Latest Transfer Update at 03-02-2012

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Latest Transfer Update at 03-02-2012

Eden Hazard: Linked with Manchester City

MANCINI CONFIRMS EDEN HAZARD INTEREST

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini could be considering a summer move for Eden Hazard after admitting his admiration of the Lille star.
The £30million-rated Belgian playmaker has long been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea and he recently admitted he would relish an eventual move to the Premier League.
Chelsea appear to be paying closest attention to Hazard after scouts watched the playmaker a remarkable 20 times in the last 18 months, but City could be prepared to battle for a deal.
Mancini has confirmed his interest in the 21-year-old, who has also been linked with Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Paris Saint Germain, and is aware of his potential.
"Hazard has an enormous level of talent and is able to play at the maximum level," the City boss is quoted as telling Le 10 Sport
"But we know there is interest from the big European clubs and any deal will not be easy."
French scout Guy Hillion has no doubts Hazard could succeed in England, as he said: "I was at the Lille-St Etienne match and the player has interested Chelsea since Frank Arnesen was at the club.
"Personally, my reports have been excellent and I do think he can succeed in the Premier League."

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Andrew Johnson: New deal close, says Jol

JOHNSON CLOSE TO NEW DEAL - JOL

Fulham manager Martin Jol believes Andrew Johnson is close to signing a new deal with the west Londoners.
The 30-year-old striker's existing contract runs out at the end of the season, which has led to speculation linking him with a move away from Craven Cottage.
It is understood QPR and Blackburn both made bids for Johnson during the January transfer window, although a move never materialised.
Jol is pleased to still have the former England international on board and believes he is close to signing a new deal.
"There was an enquiry from one or two clubs so we had to make a decision on that," the Dutchman said.
"I said to Andy you will stay here whatever happens and that probably wasn't ideal for him, but it was good for me because we can now get on with the job and hopefully he can play for us and score goals.
"It is more to do with his situation. His contract is up at the end of the season and he is a bit insecure about his future.
"But I don't think there is any problem with him so we will find a solution. And I think he wants to stay as well."
He added: "We have made him an offer a couple of times and in the latest stage we even offered him what he wanted and that was two-and-a-half years.
"So we are close. The sticking point was a year difference."
Johnson will miss this weekend's trip to Manchester City with a groin injury, although midfielder Dickson Etuhu could be set for a return.
The Nigerian has missed out on the matchday squad in recent weeks and Jol revealed it is because he wanted to leave for first-team football.
"He was in the squad then out. Last time he wanted to move," he said.
"I want players who want to focus on Fulham but there was no approach so he is back in the squad.
"His mentality is fine but he's one of these players - and especially in the transfer window - who comes up to you and tells you he needs to play.
"And not once, but a lot of times - 'I need to play, I need to play'. I said 'okay, wait and see' so for me it was no problem but there was no approach so we have to sit down again."

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David Weir: Could join Sheffield United

BLADES CONSIDER DAVID WEIR DEAL

Sheffield United are weighing up a move to sign former Rangers defender David Weir.
Veteran defender Weir is training with United after leaving Rangers last month.
Blades boss Danny Wilson is now considering handing Weir a deal at Bramall Lane after being impressed by the former Everton man in training.
"There is no rush to do anything. He is out of contract and can sign any time," Wilson told the club's official website.
"His travelling is easy and he is very relaxed. He wants to keep playing so he continues to have ambition.
"David has been training with us for the last two weeks, through no commitment, but if anything does happen to anyone in our squad then we need to have our finger on the pulse.
"You look at David and you would think he was 30! He is a terrific athlete and a great model to the younger lads."

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Jelavic: New Everton signing

