Toni Duggan has signed a two-year contract to return to Everton, eight years after she left the club. Duggan left Everton in 2013, but after spells at Manchester City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, she has decided to return to her first club.
The 29-year-old forward told evertontv: “It feels so good to be back home. This is the club I started out at when I was younger. To be back here now, it’s an amazing feeling. As soon as I knew I could return to Everton, I was coming back.”
Duggan played Champions League football with Everton during her first spell at the club, but the club hasn’t been able to return to European competition since she left. Nevertheless, Duggan wants to bring continental football back to Everton, saying: “It’s so important for the club, the team, the manager. It’s everyone’s objective.”
Duggan helped Everton qualify for the Champions League while at the club, as well as winning silverware. As part of her breakthrough season in 2007/08, she won the FA Women’s Premier League Cup after scoring in extra time against Watford in the semi-finals. Duggan also helped Everton win the first FA Women’s Cup in 2010 by defeating Arsenal.
Everton Women manager Willie Kirk welcomed Duggan’s arrival, telling Sky Sports: “It’s an exciting signing for us. Toni is a big personality, a big-game player.”
