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Everton has announced the finalization of its loan deal for Landon Donovan. The Los Angeles Galaxy forward will be eligible to join the Premier League team in January and will remain until mid-March, a period in which the Toffees play each of England's "Big Four" clubs. The Galaxy open their season on March 27 against New England.Everton coach David Moyes said Donovan will "come in and add pace" and that "he's a good finisher." Strangely, he also called Donovan "captain of the USA national team," a pretty stunning mistake from someone you would expect to do a bit of homework. Carlos Bocanegra surely has scratched Moyes off his Christmas card list now.
On Wednesday, Donovan signed a new four-year contract with the Galaxy that included a provision allowing him to go on loan during the MLS offseason. It was unclear whether that meant he could do so without the Galaxy receiving any kind of consideration from the foreign club, and no fee was announced by Everton on Friday. A work permit still must be granted, but Donovan's national team pedigree (captain or not) will make that a formality.
As for Everton, the addition couldn't come at a better time. The club has slipped to 15th in the Premier League at 4-7-5 and is just one point above the relegation zone. Its last league win was Nov. 8 at West Ham. Since then, the Toffees have gone 0-3-2.
The schedule during Donovan's stay is tantalizing, however. Everton visits Arsenal on Jan. 9 and hosts Manchester City the following week. Then in February, we'll really get to see what Donovan can do on the biggest stage. The month kicks off with the Merseyside derby at Anfield on the 6th, then the Toffees host Chelsea on Feb. 10. On Feb. 20, sandwiched by two Europa League knockout games against Sporting Lisbon, Everton hosts champions Manchester United. A visit to White Hart Lane and Tottenham Hotspur comes a week later.
Donovan's limited European experience comprises an offseason loan last year with Bayern Munich and two short stints with Bayer Leverkusen when he was considerably younger and less mature. He scored four goals in five friendlies last winter for Bayern and made his Bundesliga debut on Jan. 30 in Hamburg.
The arrangement sort of fizzled, however, and Donovan returned to the Galaxy in time for the beginning of the MLS season. Bayern Munich Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge famously damned Donovan with faint praise, calling him an "interesting player" but claiming there was no room on the roster for a fourth forward who wanted minutes.
Conversely, Moyes genuinely seems to want Donovan, and the player should be comfortable in a setting where he knows the language and has national team goalkeeper Tim Howard in the locker room. It should be an interesting couple of months.
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