Romelu Lukaku insists he owes Chelsea a debt of gratitude but feels Goodison Park is the best place for him to become a better footballer.
The 21-year-old Belgium international completed a club-record transfer deal of £28 million (Dh173.9m) after signing a five-year contract with the Toffees.
Lukaku, who played just 15 times in three years at Stamford Bridge, spent last season on loan at Everton and that was a decisive factor in him choosing to make the move permanent as he felt he received the support and belief which was lacking at Chelsea.
“I don’t have hard feelings against Chelsea. They gave me the opportunity to come to England and gave me high hopes of playing football,” he said. “I trained with world-class players and worked under world-class managers and without them I wouldn’t be here.
“But last year was a very good year and after a short period of time I had the feeling it was the best place to grow as a young footballer.
“The manager has been very influential. He is someone who knows football, someone who can develop me as a player and make us better as a team – and that is something I need as a young footballer.
“I needed to be in the place where it felt right and here I have the confidence of all the technical staff, the trust of the supporters as well and I can grow and develop.
“I have a very good relationship with the players and staff so for me this is the place where I belong.”
Martinez said the deal, which eclipses the £15m (Dh93m) deal for Lukaku’s compatriot Marouane Fellaini when he moved from Standard Liege in 2006, had been almost a year in the planning.
But the completion meant the club had sent out a strong message.
“It is not just one of those important days for the season but it is a very significant day in the history of our football club,” said Martinez.
“The feeling in the dressing room was to get him back on a permanent basis to get some continuity and grow into a very successful team.
“That is why we are so delighted. It is not something which has happened overnight, there has been a lot of work and support from the chairman and the board has been very important in being able to see Rom back at the club.
“It is fair to say Romelu was our number one target to bring in and the pursuit was relentless but it had to be a record transfer and it is worth every single penny and effort we put behind it.
“At 21 he has already scored over 30 goals in the Premier League and in my eyes the target is for him to become one of the best world-class strikers.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who also allowed left-back Ryan Bertrand to join Southampton on a season’s loan yesterday, believes the deal is good for all concerned.
He said: “He wanted to play for Chelsea but wanted to be the first choice striker. That’s very difficult to promise.
“The important thing is he’s happy and things work well for him, he’s a good kid.”