RANGERS COUNTER JELAVIC CLAIM

Rangers have dismissed Nikica Jelavic's claim that he did not demand a move from Ibrox to Everton.
Ibrox chairman Craig Whyte told fans in an open letter this week that he sanctioned the departure of the club's top goalscorer partly because the striker wanted to leave the Scottish champions.
However, Jelavic claimed on Thursday he did not force the reported £5.5million switch to Goodison Park - prompting Rangers to respond to those comments by claiming he made it clear he wanted to quit Ibrox.
Chief operations officer Ali Russell said: "Nikica told Ally McCoist personally on Monday he wanted to move to the English Premier League so to suggest he didn't want to leave Rangers is nonsense.
"Nikica, and indeed his family, were widely quoted throughout January about playing in England and his agent also communicated the fact he wanted to achieve a lifetime ambition and test himself in the Premier League.
"He wants to earn a starting place for Croatia at Euro 2012 and felt a move to England's top flight would help him achieve that.
"Nikica was a terrific player for Rangers and we wish him well at Everton but to suggest he was forced to leave Ibrox is just ridiculous."
Earlier in the day, Jelavic told a media conference: "My dream was to play in the English Premier League but I never forced my transfer.
"I spoke with Ally McCoist and said if the president wants me to stay I'll stay and if they need money and want me to leave, I'll leave - the club decided."
Meanwhile, McCoist hopes home advantage proves to be the difference as Rangers aim to end a lengthy wait for a victory over Dundee United in the William Hill Scottish Cup.
United have come out on top in the last three meetings with the Glasgow giants in the competition.
In fact, the last Rangers player to score a winner against the Tannadice side in the Scottish Cup was McCoist back in 1989.
The manager is well aware of the task facing his players on Sunday but is keen to ensure progression beyond the fifth round tie at Ibrox.
He told www.rangers.co.uk: "They beat us in the cup not too long ago after a 3-3 draw at Ibrox when they got a late goal up at Tannadice in the replay.
"United went on to win the cup that season when they beat Ross County in the final so it turned out to be a great one for them.
"They are always tough opponents. They played well at Celtic Park recently when they only lost 2-1.
"So it's a really tough draw for us but I'm a believer that in a cup draw you have one wish and that's for a home tie and that's what we have.
"We'll have to work hard to go through, there's no doubt about that because they have some good players in their side.
"They have players capable of scoring goals with Johnny Russell and Jon Daly so it's a big tie for us but one that we're looking forward to.
"They're capable of troubling any team in the division on their day so we'll know what to expect."

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Carlos Tevez: Named in Manchester City's squad

