David Unsworth believes the recruitment of Gareth Barry will prove to be a shrewd piece of business from Roberto Martinez.
The Everton boss strengthened his midfield options by securing the services of the England international on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City before the summer transfer window slammed shut on Monday evening.
Barry boasts an abundance of top-flight knowhow having made just shy of 500 Premier League appearances since debuting for Aston Villa in May 1998.
And Unsworth says the anchor man, 32, is perfectly suited to the system that Martinez is looking to implement at Everton.
“First and foremost, is he a quality player? The answer is yes,” said the evertonfc.com columnist. “Does he fit the style that the manager wants to play? Yes he does.
“Certain players have left and will he be as good as them in terms of fitting into the team and hitting the ground running? Yes again.
“He is English as well which is nice for the fans that they can cheer on an English player.
“He also doesn’t have to move far to come and ply his trade here at a fantastic football club.
“I’m biased but Everton is a massive club with passionate fans and he will see that from the very first moment he puts on a royal blue shirt.
“It’s a good signing for me and hopefully he can come into the team and hit the ground running.”