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Tom Cleverley out to help Everton back into Europe this season

New signing Tom Cleverley wants to help Everton back into Europe this coming season.

The 25-year-old midfielder's free transfer from Manchester United -- announced on June 5 -- was completed officially on Wednesday as the transfer window opened.

Cleverley was wanted by Aston Villa, where he spent last season on loan and was part of the team who reached the FA Cup final. But he was attracted by the chance to join up again with Everton boss Roberto Martinez, for whom he played when spending the 2010-11 campaign on loan at Wigan.

Martinez had a tough second season in charge at Goodison Park in 2014-15, with the club finishing 11th in the Premier League amid inconsistent form. The Toffees had finished sixth and fifth in the previous two campaigns, and Cleverley believes they can return to that level.

He played Champions League football during his time at Manchester United, and is keen to experience European nights again. He told Everton's website: "Getting back into Europe is definitely something I'm thinking about.

"European football is something clubs of this size deserve -- and I've had good experiences in Europe in the past, so I hope there is more to come at Everton.

"It's difficult to think about targets so soon, but it's a club that can definitely be fighting towards that top six and I hope can go on a good cup run, which was something I was lucky enough to experience this year."

Meanwhile, fellow new signing Gerard Deulofeu says he turned down offers from other clubs to return to Goodison Park.

The 21-year-old graduate of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy completed a £4.2 million move last week to rejoin the side where he spent a successful loan spell in the 2013-14 season.

"I had a great year when I was here last,'' the winger told evertontv. "I really enjoyed my time here. I felt loved by the Evertonians and I was surrounded by really good team-mates. I'm very happy to be back.

"Of course there were other options but I always said right from the start that I wanted to come back to Everton - you can ask my agent and he will say the same.

"This is where I feel happy, this is where I feel like I am loved by the fans. Obviously I went back to Barcelona and then Sevilla but here the fans live for their football.

"The Everton fans have been sending me messages all the time on social media, on Instagram and Twitter, asking me questions. If I have got 50 notifications on Twitter, 40 of them will be from Everton fans asking what is going on.

"Both myself and my girlfriend feel very supported by the fans and I just hope this year I can work really hard and give them back some of the happiness that they deserve.''

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