Everton have completed their second signing of the winter transfer window, with the loan signing of Lacina Traoré from Monaco for the rest of the season. He follows Aiden McGeady to Goodison Park as a new addition to the Toffees side. The Ivorian striker only joined Monaco earlier in the window, and was expected to join West Ham United on loan soon after joining the Ligue 1 side. However, it seems Everton came in with a late bid and got their man, after he was granted a work permit.
Traoré’s career started in his home country, with Stade d’Abidjan, back in 2007. He spent a year playing in the capital city, scoring 19 league goals in just 27 games. He then earned a move to Europe, albeit to play in Romania with CFR Cluj. He managed to play 63 times in Romania in all competitions in three years, scoring 20 goals. Not a bad record, especially not for a young player coming into Europe.
The young striker left Romania in the winter of 2011, for Kuban Krasnodar in Russia. He spent just under 18 months at Kuban, and managed to make 39 appearances in his time there, netting 18 times in all competitions. However, in June 2012 rich Russian side Anzhi Makhchakala came in for the Ivorian international and bought him for a rumoured fee of around £15 million. He made 46 appearances and scored 19 times before Monaco signed Traoré on a four-and-a-half year deal earlier this month. Now, he has signed for Everton on loan and is expected to play a big part in their fight for European football this season.
‘The Gentle Giant’, as he is known due to his immense size, is one of the tallest professional footballers around. As a result of this it gives him a huge advantage in aerial battles, both offensively and defensively. Although the Ivorian international was granted a work permit to complete the move on Tuesday, he will also need a visa before being able to play for his new side. However, this is expected to be a formality. Then, Traoré will join up with Everton to complete the season.