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Norwich have signed Scotland forward Steven Naismith from Everton for an undisclosed fee, the Merseyside club have announced. Sources told ESPN FC in December that Norwich were closing in on a deal for Naismith, and the 29-year-old has now sealed a move to the Canaries. The transfer fee was reported to be in the region of £8.5 million. The Norfolk club have been proactive in the January transfer window, bolstering their squad for the survival battle ahead by bringing in Swiss defender Timm Klose from Wolfsburg, Portuguese full-back Ivo Pinto from Dinamo Zagreb and York teenager Ben Godfrey, while winger Matt Jarvis has turned his loan switch from West Ham into a permanent deal. Naismith said of his move: "I'm very happy to have signed because now I can concentrate on the football side of things. "Norwich have displayed class in the way they've done their business all the way through. They've shown how much they wanted me, which is great, and I'm delighted to be here." Naismith started his career at Kilmarnock, before moving to Rangers in August 2007, where he would win the Scottish Premier League title three times. After leaving Scotland in the summer of 2012, Naismith went on to make 123 appearances for the Toffees, scoring a total of 25 goals. The 29-year-old is determined to make the most of his opportunity at Carrow Road, and could make his debut in the home game against Liverpool on Saturday. "I want to settle in quickly, get involved and play my part in games. I want to contribute to a team effort to move this club forward," he added. "I am expecting to go straight into the training. The manager will obviously have his thoughts for the [Liverpool] game and hopefully I'm involved in some respect. "I have played a couple of times here and it's always a great atmosphere with a full crowd, and I look forward to being on the right side of the fans." Canaries boss Alex Neil hopes Naismith can add a cutting edge to his team, which lost 3-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday. "We are delighted to conclude this deal and bring Steven to the club," Neil said. "He's a proven performer at Premier League level and an established international with Scotland so arrives with excellent pedigree." Naismith found himself on the periphery of Roberto Martinez's plans this season, making just four starts in the Premier League. The Scotland forward scored three league goals this term, all against Chelsea in a 3-1 win at Goodison Park on Sept. 12. Naismith made a total of 13 appearances for the Toffees this season, also scoring in the Capital One Cup win at Barnsley. Martinez said he was sorry to be losing the services of a "true professional." "It gets to a point where, this season, we had a lot of options going forward and the playing minutes have been a bit of a problem," Martinez said on Everton's official website. "Steven is a professional who needs to play and he feels at this moment in his career that he needs to be playing games and that's very respected from my point of view. "We got a really good value out of a very good servant, he is leaving terrific memories and we wish him the very best in the future and in this new chapter of his career." Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
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