Real confirm Saviola deal
By Lucas Brown - Created on 10 Jul 2007 sky
Bernd Schuster has confirmed that Real Madrid have completed the signing of Javier Saviola on a free transfer after he was released by Barcelona.
The German coach told Punto Radio that a deal had been completed for the Argentinian striker on June 30, but that he was only stating it now he was coach at the Bernabeu.
"He is young, can score goals and can give us a lot more," Schuster said.
Saviola's desire to prove a point to Barca is something that his new trainer is looking forward to seeing.
"These are small details that are also good for us. The fans and the media reacted well when the news came out."
Christoph Metzelder - who passed his Real medical on Tuesday and will be officially presented on Wednesday - and Pepe have already signed for Madrid to bolster the defence, but Saviola is the first attacking player to arrive under Schuster.
The 25-year-old striker had stated earlier this season that he would never join Madrid and was keen to pen a new deal at Camp Nou.
However, as his options of first-team action became less and less under Frank Rijkaard, the possibility of following in Luis Figo's footsteps became more attractive.
Saviola joined Barcelona in 2001 and enjoyed three successful seasons, before the Catalan club signed Samuel Eto'o.
Loan spells at Monaco and Sevilla followed, before he opted not to spend a third year at a different club and stayed at Barca last summer.
Despite a serious injury to Samuel Eto'o last October, Saviola still found his chances limited and when he was offered a reduced contract to stay, Saviola stated that his days at Camp Nou were numbered.
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