Kevin Mirallas, who retired in September, has been telling Belgian media how he didn’t want to come to Everton back in 2012, when he was signed by David Moyes for £5.3m.
“When I signed in England I didn’t want to go there,” he said.
“I felt really good at Olympiakos, I felt good at the football level, at the family level as my son had just been born so there was stability. My agent really pushed it. I don’t regret it because it was one of my best spells, I spent seven years there, but I didn’t want to go.
“I felt really good, my life was really good, there was a quality of life behind it and in England I had to start all over again. The day I left Olympiakos I cried; I didn’t want to leave.
“I arrived at Everton in August it was 14 degrees, raining, I went ‘wow’. I left ten days after my son was born. I didn’t want to go there but then I saw the training centre and I said, ‘it’s good, it’s structured’.
“In England it was great, the stadium all that. The coach, David Moyes, wanted me to have everything prepared, I had a magnificent welcome and was well compensated but, in my head, I wasn’t prepared.
“Then I got injured and in October I phoned my agent and said I want to leave. He tells me I signed for five years but I say ‘do what you want but I don’t want to stay’. He says to me ‘you’re crazy, everyone wants to be in your place’ but I just said, ‘call those in charge, I don’t want to stay’.”