Everton complete Atsu loan deal

Everton have finally completed the loan signing of Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Negotiations between the two clubs have been going on for the past few weeks, with the main sticking point being Chelsea’s desire to ensure the Ghana international played regular first-team football while at Goodison Park.

Everton, understandably, were reluctant to offer any guarantees so Chelsea then insisted on having a January recall clause, something that nearly caused the whole deal to collapse.

Both clubs maintained dialogue though and an agreement has finally been reached.

Atsu, 22, had a number of clubs to choose from, with QPR, West Brom and Swansea all keen, but Everton looks to be his first-choice.

Manager Roberto Martinez said he wanted to add a winger to his squad and so must be delighted to get Atsu on board before the season opener against Leicester.