can do with a squad that is still probably about 7th best (at best).

A Mourinho meltdown and an injury to Vardy or Aubameyang would make things very interesting.

Well now I see him in the shirt: congratulations, also well done to Brands and anyone else involved in getting the fee down to a reasonable price. This is the sort of negotiating we need and may explain the delay in other expected signings.

We needed this signing to show Everton's ambitions for the future, as the signing of this player could bring in other players that will improve the team.

£22m is a good fee. Just a question of how well and how quickly he adapts. If he can reach the high standards he’s shown in serie A over the last 6 seasons he will prove a hit I think.

I think the success of this transfer may well depend on Allans level of professionalism and conditioning. Is he going to be more Distin (who was still an incredible athlete in his mid 30s) or Rooney (who had almost totally lost his acceleration and top speed) by the time he hit 30)?

Unlike Gareth Barry a lot of Allans game when at its best is based on covering ground quickly. Fingers crossed.

We are pleased.

The fee is a lot less than I expected. The deal is only 3 years. I can’t see any downsides to this deal, after initially expecting a £35m fee and a 5 year deal. Brands has done well here.

The player will add some much needed bite to our midfield. I hope he can pick up the lingo quick, as we need him barking at his teammates.

He'll be fine Steve. Barking is a universally understood language. As a dog owner, it means the dog isn't happy so change what you're doing now!!

So you expect both bark and bite, Steve?

Barking can mean excitement can’t it? I thought growling was the universal threat message, paired with a decent upper lip snarl!

True Si. I suppose whether the dog is barking or snarling, we kind of know what he means and wants!!

Our kelpie dog, Penny, is delighted. She knows I will be in a good mood when I walk her in the morning!!

Well, at the moment, I am excited and keen to communicate! Not that I know a lot about the player, I'm just being optimistic that the expected(?) trio can make a big difference.

I like him already!

Delighted we have a midfielder who can tackle, hope Doucoure and James to follow, and if we can shift some of the deadwood, maybe more signings.

Welcome Allan!

Like most I was pretty despondent at the end of the season and we all knew that our midfield was the main issue, my glass is now filling up nicely with positivity!

Doucoure will sign. Not sure Rodriguez will.

James is already signing Everton fans signatures and was in Liverpool. These 3 players make total sense. I get the people who advocate signing young players, but understand this quote. 'Without short-term success there will be no long term'.

Thought I'd logged on to Cruft's website for a minute there, but that's a tale for another day!

Made up to finally see one of our intended targets wearing the Royal Blue, and echo fellow TWers' appreciation of Carlo, Brands, and the negotiating team for getting this across the line.

As to what the formation will be, we'll have to see, but assuming the others arrive soon and are fit, it will be interesting to see if all three along with Gomes will be employed as a unit.

Still think we need a couple more in at right-back, goalkeeper and possibly a striker too, but there is still nearly a month in the Transfer Calendar to organise something. A lot will depend on who we can move on too, like most windows, there is always a flurry of activity in the last day or two.

Bob [25], you and I know that kelpies are not merely dogs; rather ‘beings'. 😉

I am sure that both Rodriguez and Doucouré will sign in the next few days, and be pictured wearing the shirt.

I think what's a little bit more uncertain is how this very short pre-season will affect teams. We have played Blackpool when the players had only been back in training for a short period, then yesterday played Preston NE with most of the first team away on International duty. With also the likelihood of having 3 new players in the squad for the Spurs game, it will be interesting to see what our line up will be.

So not an ideal preparation for the start of the season, but I am sure most teams will be in the same position. I don't see the sense of International games taking place a week before the season starts.

Amazed they didn't announce Flanagans signing at the same time. I always thought of them as inseparable! Maybe Monday?

Anyway welcome Chesney!!

With James and Doucouré signing, a fast left-footed centre-back and scoring winger are a must.