Premier League: Everton rope in defender Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv
Jan 01, 2022
Liverpool [UK], January 1 : Everton have completed the signing of defender Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv for an undisclosed fee, the Premier club announced on Saturday.
The Ukraine international has agreed on a four-and-a-half-year deal until the end of June 2026. He becomes the Blues' first signing of the January transfer window having impressed at both club and international level in recent years.
Mykolenko, 22, has won 21 caps for his country and was a key part of the team which reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. Ukraine's premier left-back has featured regularly in Dynamo's past two Champions League campaigns and was instrumental in his side's domestic league title triumph in 2020/21. He has also won two Ukrainian Cups with Dynamo.
He made a total of 132 first-team appearances for Dynamo, scoring seven goals and providing 20 assists.
Speaking to evertontv after becoming manager Rafa Benitez's sixth signing as Blues manager, Mykolenko said: "Moving to Everton is a big and important step in my life."
"I have always dreamed of playing in the Premier League. English football is where the game was born and I think that it will suit my game very well. I am 22 but I don't feel like a youngster. I have experience of playing at European level and hope I will continue to improve as a player."
Mykolenko, who can also operate in central defence and as a wing-back, made his Dynamo debut aged just 18, with his consistently high-quality performances seeing him rewarded with a senior international call-up one year later.
He quickly established himself as the number one left-back for club and country and shone as Ukraine qualified for Euro 2020 in an impressive fashion.
