Everton football director Marcel Brands has joined the club's board.

Brands has already helped implement a number of important changes at Goodison Park and worked closely with manager Marco Silva, chairman Bill Kenwright and chief executive, Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale, to secure the recruitment of seven players during last summer's transfer window.

He has started work on delivering the Club's long-term, permanent football strategy.

Brands said: “It gives me a lot of confidence that I'm a Board member now and I hope to do the best for our Club.

“Being at Everton has been even better than I thought it would be. I was working at a great club in Holland and was happy there but it was a great chance for me to come to the Premier League and join Everton.

“At the start I had a great feeling but it's been a better feeling working here. I work with a lot of great people with blue blood and I'm confident we can achieve many good things in the future."

Kenwright added: “I think we've got a great Director of Football who has taken over and changed an awful lot. He has totally reorganised our scouting, he wants our kids to play the same as Marco's first team and we are really happy with the team we have got. Marcel is terrific to work with. We really feel secure with Marco and Marcel. They won't sign anyone who they don't think will improve us."