Hull complete signing of Nikica Jelavic

Nikica Jelavic insists he has a "great opportunity" at Hull after the club completed the record signing of the Croatian striker from Everton.

The Tigers announced the signing of the 28-year-old on a three-and-a-half-year deal and it is expected manager Steve Bruce will hand him his debut in Saturday's Barclays Premier League match at Norwich.

The club said the fee was undisclosed, but it is understood to be €7.8 million rising to €9 million if they stay in the Premier League.

Jelavic said: “As soon as the manager called me I realised straight away that he was really interested in signing me and that it is a great opportunity for me to come here.

“It is a good club, and we have a good squad. We talked a little bit, but it didn’t take long to realise that it was right for me.

“It’s a newly-promoted club, but I can see straight away that there is a lot of ambition here within the club and I hope that we can build on the great start to the season and become a really strong Premier League team over the coming years.”

Jelavic had fallen out of favour with the Toffees and was eager to play football in a World Cup year.

Republic of Ireland and West Brom striker Shane Long is also a target for Hull but it remains unclear just how close a move is for the Tipperary man.

Yesterday, Hull owner Assem Allam claimed a fee had been “agreed” between the two sides and all that remained was for Long to agree terms.