Ex-Toffee takes sly dig at Liverpool during presentation at new club

Former Everton defender Ben Godfrey couldn't help himself when he was unveiled as a new Atalanta player this week, aiming a cheeky dig at the other side of Merseyside to quickly endear himself to his new fans.

The versatile defender, now 26, completed a permanent move to the Italian side this week for a fee of approximately £8.4 million (€10 million).

Speaking to the media in Italy during his presentation on Thursday, Godfrey mentioned consulting his former manager Carlo Ancelotti before making the decision to move to Serie A.

"Carlo Ancelotti was one of the first who I contacted once I learned of Atalanta’s interest - he immediately advised me to go there," Godfrey said.

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He praised the Italian league, too, stating, "Serie A is a Championship [which is] very strong where all the teams are tactically prepared."

Godfrey takes sly dig at Liverpool

Godfrey, who had struggled to secure a place in Everton's starting lineup under manager Sean Dyche, then gave a playful nod to the fierce Merseyside rivalry.

"At Everton, everyone was happy that I came here, like how they were happy with Liverpool’s elimination in the quarterfinals of the Europa League," he said.

The two sides faced off in the recently concluded season, with the Reds ultimately crashing out of the competition 3-1 on aggregate after a disastrous 3-0 defeat at Anfield in the first leg.

Atalanta, meanwhile, went on to win the final in Dublin, beating Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen side 3-0 thanks to an Ademola Lookman hattrick.

Now, after finishing fourth in Serie A last season, plus winning the Europa League, Atalanta are guaranteed a spot in next season's Champions League.

This means that both La Dea and Liverpool will be competing together again in Europe's top competition. Should the two sides cross swords once more, Godfrey's words will no doubt pour a drop or two of gasoline on the fire.

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