PREMIER LEAGUE SQUADS REVEALED

Barclays Premier League clubs have submitted their squads for the remainder of the campaign.
A club's squad can contain no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the Home Grown Player criteria and the remainder of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be Home Grown.
The Premier League say: "A Home Grown Player means a player who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the Season during which he turns 21)."
Under-21 players, who were born on or after January 1 in 1990, are eligible over the 25-player limit which explains why the likes of David de Gea, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kyle Walker aren't named.
PREMIER LEAGUE SQUADS
Arsenal: Andre Santos, Andrey Arshavin, Mikel Arteta, Yossi Benayoun, Maroune Chamakh, Abou Diaby, Johan Djourou, Lukasz Fabianski, Gervinho, Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Vito Mannone, Per Mertesacker, Park Chu‑young, Tomas Rosicky, Bacary Sagna, Thierry Henry, Alex Song, Sebastien Squillaci, Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Theo Walcott
Aston Villa: Gabriel Agbonlahor, Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Darren Bent, Ciaran Clark, James Collins, Carlos Cuellar, Fabian Delph, Richard Dunne, Shay Given, Brad Guzan, Christopher Herd, Emile Heskey, Stephen Ireland, Eric Lichaj, Andrew Marshall, Stiliyian Petrov, Stephen Warnock, Charles N'Zogbia, Jermaine Jenas, Alan Hutton, Robbie Keane
Blackburn: Christopher Samba, Michel Salgado, Herold Goulon, Bradley Orr, Bruno Ribeiro, David Dunn, Paul Robinson, Mark Bunn, Nick Blackman, Martin Olsson, Mauro Formica, Radosav Petrovic, Gael Givet, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Steven Nzonzi, David Goodwillie, Vince Grella, Simon Vukcevic, Ayegbeni Yakubu, Scott Dann, Amine Linganzi, Anthony Modeste, Marcus Olsson
Bolton: Robbie Blake, Adam Bogdan, Tim Ream, Kevin Davies, Mark Davies, Chris Eagles, Sean Davis, Stuart Holden, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Ivan Klasnic, Zat Knight, Robert Lainton, Tyrone Mears, Fabrice Muamba, Temitope Obadeyi, Martin Petrov, Darren Pratley, Nigel Reo-Coker, Sam Ricketts, Paul Robinson, Tuncay Sanli, Gretar Rafn Steinsson, David Wheater, David Ngog, Chung-Yong Lee
Chelsea: Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, David Luiz, Michael Essien, Ramires, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Didier Drogba, John Mikel Obi, Florent Malouda, Raul Meireles, Jose Bosingwa, Paulo Ferreira, Salomon Kalou, Ross Turnbull, Daniel Sturridge, John Terry, Ryan Bertrand, Gary Cahill, Hilario, Sam Hutchinson
Everton: Victor Anichebe, Leighton Baines, Tim Cahill, Tony Hibbert, Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville, Leon Osman, Darron Gibson, Nikica Jelavic, Seamus Coleman, Sylvain Distin, Marouane Fellaini, John Heitinga, Tim Howard, Jan Mucha, Steven Pienaar, Landon Donovan, Royston Drenthe, Denis Stracqualursi, Marcus Hahnemann, James McFadden
Fulham: Chris Baird, Simon Davies, Mousa Dembele, Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff, Dickson Etuhu, Marcel Gecov, Zdenek Grygera, Orlando Sa, Brede Hangeland, Aaron Hughes, Andrew Johnson, Stephen Kelly, Danny Murphy, Bjorn Helge Riise, John Arnse Riise, Bryan Ruiz, Mark Schwarzer, Philippe Senderos, Steven Sidwell, Csaba Somogyi, Pavel Pogrebnyak, David Stockdale, Rafik Halliche
Liverpool: Brad Jones, Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique, Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio, Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Andy Carroll, Maxi Rodriguez, Dirk Kuyt, Stewart Downing, Jay Spearing, Jamie Carragher, Jose Reina, Charlie Adam, Alexander Doni, Martin Skrtel, Lucas Leiva, Craig Bellamy
Manchester City: Micah Richards, Joe Hart, Stuart Taylor, Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry, James Milner, Adam Johnson, Gael Clichy, Costel Pantilimon, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Kolo Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov, Nigel de Jong, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, David Pizarro, Gunnar Nielsen, Owen Hargreaves
