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Thursday 25 August 2011

Eto'o keen to get started on Anzhi project 

Samuel Eto'o has rejected claims his move to Anzhi Makhachkala is all about money and claims he wants to transform the Russian club into a "big" team.

The former Barcelona striker signed with Anzhi, who hail from the war-torn Dagestan region of Russia, on Wednesday from Italian outfit Inter Milan.

The four-time African Footballer of the Year will be paid around $14 million a season for the length of his three-year deal with Anzhi said to have paid a reported fee of $30 million to seal the capture.

Eto'o jetted into Russia on Wednesday and joined up with his new team-mates in Moscow on Thursday as they prepare for the weekend match with Rostov.

Anzhi train in Moscow and fly to home games from the Russian capital -- a journey of some 1,250 miles.

At a press conference Eto'o, who has won the European Champions League three times, told reporters he was excited by his new challenge.

"I'm impatient to play the first home game, but most important to take this project from the base and make it big," he said.

"I never say how many goals I'm going to score my intention is to be happy and make sure that people around me are too. I think that when we are happy we can bring better results

"I'm happy that they have trusted me, with this project, I believe I can return to him inside the field and outside as well, helping the club with good results."

In local paper Sovietsky Sport daily the Cameroon striker insisted his move was not purely about finance.

"The project is very interesting, money is not so important for me, that's just part of football," Eto'o was quoted as saying.

"It was always important for me to be happy - and now I am happy. I came to Anzhi because it is a new project and they are starting from scratch. I am interested. I have won everything I possibly could have in Europe."

In a statement on Inter's official web site Eto'o thanked the club and its president, Massimo Moratti, for a "fantastic" two years in Italy.

"I will never forget the affection of the Inter fans who made me feel like one of them and who always supported and helped me."

Meanwhile, English club Tottenham Hotspur confirmed Thursday they have signed Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a season-long loan.

The Togo striker spent part of last season at Real Madrid, where he scored eight times in 22 games.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

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