Santa Cruz arrives at Rovers
Santa Cruz in international action
Saturday, 28, Jul 2007 04:16
Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz has sealed a £3.5 million switch to Blackburn Rovers after an influx of new talent to the Allianz Arena left him surplus to the Bundesliga side's requirements.
The Paraguayan international was believed to also feature on Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson's long list of targets while Porto and Espanyol were also interested by his availability.
However manager Mark Hughes is confident that tying up the 25-year-old to a four-year deal at Ewood Park represents a shrewd investment for the club.
"He is a young player, an international with a good reputation," Hughes said.
"The good thing from our point of view is that his fitness levels are fine as he has been playing for Paraguay in the Copa America."
The arrival of Italian forward Luca Toni and German targetman Miroslav Klose at Bayern as part of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's rebuilding plans prompted Santa Cruz's decision to head for the Premiership.
He will however also face some strong competition for a place in his new team's forward line with Dutch youngster Maceo Rigters, who top-scored in this summer's under-21 European Championships, also arriving.
Benni McCarthy, Matt Derbyshire and Jason Roberts complete Hughes' roster of attacking talent.