Manchester United: Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Evans, Michael Owen, Anderson, Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Chris Smalling, Park Ji-Sung, Javier Hernandez, Nemanja Vidic, Michael Carrick, Nani, Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley, Darren Fletcher, Antonio Valencia, Tomasz Kuszczak, Anders Lindegaard, Paul Scholes, Ritchie De Laet
Newcastle: Shola Ameobi, Demba Ba, Hatem Ben Arfa, Leon Best, Yohan Cabaye, Fabricio Coloccini, Robert Elliot, Danny Guthrie, Jonas Gutierrez, Steve Harper, Tim Krul, Peter Lovenkrands, Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, James Perch, Danny Simpson, Alan Smith, Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Cheik Tiote, Mike Williamson, Papiss Demba Cisse
Norwich: John Ruddy, Russell Martin, Adam Drury, Bradley Johnson, Steve Morison, Zak Whitbread, Andrew Crofts, James Vaughan, Grant Holt, Simeon Jackson, Andrew Surman, Anthony Pilkington, Wes Hoolahan, David Fox, Elliott Bennett, Simon Lappin, Leon Barnett, Elliott Ward, Marc Tierney, Jonathan Howson, Kyle Naughton, Aaron Wilbraham
QPR: Paddy Kenny, Armand Traore, Clint Hill, Shaun Derry, Fitz Hall, Adel Taarabt, Bobby Zamora, Rob Hulse, DJ Campbell, Jay Bothroyd, Samba Diakite, Jamie Mackie, Danny Gabbidon, Akos Buzsaky, Taye Taiwo, Nedum Onuoha, Joey Barton, Luke Young, Thomas Smith, Heidar Helguson, Radek Cerny, Brian Murphy, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Anton Ferdinand, Dijbril Cisse
Stoke: Diego Arismendi, Asmir Begovic, Peter Crouch, Rory Delap, Salif Diao, Matthew Etherington, Ricardo Fuller, Danny Collins, Robert Huth, Kenwyne Jones, Carlo Nash, Wilson Palacios, Jermaine Pennant, Ryan Shawcross, Ryan Shotton, Mamady Sidibe, Thomas Sorensen, Matthew Upson, Jon Walters, Glenn Whelan, Dean Whitehead, Andy Wilkinson, Marc Wilson, Jonathan Woodgate, Cameron Jerome
Sunderland: Phil Bardsley, Titus Bramble, Wes Brown, Fraizer Campbell, Trevor Carson, Lee Cattermole, Jack Colback, Nicklas Bendtner, Craig Gardner, Sebastian Larsson, Kieran Richardson, Michael Turner, John O'Shea, David Vaughan, Kieren Westwood, Ahmed Elmohamady, Sotiris Kyrgiakos, Simon Mignolet, Stephane Sessegnon, James McClean, David Meyler, Marcos Angeleri, Craig Gordon, Matthew Kilgallon, Wayne Bridge
Swansea: Michel Vorm, Ashley Williams, Neil Taylor, Alan Tate, Ferrie Bodde, Leon Britton, Andrea Orlandi, Curtis Obeng, Danny Graham, Scott Sinclair, Nathan Dyer, Stephen Dobbie, Wayne Routledge, Garry Monk, Leroy Lita, Luke Moore, Jose Moreira, Angel Rangel, Kemy Agustien, Mark Gower, Gerhard Tremmel, Fede Bessone, Gylfi Sigurdsson
Tottenham: Brad Friedel, Heurelho Gomes, Carlo Cudicini, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Michael Dawson, William Gallas, Ledley King, Younes Kaboul, Bongani Khumalo, Ryan Nelsen, Aaron Lennon, Jake Livermore, Tom Huddlestone, Luka Modric, Niko Kranjcar, Gareth Bale, Louis Saha, Jermain Defoe, Rafael van der Vaart, Sandro, Emmanuel Adebayor, David Bentley, Giovanni Dos Santos, Simon Dawkins, Scott Parker
West Brom: Keith Andrews, Chris Brunt, Simon Cox, Luke Daniels, Graham Dorrans, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Ben Foster, Marton Fulop, Zoltan Gera, Billy Jones, Shane Long, Gareth McAuley, James Morrison, Youssouf Mulumbu, Peter Odemwingie, Jonas Olsson, Steven Reid, Liam Ridgewell, Paul Scharner, Nicky Shorey, Gabriel Tamas, Jerome Thomas, Someon Tchoyi
Wigan: Chris Kirkland, Mike Pollitt, Ben Watson, Emmerson Boyce, Gary Caldwell, David Jones, Hendry Thomas, James McArthur, Jordi Gomez, Hugo Rodalleha, Mohamed Diame, Maynor Figueroa, Steve Gohouri, Antolin Alcaraz, Franco Di Santo, Ali Al-Habsi, Ronnie Stam, Adrian Lopez, Conor Sammon, Shaun Maloney, Albert Crusat, Jean Beausejour
Wolves: Wayne Hennessey, George Elokobi, David Edwards, Richard Stearman, Jody Craddock, Michael Kightly, Karl Henry, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Steven Fletcher, Stephen Hunt, Carl Ikeme, Roger Johnson, Christophe Berra, Matt Jarvis, Adam Hammill, Nenad Milijas, Sebastian Bassong, Eggert Jonsson, Ronald Zubar, Jamie O'Hara, Kevin Doyle, Dorus De Vries, Kevin Foley

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Roman Pavlyuchenko: Close to Lokomotiv switch

PAVLYUCHENKO CLOSE TO SPURS EXIT

Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is expected to complete his move to Lokomotiv Moscow on Friday.
Tottenham agreed a fee of £8million with Lokomotiv for the transfer of the 30-year-old on Tuesday and he underwent a medical in the Russian capital on Thursday.
A statement on the Russian club's website said the player will sign a contract on Friday afternoon.
Despite the transfer deadline passing on Tuesday night in England, Pavlyuchenko is still allowed to join Lokomotiv as Russia's window does not close until February 24.

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Christopher Samba: Will not face Arsenal

KEAN RULES OUT SAMBA RECALL

Blackburn captain Christopher Samba is fit and available but will not be in the squad for Saturday's trip to Arsenal, Rovers boss Steve Kean said on Thursday.
The defender has not played since handing in a transfer request last month, which was rejected, and Kean said after last night's 2-0 defeat by Newcastle he did not feel Samba had been in the right frame of mind to return to the side.
The manager had stated his intention to sit down with his skipper today and was hopeful they could put the matter behind them, but at a press conference this afternoon the media were told questions about Samba were off limits.
Kean said: "I'm prepared to say he's fit and he's available but he's not in the squad for the Arsenal game.
"I'd rather speak about people who are available to play against Arsenal. Chris has trained well today but he's not going to be in this squad."
Samba is a huge figure for Blackburn both in defence and attack and Kean's reluctance to discuss the situation is sure to cast more doubt on the centre-back's future at the club.
Samba's long-time defensive partner Ryan Nelsen was allowed to leave Ewood Park after having his contract cancelled by mutual consent and this morning he joined Tottenham on a short-term deal.
Spurs assistant manager Kevin Bond revealed Nelsen would go straight into the squad for Monday's meeting with Liverpool, despite playing only one Premier League game this season because of knee trouble.
Rovers had expected Nelsen to go to Major League Soccer in the US before Tottenham's last-minute interest changed his mind, and Blackburn fans are sure to question his release if he does go on to play a part for Spurs this season.
Kean said: "He was having a lot of problems with his knee. Right at the last minute he got the call (from Tottenham) and he's decided to go with it.
"We understand the pain he was in and I hope their medics can look at it and get him back on the pitch because he's found it difficult. He's only played one game in eight months."
Wednesday night's result was a difficult one to swallow for Blackburn, who had the lion's share of the chances but simply could not find the net, even missing a first-half penalty.
But for Newcastle it was a fourth win from six league games that saw them climb to fifth place, and things could get even better for boss Alan Pardew with leading scorer Demba Ba due to make his return after African Nations Cup duty against Aston Villa on Sunday.
His Senegal team-mate Papiss Demba Cisse could also make his debut, and Pardew said: "That's just going to bolster us for Sunday.
"We've done brilliantly. When the guys went away everybody thought it was going to be difficult for us, and we've had games where it hasn't gone well.
"But we've had two big victories, QPR and this one, and both those victories have been about resolve and diligence and grit, and I think we can attack the second half of the season.
"We find ourselves fifth above Arsenal and Liverpool. It's incredible really but we're safe as well, and that's the big barrier.
"We must never get away from that, the type of club we are, get that under your belt first, which we have, so now we have the games we've got left to let our hair down and see what we can do."
Pardew was quick to acknowledge the contribution of keeper Tim Krul, who saved David Dunn's penalty last night among a number of important stops.
"I thought his body language and demeanour on the pitch suggested confidence and it was no surprise he saved the penalty," Pardew said of the Dutchman.
"In the second half, when the balls were coming in the box, he punched at the right time, he caught at the right time to relieve the pressure. He was a key player in our victory."

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Louis Saha: Joined Tottenham from Everton

