Season › 2016-17 › News Everton announce Onyekuru deal Lyndon Lloyd Friday, 30 June, 2017 28comments | Jump to most recent Deal confirmed Everton have completed the signing of exciting striking prospect Henry Onyekuru from KAS Eupen in Belgium for an officially undisclosed fee, reported to be around £6.8m. The Blues beat off competition from Arsenal, Paris St Germain and West Ham to land the 20-year-old who has signed a five-year contract to become the club's third signing of the summer following the acquisitions of Jordan Pickford and Davy Klaassen earlier this month. Onyekuru, who finished joint-top scorer in the Belgian league last season, will spend the 2017-18 season with champions Anderlecht where he will wear the No.9 jersey. “I feel very happy and delighted with this move to Everton,” the player told SCORENigeria earlier this week after he came through a medical at Finch Farm and finalised personal terms. “I am delighted because my first target of signing for a Premier League team has materialised. “It wasn't an easy decision to make for me, but with the advise of top players and proper studying of the other offers. “It is a great deal for me.” Born in Onitsha, Nigeria, Onyekuru, who wears the name "Henry" on his jersey, was picked up by the Qatar-funded Aspire Zone Foundation to develop when he was 13 before moving him to Eupen, the club they purchased in 2010. To date he is the most promising product of the Aspire academy and he almost secured a move to Celtic during the January transfer window but the Belgian club blocked the sale. His transfer to Everton affords him the opportunity to continue his development in the Belgian league with Anderlecht potentially alongside the league's other top scorer last season, Åukasz Teodorczyk. Although he views himself as a centre-forward and models himself on his hero Thierry Henry, Onyekuru has most often been used as a left-sided forward with Eupen. He earned his first Nigeria cap at the start of this month in a 3-0 win over Togo. Reader Comments (28) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer John Newman 1 Posted 30/06/2017 at 16:58:29 Welcome to the greatest club in the world, Henry lad. COYB!!! Rick Pattinson 2 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:00:06 Welcome to Everton son. Young ambitious and full of potential. Geoffrey Hall 3 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:11:50 Good luck to him. Looks a good lad. A season-long loan is a wise move. Now for the rest. The Swansea player next! Derek Knox 4 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:12:24 Have heard nothing but good reports about this lad, apparently an Arsenal fan, and models his style of play, on his hero, Thierry Henry!Well, it all remains to be proved whether he can emulate him, but at that price these days, it may well be worth, should I say risk, no, I think this lad may prove to be the real deal.The fact that so many clubs were vying for him, including Arsenal, is all down, I believe, to the merits of Steve Walsh! Sean Smythe 5 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:13:33 The goal scoring guru: Onyekuru.W e l c o m e David Milner 6 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:15:22 So we sell Deulofeu for a £5.9 m profit & buy a proven young goalscorer for £6.8 m. Can't be bad. Jon Withey 7 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:21:54 Shame we won't see him for a year. Mad that we'll spend that much on somebody who won't play yet but I guess you have to speculate to accumulate. Chris Gould 8 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:32:47 Jon, it's not mad at all. It's bloody good business. The kid's release clause was obscenely low. Yes, we have to wait 12 months to get him in the squad, but it's a fantastic deal. If the kid continues from where he left off last season, he's going to be a brilliant addition. Brian Wilkinson 9 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:48:01 Welcome to Everton, least we have a year to come up with a song for the guy.I will start the ball rolling with the Piranhas Tom Hark...Oneye. Kuru, Onye Kuru. Over to you guys and gals. Brian Wilkinson 10 Posted 30/06/2017 at 17:53:56 Jon @7, he can play for Anderlect under his EU status but only had a visiting visa for Everton. He can gain first team experience whilst we get a work permit sorted due to the games he plays for Anderlecht. Dave Southword 11 Posted 30/06/2017 at 18:44:38 Brian – search for "Oshikuru" on YouTube. There's your song. David Currie 12 Posted 30/06/2017 at 18:47:11 Great deal for us as he will also be playing in the Champions League. Jay Wood 13 Posted 30/06/2017 at 18:57:34 For the third time in this transfer window, well played Everton.He looks a helluva talent, even