The striker joined in a surprise loan deal from West Ham on deadline day.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman before the match
Everton manager Ronald Koeman has told the club’s official website that Enner Valencia was already on his shortlist before deadline day.
The striker made a surprise move on the final day of the transfer window, agreeing on a one-year loan spell from West Ham United.
He has been brought into the club to provide some much-needed competition for first choice striker Romelu Lukaku.
The move has been somewhat derided, though, given how the forward has struggled for his best form with the Hammers in recent years.
West Ham’s Enner Valencia celebrates scoring their second goal
Indeed, some have suggested that the move was a panic one given the Blues failure to secure other targets, but Koeman has insisted Valencia had been a long-term target.
“He was already on my list,” he told the club’s official website.
“He’s a striker who is physically strong. He can play from the left, he can play from the right, he can be a replacement for Lukaku. That’s good because we need that type of competition between our strikers.”
Enner Valencia celebrates scoring the second goal for West Ham
It will now be interesting to see if Valencia proves to be a smart signing for Everton across this season.
It is fair to say he his arrival has not captured the imagination of the Blues faithful who were hoping for a bigger name arrival this summer.
That could prove to be a blessing in disguise, though, and should he play his part in a successful year under Koeman, there will be few questioning the deal by the end of the campaign.
New manager Ronald Koeman during the press conference
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