Transfer news - Everton announce Alex Iwobi signing hours after deadline

The Nigerian international signed for an undisclosed fee, though the BBC reported a sum of between £35-40 million.

The 23-year-old forward is Everton's seventh signing of the season including Jonas Lossl, Djibril Sidibe, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Moise Kean.

Everton manager Marco Silva said: “Alex was one of our main targets for this window and I believe he is a fantastic signing for Everton. He is a direct and skilful winger and attacking midfielder who always works very hard for his team.

“He is still young but already with a lot of top-level experience – 100 Premier League matches, more in Europe and many international games.

“It was important for me to have one more quality option for our attacking positions to add to what we have with Richarlison, Bernard and Theo Walcott.

“Alex fits exactly the profile of player I want in my model. He is hungry to join Everton and take the next step in his career, to help us compete with the strongest teams in the league and reach his potential at our club.”

Wilfried Zaha had been their preferred option in the forward role but the Merseyside club were priced out of move for the Ivory Coast forward.

The Nigerian international has been with the Gunners since he re-joined the club for a second time at the age of 16 and last season appeared in all but three of Arsenal’s league games.