Former Togolese
international Emmanuel Adebayor has signed for English Premier League side
Crystal Palace on a free transfer until the end of the season. The
31-year-old had been a free agent since September 2015 after Tottenham released
him to sort his personal family issues. Adebayor has 94 Premier League
goals to his name, having previously played for Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester
City.
Mark Hughes, who is the Stoke City head coach, states
that he chased Crystal Palace’s new striker.
Hughes said: “We
talked about Ade and his situation but he’s based in London. We knew early
on that was where he was likely to end up, so we didn’t pursue it to any great
extent other than a conversation. But he’s a good player. When he’s on top
of his form he can be unplayable, he’s that good. He’s a big guy, with a
lot of power who scores goals, that’s not a bad combination for a striker.I
think they’ve made a good acquisition there.”
Meanwhile, Palace coach Alan Pardew speaking about the forward,
noted: “We’ve
incentivised his contract to do that, in terms of him being a success. I
see in him a desire to get his career back on track, and I think I can help
him. I’m hoping that’s a win-win situation for him and for us. You cannot
underestimate the quality he has. I’ve tried to sign him twice before, once at
West Ham, when I came that close, and at Newcastle we talked long and hard
about him.”
The coach also stressed: “He’s
a character that needs to be loved and the group I have, he’s going to get
that. For us it’s about bringing in a striker to give everyone a boost. We
all felt sorry for ourselves, no [Yannick] Bolasie, Connor [Wickham’s] now
suspended, so it’s great for us.You can see in the training ground there’s a
lift already. He’s done the first part of his job because everybody is really
pleased he’s here.The only risk is if he doesn’t play well. I can’t see any
other risk. I think we discard players quite quickly, and sometimes too early.”
EmoticonEmoticon