Moyes seeks Yakubu goals
30 Aug 2007 - 08:52:43
Everton boss David Moyes revealed Ayegbeni Yakubu's Premier League goalscoring record prompted him to sign the striker for a club record £11.25million.
The 24-year-old Nigeria international finally completed his protracted move on Wednesday after Everton successfully appealed the Home Office's decision not to grant the former Middlesbrough striker a work permit.
Yakubu has netted 61 goals since arriving in the Premier League with Portsmouth in 2003 and Moyes is hoping for more of the same at Goodison Park.
"He has a very good goalscoring record in the Premier League and he also offers strength and power. We hope he continues his good scoring record with us," he told the club's official website.
"We have some good strikers in our squad already and he adds further depth and quality to our squad."
Meanwhile, Yakubu claims the European ambitions of the Merseyside club persuaded him to move to Goodison Park.
"I have always said that I want to play for a club that plays in Europe and I think they have the ambition to move forward," he said.
"They want to finish in the first four and get into the Champions League and play in the UEFA Cup, and for me that is my dream.
"I know there is a long way to go and I want to be part of that, to be successful and to have that dream.
"I chose to go to Middlesbrough because they were in Europe. At the moment they are not doing it. I think I made the right decision to come to this place."