Yak Becomes A Fox
Posted on: Thu 13 Jan 2011
Leicester City manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, has today confirmed the sensational loan signing of Everton and Nigeria striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, subject to league approval.
The 28-year-old star joins the Foxes until the end of the season on an initial loan deal, with a view to a permanent move to the Walkers Stadium in the summer.
Yakubu follows Ben Mee and Sol Bamba as Eriksson's third signing of the January transfer window, as the club sends out a statement of their ambitions, by capturing such a high-profile Premier League and international star.
Eriksson said: "Yakubu is a tremendous signing for Leicester City. He will bring pace, power and experience to the club.
"He has captained his country, played in major competitions and is a first-class footballer, who I am certain will help us to achieve our aims of moving up the npower Championship.
"We are delighted that he is joining us until the end of the season and I'm sure that the supporters will enjoy watching him in action."
The Nigerian international has earned over 50 caps for his country, scoring over 20 goals and has lifted the Israeli Premier League title twice with Maccabi Haifa and the Football League Division One (now npower Championship) title with Portsmouth in 2002-03.
Yakubu has scored over 100 goals in English football, during nine seasons at Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Everton respectively. When Yakubu joined the Toffees in 2007, the £11.25m fee was a then club record.
Nicknamed 'The Yak', supporters of his previous clubs have taken to Yakubu as a result of his powerful forward play, eye for a goal and his general workrate for the side. This was evident as he spearheaded Middlesbrough's 2005-06 UEFA Cup run, as they reached the final after an epic series of dramatic victories, before gallantly losing to Sevilla.
Yakubu also became the first Everton player to score more than 20 goals in a season since Peter Beardsley achieved the feat in 1992, when the Nigerian striker bagged 21 goals in 2007-08, during an impressive debut season for the Toffees.
Last summer, he played in all three of Nigeria's Group B games in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, facing up to Argentina, Greece and South Korea, scoring against the latter, as the Super Eagles failed to reach the knockout stages of the tournament.