in a poor team and in a league that isn't considered a 'powerhouse' of European football, although they currently have a rich generation of talent.Shrewd to get the deal done now at a knocked down price and loan him to Anderlecht, Belgian's reigning champions, who go straight into Champions League group stage next season.Allows him to get more experience, as well as get more games under his belt for Nigeria so there is no issue with his work permit in 12 months time.I expect a flurry of further signings next week to sooth the nerves of those TWers given to deep anxiety in every transfer window.Good summer thus far. Dermot Byrne 14 Posted 30/06/2017 at 19:18:33 Just need 10 players quick enough to keep up with him! Tanvir Akram 15 Posted 30/06/2017 at 19:22:13 This lad looks the right deal. Anderlecht is a great club for him to develop. Hopefully doesn't attract too much attention!What happens if Anderlecht fail to stay in the Champions League and play in Europa League, then Everton face them? Joe O'Brien 16 Posted 30/06/2017 at 19:54:50 Tanvir, he'll be ineligible to play against us. Great to have him on board. Looks a flyer. Also smart move loaning him back, even tho we had too. What a great window for us so far. Tanvir Akram 17 Posted 30/06/2017 at 19:55:51 I have not seen anyone as skilfull as him for a while, he just walks past defenders. Tony Hill 18 Posted 30/06/2017 at 20:04:42 This is all very encouraging and welcome to Henry.We are carefully building an exciting pool of young players, all of whom seem to have proper priorities. This shows a serious strategy for the future and there is reason to hope that the "drop out" rate will be a good deal lower than it has been. Mike Berry 19 Posted 01/07/2017 at 08:56:29 This lad looks potentially sensational; well done, Everton, in striking a deal. Paul Turner 20 Posted 01/07/2017 at 11:28:25 To paraphrase Marc Bolan:Onyekuru is a blue, Onyekuru scores a few,On the ground or in the air,You look around and Henry's there... Martin Nicholls 21 Posted 01/07/2017 at 11:31:10 Anyone know anything about Boris Mathis? Not much on the web about him. James Morgan 22 Posted 01/07/2017 at 11:42:34 Apparently we've signed 19-year-old forward Boris Mathis from Metz. One for the U23s I would guess. Derek Knox 23 Posted 01/07/2017 at 12:06:38 I have been reading about this lad elsewhere on the Web, and he says that West Ham offered him more money than we did but, after getting advice from Peter Odemwingie, of all people, told him Everton would be the best move for him.This, if true, makes it even better, as he wants to play, and is not making money his sole motivation, indeed a rarity, in this modern football world!Welcome aboard, although we will not see you, barring some twist, till next year. Be just like a new signing. :-) Harry Wallace 24 Posted 01/07/2017 at 12:12:18 Delighted with this deal! Minik Hansen 25 Posted 01/07/2017 at 20:20:16 Surely Nigerians who've played for Everton must've helped his decision. Players he has looked up to in the international team, Yakubu, Yobo, Anichebe, who else? A good player to patiently wait for, as he evolves to even a better player, next season. COYB. Barry Jones 26 Posted 02/07/2017 at 00:23:51 Derek (#4). Yes, indeed he is an Arsenal fan. Ian Wright publicly displayed his annoyance after we snapped him up. He said that he has a real good feeling about this boy. For those saying that the transfer of Deulofeu balancing this purchase out was good business, I may disagree with that. Geri had limited opportunities to show his worth (like the much reviled McGeady). I have a feeling that Barcelona may look to play him inside and not as a winger. Geri delivered some of the best passes that I have seen in years for Everton (to Lukaku) from central positions. The boy has a great eye, understands the window of of opportunity, and has the ability to deliver the pass. I wish that we could have had him with us a bit longer to understand his true potential. Jamie Sweet 27 Posted 03/07/2017 at 01:45:26 What I like most having watched his highlights is the way he finishes. It does actually remind me a little of his namesake. It's not always about smashing the crap out of the ball, it's about composure, angles and precision.The fact the best club in his league, a Champions League club. are taking him speaks volumes about the job he did last season.A very exciting prospect, and just the sort of "Steve Walsh signing" we've been hoping for. James Flynn 28 Posted 03/07/2017 at 02:43:55 What I liked best of that video Jay posted, was the way the kid FOUGHT for possession of the ball. Can't wait to see him in Blue.I'm guessing I'll be one of so many in here tracking Leverkusen this season. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads