Atsu joins Bournemouth on season-long loan deal

AFC Bournemouth have completed the signing of Chelsea F.C. winger Christian Atsu on a season-long loan deal, according to the club’s official website.

The Ghana international, who joined Chelsea from F.C. Porto for a reported £3.5 million in the summer of 2013, has spent the last two seasons on loan at Vitesse Arnhem and Everton.

At Vitesse (in 2013/14), Atsu scored five goals in 28 appearances in the Dutch Eredivisie, subsequently earning a season-long loan deal at English Premier League side Everton.

However, Atsu failed to establish himself in Roberto Martinez’s first-team during his loan spell at Goodison Park. 

The Ghanaian, 23, failed to find the back of the net while tallying one assist in just 13 appearances in all competitions, including a mere five starts, for the Toffees last term.

That said, the signing of Atsu, who was named the Player of the Tournament at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in January, will likely prove to be a fantastic coup for the newly-promoted Cherries.

“We had to fight off several other Premier League clubs to get him, so we are very, very pleased,” Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said.

“Christian is a player with outstanding experience when you look at the career he has had. We are loaning a player of huge potential so we are very, very pleased.

“I think he will bring pace and ability to beat a man one-v-one which is very important in the Premier League, so for all those reasons I think he is a great signing for us.”

Potts joins Luton 

League Two side Luton Town F.C. have confirmed the arrival of Daniel Potts from West Ham United F.C. on a two-year deal, per the club’s official website.

Potts, who featured just once for the Hammers in 2014/15, is targeting promotion to League One, the third-tier in English football, next season.

“I can’t wait to crack on,” Potts told lutontown.co.uk. “Promotion is the key for me, I want success.

“West Ham’s a big club, but so is Luton and they want to succeed so in that respect the two clubs are no different.

“They have great fan bases and coming into the setup at Luton, will be good for me and hopefully we’ll push on and get up the leagues.”

The Hatters’ manager John Still added: “He’s young man, a young player who’s reasonably experienced.

“He’s played in the Premier League, he’s played lower league – a left sided defender who can play left back and centre half – he’ll be a good addition to our squad.”

Luton, priced at 4/1 to earn promotion to League One next term, finished in eighth-place in the League Two table in 2014/15.