Everton’s Hayley Ladd: ‘The new owners were really impressive. It’s nice to hear that commitment’
Share:
The Wales international, one of five players to have joined the WSL club in this window, talks about leaving Manchester United and the Euros. After five and a half years with Manchester United, moving clubs was never going to be pain-free for Hayley Ladd but, in her words, sometimes you just “have to rip off the bandage” and go for it.
![[Tom Garry]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2024/06/19/Tom_Garry.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
After playing fewer than 10 minutes of Women’s Super League football for United this season, and knowing she needed a transfer to get on the pitch more regularly before July’s European Championship, the 31-year-old is now all smiles after her debut for Everton. Her fresh start on Merseyside coincides with a new era for the club after The Friedkin Group’s takeover and she says it was an easy decision to choose Brian Sørensen’s side.
![[Ladd in action for Everton in their first WSL game after the winter break, against Aston Villa, which ended in a 1-1 draw.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4a78bc7adb422892b1a6fef4e14307f2713f88c8/0_142_5048_3111/master/5048.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“The owners came in the other day and presented [to Everton’s women’s team],” Ladd says. “That was really impressive. It’s nice to hear that commitment from the owners and also build a relationship with them personally. “First and foremost I felt like the style of play at Everton really suited me. I liked the flexible nature of it and the fact they are a team that wants to try to have the ball as much as possible. You can tell that as a player in the league when you face Everton, that they are really technical and really tidy. Speaking to Brian [Sørensen], that came across. They probably see me more as a midfielder so that was another box ticked really.”.
![[Hayley Ladd says qualifying for a major tournament with Wales ‘is a dream come true’.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/38b856ea9b29aa4a1cf56cc543b157417800c557/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Ladd, who has previously been deployed at centre-back as well as in midfield, moved for an undisclosed fee and is one of five players to have arrived at Everton in this window. She played 110 times for Manchester United and helped them win the Women’s FA Cup last season but says: “At United it became obvious that my chances were becoming limited in terms of getting any decent playing time. That’s fine, it’s the way it was, and it spurred me on to look at other options. Once I heard Everton were interested it was a really easy decision.
