Thursday, 30th January, 2014
New Everton signing Lacina Traore admits going out on loan was a surprising move from Monaco, but is happy with choosing Roberto Martinez's side in a dream Premier League switch.
Traore had been close to joining West Ham previously, after Monaco opted to loan him out following his transfer from Anzhi Makhachkala, but has insisted that landing at Everton is very much his choice.
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The Ivorian is still under an injury cloud, and may not make his Toffees debut for up to two weeks, while he admitted to being a bit taken aback by the quickfire transfer turnaround.
Traore, who is under contract with Monaco until 2018, told a press conference today: "It was a bit of a surprise.
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"The proposition came from the club to send me here to Everton so I could get more experience, play more and basically improve as a player.
"There were other clubs interested in me. I was quite close [to joining West Ham]. But Everton is my choice now and I have made [that choice]."
Martinez has had to deal with an injury to Romelu Lukaku recently, which makes Traore's signing a very fortuitous one.
Traore is himself carrying a "soft-tissue injury", and Martinez added: "He's not far away at all. I would say between 10 days to 14 days.
"He's a hungry player. His size gives you the wrong impression.
"Technically, he's very gifted and he is really quick with his runs.
"Coming to the Premier League has been a dream of his."
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