Thursday, 14th August, 2014



Everton have confirmed the signing of Christian Atsu from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal.

The 22-year-old, who passed a medical yesterday, is now available for the Toffees’ Premier League opener against Leicester City on Saturday after securing his work permit.




The winger becomes Everton’s fourth summer signing and follows Gareth Barry, Muhamed Besic and Romelu Lukaku into Goodsion Park.

Atsu joined Chelsea from FC Porto last summer, but the spent the 2013/14 campaign on loan at Dutch side Vitesse.
 


And the Ghana international insisted that he is relishing the prospect of playing in the Premier League for the first time.  

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"I'm very happy to be joining Everton because it's a great club, which likes to play football, and it's a great pleasure to be here", he told Everton’s official site.

"Playing in the Premier League has always been a dream for me and I have achieved that dream.

"This is the biggest level for me to play at. I know that it's a very competitive league and I believe with hard work we're going to be successful this season."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez was also delighted with his latest acquisition, whom he feels is an exciting prospect capable of adding an extra dimension to his squad.

“He's a player who fits in with the culture and the way we want to play. He's a very gifted, technical footballer and he's got the right personality and character to fit in with the group, which is vital,” he said.

"He will excite fans because he brings something completely different and a different way of playing to what we've got in the squad.

"He's a left-footed player who loves taking people on and he's got a really good understanding of the game for such a young man.

"He also brings extra competition in a position in which we felt we needed a player full of desire and hunger, who really wants to make things happen in the final third of the pitch."

Atsu, whose contract with Chelsea runs until 2018, represented Ghana in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

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