“I'm a defender. That's what I get paid to do - stop the ball going in the net.”
For an Everton defence that had shipped 55 goals during their 2015-16 campaign, Ashley Williams was exactly what the backline needed. No frills, no fanfare – just a rugged, determined, head-it-and-kick-it defender.
The former Swansea City captain came with a few other perks as well. “We wanted to bring in a strong player in the central defence position, a player who knows the Premier League and Ashley fitted the bill for us very well," said Blues boss Ronald Koeman back in August.