Everton have confirmed the signing of Jermaine Beckford on a four-year contract following his departure from Leeds United.
Striker signs four-year contract after leaving Leeds
Everton have confirmed the signing of Jermaine Beckford on a four-year contract following his departure from Leeds United.
Beckford had the remaining month of his Leeds deal cancelled last week in order to enable the 26-year-old to find a new club.
The striker, who scored 85 goals in 152 appearances for Leeds and played a key role in the club's promotion to the Championship, had long been linked with a move to Goodison Park.
Back in January, reports suggested that Beckford was ready to accept a free transfer move to Merseyside in preference to joining other clubs.
Newcastle United had shown an interest earlier in the year and the likes of Bolton Wanderers had previously been linked with the front-man.
He will now have the chance to test himself in the Premier League after accepting the offer to join David Moyes' side following talks over the past few days.
The former Wealdstone forward has passed a medical with the Toffees and will now join up with his new club for pre-season training.
Beckford's arrival on Merseyside will help to boost Everton's attack which saw only Louis Saha reach double figures in the top flight last season.
Excited
Of his move, Beckford said: "I am excited by it. It's going to be a test, I know that, but I am looking forward to it.
"I want to test myself at the highest level and luckily for me, David Moyes showed an interest in me, showed some faith in me and hopefully I can repay that.
"I've been impressed a lot by him. He seems like the type of guy who will sit down and tell you where you're going wrong, what you're doing right and what you might need to work on.
"It is a club I can learn from and it can help me develop into a better player. Fingers crossed, I can be really involved in taking this club where it wants to be."
