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Football

02nd Aug 2018

Ashley Williams joins Championship club Stoke City on loan until the end of the season

He had fallen down the pecking order at Everton but has found a new temporary home not far down the road in the Championship

Reuben Pinder

He has suffered a rapid decline over the past two seasons.

Ashley Williams has joined Stoke City from Everton on a season long loan.

The Wales international was signed by Ronald Koeman in the summer of 2016 and was the first choice alongside Phil Jagielka for one season before he began to decline rapidly.

He has since been displaced by Michael Keane and Mason Holgate in the Everton squad, and has found a new home at Stoke City, who were relegated from the Premier League last season.

Stoke are currently favourites to win the Championship this season, having already brought in Tom Ince and James McClean from Huddersfield and West Brom respectively.

New Everton manager Marco Silva has been busy this summer, as he tries to shift the dead wood and revitalise the squad. He has banished four players from first team training already, and brought in Richarlison from his former club Watford for a fee in the region of £40m-50m.

Everton are also on the verge of signing Manchester United centre-back Marcos Rojo for a whopping £30m as Silva attempts to rejuvenate an ageing defence.