It's just a number - Pickford relaxed over £30m price tag
Rising star Jordan Pickford has no intention of being intimidated by the club-record transfer fee Everton paid to sign him from Sunderland.
The Toffees parted with £25million, a fee that could potentially rise to £30m with performance-related clauses, to secure the services of the 23-year-old, who established himself as one of the Premier League's most promising young goalkeepers last season.
His efforts could not prevent Sunderland's relegation to the Championship, but Pickford will remain in the top flight next term following his big-money switch to Goodison Park.
Having saved a penalty for England in a 0-0 draw against Sweden at the European Under-21 Championship in Poland on Saturday, Pickford had a cool response for reporters when quizzed on his sizeable price tag.
He said: "It's just a number, isn't it?
"It's my job to be a goalkeeper and keep the ball out of the net and that's what I've done. I've kept a clean sheet. It's just a number, it doesn't affect me."
@Everton 's record signing made 135 #PL saves last season. Take a look back at some of the best... pic.twitter.com/RQDkUj5YS4
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 15, 2017
Pickford, who will challenge Joel Robles and Maarten Stekelenburg for a first-team berth at Everton, took a similarly relaxed approach during the transfer negotiations.
"My agent did all the stuff," he said.
"I'm just a lad who likes playing football. I'm not bothered about anything else.
"I didn't know too much about it until I came out here but got that done so I could focus on trying to win the Euros."
| The @england U21 boss has been speaking about new Blue @JPickford1 as they prepare for #U21Euro .
— Everton (@Everton) June 16, 2017
https://t.co/0MGubyujzC #EFC pic.twitter.com/Z0EciXg2eL
The prospect of working with former Barcelona player Ronald Koeman, though, certainly has Pickford excited.
"I've heard he's a top manager and it will be good to learn under him at Everton," he said.
"He texted me before the game wishing me good luck. I'm speaking to him tomorrow on the phone to get an early introduction.
"I was a bit too young to see him as a player but I heard he was a free-kick specialist and that he still takes them. It has been a big couple of days but I'll focus on that when I get back."