It was towards the end of the 2024-25 season that Everton first sensed opportunity when it came to Christian Norgaard.With the Danish midfielder’s Brentford contract about to expire, a potential free transfer was explored. But the move stalled when the west London club exercised their option to extend Norgaard’s deal by a further year, and he was sold to Arsenal that summer for an initial £10million ($13.6m), plus £2m in add-ons.A near ever-present for Brentford, the 32-year-old Norgaard has spent much of the past 12 months watching from the sidelines. He played a touch over 1,000 minutes across all competitions for Arsenal last season, but just 101 of those were in the Premier League as his side were crowned champions.His bit-part role and lack of minutes have not deterred Everton from pursuing him this summer, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein reporting on Saturday that a £7million fee had been verbally agreed with Arsenal for the former Denmark international.Certainly in terms of senior recruitment staff and at least some key decision-makers, this is a different Everton regime to the one that first expressed an interest in Norgaard in the spring of 2025.How do transfers actually happen?Adam LeventhalDirector of football Kevin Thelwell and head of recruitment Dan Purdy have, in effect, been replaced by chief executive Angus Kinnear, who spends a significant proportion of his time on football matters, and director of scouting and recruitment James Smith. Yet manager David Moyes has remained, as has the bulk of the scouting network below Purdy, ensuring some past targets have been carried over.As The Athletic reported last month, the Merseyside club have been in the market for a physical No 6 to replace Idrissa Gueye following his exit as a free agent. Given the Senegal midfielder’s importance to the team, the focus has been on securing someone who can immediately hit the ground running and add value both on the pitch and in the dressing room.According to sources with knowledge of the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to do so publicly, Everton received glowing character references for Norgaard from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who played under Moyes at Goodison Park, and former Brentford coach Thomas Frank. It is a measure of how highly the midfielder was regarded behind the scenes at the Emirates that he was spoken about in such positive terms.Mikel Arteta with Christian Norgaard (Harry Murphy/Getty Images)There is a belief that Norgaard has a lot to contribute on the pitch and is keen to re-establish himself as a regular Premier League performer, while he is also expected to complement the club’s other midfield options, such as James Garner, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and new arrival Hayden Hackney.Everton have lacked a true No 6 for some time. Now, they finally have one.And, despite his age and lack of resale value, the addition of Norgaard feels like astute, common-sense business for a side who had holes to fill in their starting XI.