Everton have landed a big-name signing in the form of Samuel Eto’o, the club have confirmed on their official website. The 33 year-old joins on a free transfer following a lot of his speculation as to where his destination this season would be. He has signed a two-year deal at Goodison Park.
Eto’o spent the last season at Chelsea before being released by the club in the summer. He scored 12 times for the Blues in all competitions, including 9 times in the Premier League. The Cameroonian was linked with a host of clubs, most notably Liverpool and Arsenal. This is a major coup for the The Toffees, who will be looking for Eto’o to provide his experience and undoubted quality as they look to finish in the Champions League places.
The former Barcelona man is a three-time Champions League winner, having won the big-ears trophy twice with the Catalan giants and once with Inter Milan. He scored in two of those finals and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe in the past decade.
Everton’s campaign has got off to a less-than impressive start. They have let leads slip in the final minutes of both their opening games against Leicester City and Arsenal. Both matches finished 2-2, and manager Roberto Martinez knows that the shaky defence has to improve to convert these draws into wins.
Martinez was all-smiles and all-praises for Eto’o following the completion of the transfer.
“I’m very much excited because he is a perfect fit for what we have in the dressing room,” he said in an interview given to the club’s website.
“If there is anything you can use from Samuel Eto’o, it’s his appreciation of space and knowing how to move in the 18-yard box, create space and be a real threat in the final third. That’s something we can use straight away.”
Ironically enough, Eto’o is set to make his debut for Everton against former employers Chelsea this Saturday at Goodison Park. Interestingly, it is also the ground where he played his first game for Jose Mourinho’s side, against Everton.
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