Club News

Anichebe completes Baggies move

Striker seals permanent Hawthorns deal

ALBION have snapped up striker Victor Anichebe from Everton for an undisclosed fee.

The 6ft3in powerhouse has penned a three-year deal after passing a Hawthorns medical – and will wear the No.16 shirt.

The Toffees Academy product impressed last term as he fired eight goals - including six Barclays Premier League strikes - in 24 starts and eight substitute appearances.

And the 25-year-old is no stranger to scoring at The Hawthorns, having come off the bench to score an 87th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory on New Year’s Day 2012.

After coming through the ranks at Goodison Park, Anichebe made his first-team debut in February 2006 as a 17-year-old substitute in the Blues’ FA Cup fourth-round tie with Chelsea.

He signed his first professional contract three months later - a fortnight after his 18th birthday - and his first top-flight goal came in a 2-2 draw with the Baggies at Goodison Park on the final day of that season.

During 2007/08 Anichebe went on to score four times to help fire Everton into the UEFA Cup last 16 – and at the end of the campaign he was named the club’s Young Player of the Season.

The Lagos-born forward moved to Liverpool when he was aged one, and made his senior debut for Nigeria in May 2008, with the first of his nine caps coming in a 1-1 draw with Austria.

After appearing in three World Cup qualifiers, he was part of the Super Eagles squad that won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

He opened his senior international account with a strike in a 3-0 friendly victory over Kenya in March 2011 – but in May this year he decided to put his international career on hold to focus on his club career.

In total, Anichebe has made 195 league appearances, including 57 as a substitute, scoring 34 goals.