Everton signing McGeady hails ‘dream move’

Republic of Ireland winger Aiden McGeady has described his accelerated transfer to Everton as a “dream move,” although it is likely to be several weeks before the 27-year-old makes his debut for the Premier League outfit who beat Norwich City over the weekend.

“I’ve waited a long time to try myself in the premiership,” he said on Saturday after completing his medical and prior to being presented to the Goodison crowd, “and now I’ve got a great chance at a great club with a great manager so I couldn’t be happier. It’s a dream move.

“It’s a great team and it’s going well but hopefully I can add something,” he said. “But I haven’t played in a long time. I’ve been off the last month or so the aim is to get myself fit, get myself in the team, start playing and start winning games.”

Jelavic transfer
McGeady, who has scored three goals in 63 appearances for Ireland, was due to join at the end of the season after agreeing the outline of a pre-contract agreement last week but with Everton set to come into money after agreeing a fee for Nikica Jelavic with Hull and Spartak anxious to recoup something of the

€12 million they paid for a player who had fallen out with the current manager, a deal, believed to be worth in the region of €3 million was hammered out to bring the move forward.

“We were talking to Aiden and we agreed for him to come next season,” said Martinez. “But because of his situation in Spartak, obviously that he wasn’t going to be involved too much, and the situation with Nikica Jelavic, we were quite happy to make it happen now. In a matter of hours it fell into place.

“I was delighted to have Aiden at the end of the season. But now it is a real boost to be able to work with him straight away even though there’s going to be a bit of an adaptation period because he hasn’t played in the last five or six weeks.

“I think the money is money well spent. He will travel with us tomorrow to warm-weather training. It is a great moment to introduce him to the squad.”

McGeady becomes the fourth senior international in the club’s current squad after Séamus Coleman, Darron Gibson and James McCarthy who remarked: “It’s a good bit of business for the club, he’s a tricky winger and I’m sure that he’ll do well here.”

Hull target Long
Steve Bruce, meanwhile, has insisted that he is still interested in signing West Brom's Shane Long despite having moved for Jelavic

– a deal in the process of being sorted out over the weekend – and reports emerged yesterday that Hull lodged a bid worth €7.25 million for the striker.

“A new player always brings a little bit to the squad, a bit of impetus” he said after his side’s defeat by Chelsea.

“Let’s hope we can get both. You’re never sure how it can go but we’re trying our best.

“We’ve had a conversation with West Brom about Long’s availability at boardroom level but that’s as far as that goes at the moment.

“They’ve appointed a new manager, so I’d have thought they would have to have a conversation with him so we’ll see how that develops.”

Long, and his wife Kayleah, have expressed a desire to stay at West Brom. But a deal is likely to depend on whether new boss Pepe Mel wants to keep the 26-year-old.

He may not have made the greatest of first impressions on Saturday with the Irishman passing up a late opportunity to grab a point by hitting the equaliser against Southampton as the Spaniard watched from the stand.