The loan deal for Merlin Rohl contained an obligation for it to become permanent in the event Everton avoided relegation - something that has now been achieved
Merlin Rohl is now expected to become an Everton player in the summer.
Results at the weekend made the Blues mathematically safe from relegation from the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur unable to catch them after their stoppage time heartbreak at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion.
Everton’s top flight survival is the condition that should trigger the conversion of Rohl’s loan move from Freiburg into a permanent one. The deal is understood to be worth around £18m.
FOLLOW OUR EVERTON FC FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest EFC news and analysis from via the Liverpool Echo’s dedicated FB page
Rohl has, at times, impressed behind the scenes since his summer deadline day move from the Bundesliga. But a series of injuries have curtailed his ability to have a serious impact on David Moyes’ first team.
There have been good performances, most notably in the valuable away wins at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, victories secured with depleted squads during a winter in which Moyes was without a host of key stars.
But the return of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from injury and Idrissa Gueye from the Africa Cup of Nations, combined with the impressive form of James Garner, have limited the 23-year-old’s chances.