Tottenham new boy Louis Saha thanks Everton after joining ‘the most dynamic and exciting team in the country’

After his departure from Goodison Park the 33-year-old Frenchman has thanked his former employers, but expressed his excitement to get going at White Hart Lane

1 Feb 2012 18:30:00

By Edward Tibbles

More On :  Everton, Tottenham, Louis Saha
EPL - Arsenal vs Everton, Louis Saha(Getty Images)

Tottenham new boy Louis Saha has paid tribute to Everton after leaving to join what he calls “the most dynamic and exciting team in the country”.

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The 33-year-old was a late arrival at White Hart Lane on transfer deadline day, replacing Lokomotiv Moscow-bound Roman Pavlyuchenko whilst the Toffees recruited Nikica Jelavic from Rangers in his position.

“I have a big challenge ahead, which is why I felt it was right to go,” Saha told Everton’s official website.

“I am not going to step down and I think I am joining the most dynamic and exciting team in the country at the moment.”

The Frenchman had been at Goodison Park since September 2008 and praised the club and manager, David Moyes, for treating him well after a spell with Manchester United that saw him dogged by injuries.

“I have to say thank you to Everton and particularly David Moyes because they helped me when I really needed it and I will never forget that,” the veteran added.

“Leaving a great club like Everton is always a bit sad, but things come to an end, and I also want to say thanks to the supporters as there have been good times and bad times but I have always felt supported and loved.

“Goodison is a special stadium and you can feel the spirit of so many great sportsmen when you go on the pitch. It has been an honour and a privilege as a football player to play there.”

When asked whether his goal in the 2009 FA Cup final against Chelsea - the fastest ever in the final of the competition - was his personal highlight of his time on Merseyside, Saha in fact mentioned another match from that season’s cup run.

“[Scoring in the final] was a great moment but, while I did not score in the semi-final, to be involved in the win over Manchester United [on penalties] was really special,” he enthused.

“The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic, it was amazing, and I keep victories in mind more than scoring a goal. Playing with those players, with all our spirit, was a pleasure.

“Everton is a family club. There is a great spirit and it always felt like home. It is a very honest place and people are always straight with you.

“It has been a pleasure to play for Everton and I always felt the players were ambitious and wanted to improve and when you have that combination you have a great club.”

Saha could make his debut on Monday night when Spurs face Liverpool in the Premier League.

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Unfortunately for Northern Ireland, they are trailing the Netherlands 4-0 at half-time. Looks like that one's all sewn up then.
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We're still getting plenty of Hazard chat on Twitter. A few are now saying that he's not worth the hype, others saying he was brilliant(!?) and others (which I agree with), saying he created much of his own hype. What do you think? Get involved!
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Joe Hart has also been giving his thoughts after the Belgium game: "It was a really tough game, a good run out. I thought we played well, [but] we were a little bit bitty at times.

"But, we came through. Obviously there were a lot of changes so it's good to get the result.

"Belgium are a very, very strong side who are going to be really good in the future. Vincent [Kompany] told me about them and said that they were coming good and I totally agree with him."
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Here's Roy Hodgson's reaction to the result and some injury chat: "I'm very pleased, it's been a hard week and we've used a lot of players. There was a lot of disruption in the second-half with substitutions – some forced upon us, some we wanted to do. But it's still a very good end to the week playing against a good Belgian team here. Arguably even stronger than the Norwegian team we played last week and I've got to be more than happy that we've come out with another victory."

"[Gary] Cahill I suppose is slightly more of a concern for me because it is a jaw injury. We're desperately hoping the CT scan doesn't show any fracture and it's just going to be a bruising situation, which will be bad enough, but won't stop him taking part in the tournament. As far as John's [Terry] concerned he felt his hamstring a little bit. Again it wasn't a major thing when he came off but we still need to scan it just to be 100 per cent sure."

Suffice to say, if Cahill has broken his jaw, he won't play any part in the tournament.
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