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Jelavic was Moyes' third signing of the January transfer window, following a loan for Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan and a permanent deal for Gibson from Manchester United, and his arrival was swiftly followed by the return of midfielder Steven Pienaar on loan from Tottenham.
Everton boss David Moyes believes new signing Nikica Jelavic will provide the Toffees with some much-needed extra firepower.
The Croatian completed his move from Rangers on Tuesday night for an
undisclosed fee, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal, and was introduced
to the Goodison Park crowd at half-time during their 1-0 win over
Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City. Darron Gibson's goal was only the Toffees' 23rd in 23 league games
this season, and there will be an extra weight on Jelavic's shoulders
following the departure of Louis Saha to Tottenham. Moyes said: "It is great news for us. We have been looking for a
centre-forward for a while. We just hope now he can help us score some
goals and we can build on the performance (against City). "Denis (Stracqualursi) has done great and with Jelavic coming in
hopefully it bodes well for the coming months. I think he would have
seen the hard work that the players put in. "He is coming from a great football club but I think he is coming to
another great football club. He really wants to play in the Premier
League and he really wants to play for Everton. That goes a long way. "He will also want to play for Croatia in the European Championship
so hopefully that will keep his form good, keep him hungry to score and
play well." Jelavic scored 36 times in only 55 appearances for Rangers having
been signed for £4million in the summer of 2010 from Rapid Vienna. The 26-year-old knows he is making a step up in terms of quality but
hopes to be able to maintain the standards he has set for himself. "It is a big thing for me and it is a new step in my career, a step forward," he told evertontv. "I am very pleased and very excited, it is a new challenge for me. "The Scottish Premier League is not as high a level as here in
England but I think it will help a lot as it is not so much a big
difference. "I think I can bring some good football and to score many goals and to try to win some trophies." Jelavic was Moyes' third signing of the January transfer window,
following a loan for Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan and a
permanent deal for Gibson from Manchester United, and his arrival was
swiftly followed by the return of midfielder Steven Pienaar on loan from
Tottenham. The South Africa international left the Toffees a year ago but has
struggled to make an impact at White Hart Lane and will spend the rest
of the season in Liverpool. Both clubs worked hard up until the deadline at 11pm to ensure the
deal went through and Pienaar, who made more than 100 appearances for
Everton in his first spell, said on Twitter: "Happy days. Look like we
just beat the clock. Holding thumbs for next few hours."






