Football: Samp awaiting 'Everton ok' for Eto'o: club

Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero said he is awaiting approval from Everton before completing the transfer of Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o. Eto'o has been linked with Sampdoria for the past two weeks and has already agreed terms with the Genoa-based club, according to a website report on Rai Sport on Friday. The report said the deal was "practically done" and that "Eto'o is expected to arrive in the coming days". But Ferrero, speaking to Rai Sport after his side's 2-0 away win at Chievo moved Samp up to fourth in Serie A, said: "We're waiting on the okay from Everton. I've met the lad, he's a champion." Everton manager Roberto Martinez indicated last Wednesday that Eto'o could be about to leave Goodison Park after revealing that two clubs had shown an interest in the veteran forward. Eto'o, 33, missed Everton's FA Cup third-round penalty shootout defeat at West Ham United on Tuesday and Martinez said that his future at the club was under discussion. "With Samuel, we have a really good relationship and we are looking at his situation," Martinez told reporters. "We had a couple of clubs contact us in the last 12 hours so I decided it was better now to leave him out of the squad and allow us a different focus in the group." Sampdoria are 10 points behind leaders Juventus ahead of the defending champions' home game against Verona later on Sunday and level with Napoli in the third and last Champions League qualifying place. But Ferrero said he was not getting carried away by his side's seven-point cushion over Milan and Inter. "A seven-point lead over Inter and Milan is nothing," he added.