BOND: FANS SHOULD TRUST REDKNAPP

Kevin Bond insists Tottenham's fans should trust Harry Redknapp's judgement rather than worry about the club's transfer window signings.
Despite flirting with the idea of signing Carlos Tevez, Chris Samba and Loic Remy last month, Redknapp instead only managed to add veteran duo Ryan Nelsen and Louis Saha to his squad by the time Tuesday night's transfer deadline passed.
Saha, 33, has only scored one Barclays Premier League goal this term, while 34-year-old Nelson had been restricted to just one appearance this season at previous club Blackburn duo to a knee injury.
Fans' forums have been peppered with posts from fans feeling very underwhelmed by the signings, and to a lesser extent they are also worried the club's decision to let Steven Pienaar, Sebastien Bassong, Vedran Corluka and Roman Pavlyuchenko go has left Redknapp short of cover.
The Spurs boss does, however, have a strong record of turning players who were considered over the hill into star performers again, and Bond thinks for that reason, the fans should have no reason to worry.
The Tottenham assistant manager said: "I don't look at message boards and those who are on there are entitled to their opinion. But with the greatest respect I would be trusting Harry's judgement.
"We think it is good business for us. I think we're a stronger squad now. The January window has freshened it up.
"Harry felt that one or two of them needed to go out to play some football and the others have come in and are ready to play their part. It's been a good window for us."
Redknapp's successful management career has, in a large part, been down to his ability to turn 'has been' players into top-class performers again.
At Portsmouth he took gambles that paid off on Teddy Sheringham, Paul Merson and Kanu, at West Ham he resurrected the career of Paolo di Canio and at Tottenham he has managed to get the best out of 34-year-old William Gallas.
"People thought Teddy Sheringham was miles past his best but he did really well and Paul Merson did unbelievably for Harry," Bond said. "Hopefully he will do it with a couple more now."
Nelsen's signing in particular came as a shock as he was not considered part of the first-team plans at strugglers Blackburn.
But Bond shrugged off fears the New Zealander is not fit and up for the challenge of rivalling the likes of Ledley King, Michael Dawson and Gallas for a first-team spot.
"I don't know why he hasn't played at Blackburn. It doesn't really concern us. I know he has had some injury problems," Bond added.
"We know what he is capable of and the type of character he is.
"He is a whole-hearted player who I think will be a real positive influence on the club, on the training ground, in the dressing room and on the field where he plays."
Bond also thinks the experience of Saha, who won four trophies during his time at Manchester United, will be vital to Tottenham as they start a nervy run in that could see them lift their first title since 1961.
"Saha is a really good professional," Bond said. "He has been there and done it. He's won a championship and to have people like that in our squad will be really important for us."
With Spurs in good form and just five points off the top of the table, Saha believes he has a good chance of winning silverware at his new club.
"I hope to try to help the team win a trophy," Saha told Spurs TV Online.
"There is a great chance this year I think so I am buzzing about it.
"We can definitely challenge for the title. The dynamic of the club is amazing. There is a good chance this season."

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Steven Pienaar: Back at Everton

PIENAAR REVELS IN EVERTON RETURN

Steven Pienaar has not ruled out the possibility of his loan spell at former club Everton becoming permanent - but he first wants to get rid of his frustration at not playing.
The South Africa international, who left Goodison Park for London a year ago, has made just seven appearances this season, with only two of those as a substitute in the Barclays Premier League.
With Tottenham flying high in the title race, the 29-year-old has found it difficult to break into the side and so a return to Everton offers him the chance to pick up where he left off last January.
"I feel great to be back. I just want to play football and this is a great opportunity to come back and play," he said.
"It was a bad start with the groin injury when I joined (Spurs) and I had an operation in the summer and that slowed things down a bit.
"Of course if you get injured then when you get back fit and the team is playing really well you just have to wait for your chance.
"Hopefully everything is behind me, I have been fit for the last two months so that is a good thing.
"I was waiting and eventually had to make a decision. I want to play football and am not getting any younger.
"I had a word with the manager (Harry Redknapp) and we came to an agreement that I could go.
"You never know what will happen in football, things change every day.
"If I have a good few months we will see what happens in the summer but let me focus on the first few months and get playing and then see what happens in the summer."
Pienaar was a key figure in David Moyes' side first time around but knows he will have to win over both the manager and the fans, having turned down a new contract to stay at Everton a year ago.
However, he remained on good terms with many of the players while in London and hopes that will help him settle back in quickly.
"I have been speaking to the players a lot and when the manager gave me a call on Tuesday it made things much easier," said Pienaar.
"Like all the other players I have to come and fight for my place.
"I know it is not going to be easy, the team has had two good wins so I will have to come and fight and show I deserve a place.
"You could say there is pressure because people will expect the same stuff but maybe I'll have a Landon Donovan effect (who returned to the club for a second loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy) and do even better than last time."
The Toffees' new striker Nikica Jelavic is confident he can make the step up from Scottish to English football.
The Croatia international made a deadline-day move from Rangers for a reported £5.5million and does not expect to have too many difficulties adapting to the Barclays Premier League.
Asked what he would bring to Everton he said: "Goals, goals and more goals.
"I know Everton have not scored much this season but I don't feel the pressure, I like a challenge.
"I will do my best to score many goals. I am always looking to be better every day and my ambitions are to play well and to be useful for the team and score as many goals as possible.
"I know it is a big difference but I think in Scotland you also have to be 100 per cent and they also have tough games.
"Playing in Scotland helped me a lot and I think I am ready.
"The Premier League is something on a higher level and I hope it will be good for me. I don't think I will need time to settle."
Jelavic scored 36 times in just 55 appearances for Rangers, having been signed for £4million in the summer of 2010 from Rapid Vienna - for whom he hit 40 goals in 93 games in three seasons in the Austrian league.
And he hopes to be able to fire the goals to help his new club move up from their 10th-place spot to challenge for a European place.
"Europe is something special and we need to play well if we want to get there but everyone among the players wants to play in Europe," he added.
The 26-year-old insists he was not forced out by cash-strapped Rangers but admits he is worried about what the future holds for the Ibrox side.
"It is a difficult situation for them I know and I heard inside information about them having problems," he added.
"It is still my team and my friends are there and I am worried about the situation but I think they will find a solution because they are a big institution.
"My dream was to play in the English Premier League but I never forced my transfer.
"I spoke with Ally McCoist and said if the president wants me to stay I'll stay and if they need money and want me to leave I'll leave - the club decided."

