David Moyes signed Johnny Heitinga to complete the busiest-ever transfer window in his seven years at Everton.

Having finally sold Joleon Lescott for £24m to Manchester City, Goodison Park boss Moyes has now spent virtually all of that money boosting his squad.

Heitinga had been a tough deal to conclude. His wage demands, believed to be around £40,000 a week, were a stumbling block and the now former Atletico Madrid man had intimated that he wanted to stay in Spain.

But Moyes and chairman Bill Kenwright were persistent, and Heitinga was flown by private jet into Merseyside around lunch-time for a medical and discussions on personal terms.

Everton and Atletico had agreed a fee over the weekend, and the indication was that the Madrid club wanted the money.

Heitinga delayed linking up with the Dutch squad, preparing for Saturday's friendly with Japan, and finally signed a five-year contract a hour before the deadline.

Moyes has been desperate to improve his squad depth, saying: "We let four players go at the end of last season and they had not been replaced.

"The squad is important here, not just the first eleven. That is the way we work here.

"We have not had that experience on the bench, and we have probably not had it for a while."

Heitinga knows enough about Everton to be well aware of the challenge ahead, and is also looking forward to meeting up with Steven Pienaar with whom he played at Ajax for five years.

"It's a nice club and a club with a big history. I saw a lot of Everton games last season and they have a strong team," he told evertonTV.

"I spoke with the manager earlier and the feelings were good.

"The training ground is really good and it's a typical English stadium and I love it.

"I haven't spoken to Steven yet because he is away with his national team, but I will speak to him soon.

"I am looking forward to linking up with him again because he is a good player."

Everton have paid £6.2m, which could rise to £7m on appearances. Heitinga returned to John Lennon Airport for a flight to Holland to join up with his international colleagues.

Everton chief executive Robert Elstone said: "We are pleased the deal has been completed to get John into Everton. He is a very experienced player having played at both Ajax and Atletico Madrid and I know David Moyes is looking forward to getting him started."

Heitinga arrives in the Premier League as one of Holland's most experienced defenders, racking up nearly 50 caps and occasionally captaining his country.

He can play at both his preferred central-defensive role and at right-back, having fulfilled both positions successfully for his country.

A graduate of Ajax's academy, he made his senior debut at 17 and went on to establish himself as a regular for the Amsterdam side, spending five years playing alongside Pienaar before the South African left for Borussia Dortmund.

During his time in Holland, Heitinga won the Eredivisie twice and the Dutch Cup three times.

He was voted Holland's player of the year in 2008 and went on to join Atletico from Ajax that summer for a fee of 10m euros.

Moyes had been in the market for several players, and promised four new faces the weekend. In fact he managed just one, with Valencia eventually changing their minds and blocking a loan move for winger Ever Banega.

Moyes also missed out on Matthew Upson, James Collins and Rafael van der Vaart, but still has managed four new men, as well as four youngsters for the reserves and the future.

He tied up the season-long loan move of Brazilian striker Jo, then Russian winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov for £10m. Sylvain Distin arrived from Portsmouth for £5m, with finally Heitinga making the switch from La Liga.

The youngsters who have arrived in this window are Cody Arnoux, Anton Peterlin, Luke Garbutt and Shkodran Mustafi.

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Heitinga knows enough about Everton to be well aware of the challenge ahead, and is also looking forward to meeting up with Steven Pienaar with whom he played at Ajax for five years.

"It's a nice club and a club with a big history. I saw a lot of Everton games last season and they have a strong team," he told evertonTV.

"I spoke with the manager earlier and the feelings were good.

"The training ground is really good and it's a typical English stadium and I love it.

"I haven't spoken to Steven yet because he is away with his national team, but I will speak to him soon.

"I am looking forward to linking up with him again because he is a good player."