Funes Mori departs Everton to join Villarreal

Patric Ridge

Funes Mori departs Everton to join Villarreal image

Everton have sold defender Ramiro Funes Mori to Spanish side Villarreal for an undisclosed fee.

Argentina international Funes Mori arrived at Goodison Park in September 2015, with Roberto Martinez - who was Everton manager at the time - splashing out a reported £10 million ($13m) to sign him from River Plate.

A regular starter in his first season, Funes Mori slipped down the pecking order under Ronald Koeman before a knee problem restricted him to just four appearances in the 2017-18 campaign.

The 27-year-old, who missed out on Jorge Sampaoli's World Cup squad, has now signed for Villarreal, penning a four-year deal with the Liga club.

The Argentine's departure is sure to be just a small part of the shake-up at Goodison as new boss Marco Silva looks to make a positive start the 2018-19 season after a disappointing campaign last time out.

Having spent big last summer and largely failing to deliver, Toffees fans will be expecting a higher standard of football as the Portuguese trainer prepared to head into the new term.

Funes Mori made a total of 67 appearances for Everton across all competitions, scoring five goals.

Patric Ridge