Anichebe signed for Sunderland after being released by West Brom.
Sunderland forward Victor Anichebe turned down lucrative offers from elsewhere before agreeing his move to the Stadium of Light, saying he still has something to prove in the Premier League, the Sunderland Echo reports.
Anichebe signed on a free transfer but has only made one appearance so far before being sidelined with a groin injury – something which he has now recovered from.
The former West Brom and Everton forward is quoted by the Sunderland Echo, saying: “I was so close to going abroad, I wanted a change, but then the manager came in here and this was a good opportunity to stay in England and in the Premier League for another year.
West Brom’s Victor Anichebe looks dejected after missing a chance to score
“There were a lot of offers to go all these kinds of places, crazy offers in different countries but sometimes money is not always everything.
“At this present moment in time I just thought Sunderland is a really good club, I have been to this training ground and the stadium a lot.
“It is a really good club and I want to try and help as much as I can and hopefully it can be a successful year from now on.”
There will have been the attraction of reuniting with former manager David Moyes – who Anichebe worked under at Everton.
David Moyes – Everton Manager and Victor Anichebe
Given his goalscoring record, one can see why Anichebe has something to prove to people, as his record isn’t great. During his time at West Brom he scored nine goals from 63 appearances at The Hawthorns in a three-year spell. While at Everton he scored 26 goals from 167 games after being around the first team for seven and a half years.
The 28-year-old clearly wants to show he can play regularly, but now he needs to start finding the net a lot more and show a vast improvement on his strike rate from his time elsewhere if he is to seriously help Sunderland in their current predicament.
Anichebe will be hoping to feature against fellow strugglers Stoke City this weekend.
Sunderland manager David Moyes
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