Stoke City have completed the signing of striker Joselu from German Bundesliga side Hannover 96 in a deal worth €8 million, according to the club’s official website.
The former Spain youth international, 25, left Real Madrid for 1899 Hoffenheim in the summer of 2012 and spent the 2013/14 season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt before joining Hannover on a four-year deal last summer.
Joselu becomes the Potters’ third signing of the summer following the arrivals of defender Philipp Wollscheid (Bayer Leverkusen) and goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard (FC Midtjylland).
“I’m so happy to have joined Stoke City; it’s a dream for me to join a Club like this and to play in the Premier League.
“To play in the Premier League has always been an ambition of mine. It is a fantastic league with great clubs, of which Stoke City is certainly one.
“I know there were other teams in Europe who wanted to sign me but once I had spoken to the people at Stoke I knew I wanted to come here and be a part of this club.”
Stoke manager Mark Hughes added: “Joselu has an excellent pedigree and is a player we have been tracking for some time.
“He has skills and attributes that are different to what we already have within the squad but will complement the attacking players we already have at our disposal.
“Joselu is excited about testing himself in the Premier League and we’re delighted to have him with us.”
Joselu, who will compete with Mame Biram Diouf and Peter Crouch for a first-team place next term, tallied eight goals and three assists in 30 Bundesliga appearances for Hannover last season.
Juanmi to Southampton
Southampton F.C. have completed the signing of Spain international forward Juanmi from Malaga CF on a four-year deal, according to the club’s official website.
Juanmi, 22, becomes manager Ronald Koeman’s first summer recruit ahead of the 2015/16 English Premier League campaign.
The addition of Juanmi is perhaps the perfect way to kick off the summer, but Koeman is expected to continue to strengthen the Saints’ squad as the club prepare for UEFA Europa League football next season.
“Juanmi is a young, exciting and attacking player who fits into the club’s strategic plan perfectly,” said the Saints’ executive director of football Les Reed.
“He has been tracked closely by our recruitment department for some time, and we were keen to act quickly when presented with the opportunity to bring this young player with international quality to Southampton.
“To have attracted a player of his potential at this early stage of the summer is testament to our determination to build upon the achievements of the 2014/15 season and to continue to implement our long-term plan for the future.
“We will fully embrace the challenge of the Europa League in the coming campaign, and want to develop further in Europe over the seasons to follow. Juanmi’s arrival is an important step in this process.”
Juanmi scored eight goals in 34 La Liga appearances for Malaga in 2014/15.
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