Everton to sign 'very good player' for £3 million...........

Everton prepare to face Aston Villa in the Premier League and will come up against John McGinn.

Everton could have signed Aston Villa captain John McGinn for just £3 million, according to Alan Stubbs.

Alan Stubbs has offered his verdict on the title race in Scotland | Getty Images

McGinn will lead out Unai Emery’s side when the Toffees make the trip to Villa Park this evening (17.30 BST). The midfielder has established himself as a top-quality Premier League operator and has proven a bargain for the Birmingham outfit.

He arrived from Scottish club Hibernian for a reported fee of £2.8 million in July 2018. McGinn was part of their side that won promotion from the Championship that season – scoring the winning goal in the play-off final at Wembley – and has been a mainstay in the top flight. Last term, the Scotland international netted nine times in 53 games in all competitions as Villa finished fourth in the Premier League to qualify for the Champions League – along with reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

Former Everton defender Stubbs was McGinn’s manager at Hibs, with the pair winning the Scottish Cup in 2016. And Stubbs revealed that he told the Toffees to make a swoop for the midfielder before he joined Villa. Via the Edinburgh Evening News in March 2023, Stubbs said: “I spoke to Everton when it became clear that Leann Dempster (then Hibs chief executive) was looking to lure one of the big boys to come and sign him.

“I told Everton to make the investment because I knew he would be a very good player and they could get him for £3 million. What’s he worth now? £40 million-plus? Typical Everton, they didn’t do it and now Aston Villa are reaping the benefits.”

Everton go in search of their first points of the Premier League season having suffered losses against Brighton, Tottenham and Bournemouth. Villa have accrued six points so far and are seventh in the table.