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Nikica Jelavic: Joined Everton from Rangers

JELAVIC: I DID NOT DEMAND MOVE

Nikica Jelavic insists he did not force his transfer to Everton despite claims from Rangers chairman Craig Whyte that he had no choice but to sanction their top goalscorer's exit on transfer deadline day.
The Croatian striker, who netted 17 goals for the Scottish champions this season, moved to the Barclays Premier League club for a fee reported to be around £5.5million.
In an open letter to supporters on Rangers' website as Jelavic was finalising the switch to Goodison Park, Whyte said: "One, the player wanted to leave and there is no point in trying to keep a player who no longer wants to be at Ibrox.
"Two, the club is simply not in a financial position to turn down offers for players which give the club a good return on its original investment."
However, Jelavic appeared to contradict those comments by claiming today that Rangers ultimately had the final say in his departure.
He said: "My dream was to play in the English Premier League but I never forced my transfer.
"I spoke with Ally McCoist and said if the president wants me to stay I'll stay and if they need money and want me to leave, I'll leave - the club decided."
Jelavic also expressed concerns over the troubling times his former club is facing but backed Rangers to overcome a difficult period.
The Glasgow giants continue to face financial uncertainty as they await the verdict of a tax tribunal, which could leave them with a bill as high as £49million if they lose the dispute with HMRC.
Whyte this week also issued a denial over allegations he used season ticket sales to fund his takeover of the club in May.
Jelavic added: "It is a difficult situation for them I know and I heard inside information about them having problems.
"It is still my team and my friends are there and I am worried about the situation but I think they will find a solution because they are a big institution."
Rangers were unable to secure a replacement for Jelavic ahead of Tuesday's deadline after failing with a bid to sign Norwich striker Grant Holt.
But Jelavic believes McCoist's men can still retain their SPL crown this season despite his departure, while paying tribute to his former team.
He said: "It was difficult for me but we are professional and that is football.
"It was difficult because they gave me a beautiful 18 months, two trophies, many goals and it was not easy. This is football and we are all professionals.
"I just want to say thanks to everyone from Rangers, they will have a special place in my heart always.
"With or without me I don't see why they shouldn't win the championship - they are a good team and there are plenty of games to go."
Meanwhile, assistant manager Kenny McDowall has predicted an entertaining tussle when Rangers host Dundee United in the fifth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup this weekend.
He told rangers.co.uk: "It's an SPL standard game but with the wee bit of added spice because it's a cup tie.
"United are always difficult opponents. Peter Houston and Paul Hegarty always have them well organised and we know they'll work until the last minute.
"It's a game that we need to be patient in but we know we need to try to get ourselves in front in the game and take it from there.
"It was good to get back to winning ways at the weekend. We were obviously disappointed about the result against Aberdeen but I think the boys came out and did well."
Rangers responded to Jelavic's comments regarding his transfer on Thursday night, claiming the player made it clear he wanted to quit Ibrox.
Chief operations officer Ali Russell commented: "Nikica told Ally McCoist personally on Monday he wanted to move to the English Premier League so to suggest he didn't want to leave Rangers is nonsense.
"Nikica, and indeed his family, were widely quoted throughout January about playing in England and his agent also communicated the fact he wanted to achieve a lifetime ambition and test himself in the Premier League.
"He wants to earn a starting place for Croatia at Euro 2012 and felt a move to England's top flight would help him achieve that.
"Nikica was a terrific player for Rangers and we wish him well at Everton but to suggest he was forced to leave Ibrox is just ridiculous."