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Jean-Philippe Gbamin has revealed Everton were first interested in a potential move for the midfielder a year ago.

The Ivory Coast international completed his switch from Mainz to Merseyside on Friday, putting pen-to-paper on a five-year contract with his new club.

But, the 23-year-old has now lifted the lid on when he first heard of a potential switch to Goodison Park - and why the move didn't come off at the time.

"It was a year ago, pretty much, when I first heard of Everton's interest," Gbamin told the ECHO.

"Things obviously sped up a little bit more recently once there was talking of Idrissa [Gueye] maybe leaving the club.

"He left, and I came in through the door."

In fact, the midfielder believes that if Gueye had left Everton in January, he could well have left Mainz months sooner.

The 23-year-old added: "Not really a year ago, maybe if Idrissa had ended up leaving the club in the winter window I might have left my club then.

"But I think it's a good thing for everyone that the move has happened in the summer, it's a good time to move."

(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

Everton supporters were delighted on Friday to see director of football Marcel Brands already striking a good relationship with the club's new signing, fixing his suit collar in one particular portion of an announcement video.

The Blues chief has been in touch with Gbamin for a while and his influence, along with the rest of the club, were enough to convince the Ivory Coast international to leave Germany for the Premier League.

"That [striking a relationship with Brands] was a big moment," the midfielder revealed.

"He gave me advice along the way and we had been in contact before I signed here.

"Yeah when you hear a club like Everton is talking with your management and your agent, obviously it's something positive and something I'm interested in.

"So as soon as that door opened I didn't hesitate to walk through it."

Despite Everton's interest in him last season, Gbamin was completely focused on helping Mainz through their Bundesliga campaign - with the German side finishing 12th in the table.

However the youngster did manage to keep tabs on the Blues occasionally as they finished the term in strong fashion, beating the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United in the closing stages of 2018/19.

(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

And the new man is keen for the whole squad to take that form into next season and beyond.

He added: "I didn't watch loads of Everton last season, but I watched one or two.

"But I think, by the end of the season, I was really impressed by the style of play they were playing, they were playing well in that final period of the season.

"I think what's important there is to take that form into this season. It's really important to get a good start and then carry that good form right the way through the season.

"We'll see what happens."