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Sunderland have completed the signing of Argentinian Ignacio Scocco. The striker has signed a 2-and-a-half-year deal, arriving from Brazilian side Internacional for an undisclosed fee.
It brings to an end a long chase which apparently started in the summer. Former boss Paolo Di Canio didn't seem too sold on Scocco then, but Gus Poyet has been keen to ensnare the former Newell's Old Boys forward all January and has now got his man.
The fee is believed to be in the region of £4m for the 28-year-old, with an initial £1.5m payment going to cover the money his previous club still owed on his summer switch.
Scocco (pronounced 'Skocko') has had a pretty free-scoring career in South America, although his recent move to Internacional hasn't really worked out. He is a verstaile player who can cover multiple positions, but Poyet has insisted he will be used as an out-and-out striker.
He told the Sunderland Echo:
I've had a good chat with him and he's comfortable playing as part of a front three.
We will use him further up the pitch because he is not really a defensive player, so I see him as a striker more than anything else.
That's a good thing for us though because we need to score goals and Scocco could provide us with that little extra both in scoring goals and creating them.
Subject to international clearance, Scocco will be eligible to bid for instant hero status against Newcastle at St James Park.
