Striker Jo joins Galatasaray, but can he deliver?

The Toffees, as Everton is popularly known, who had suspended Jo earlier this month for returning to Brazil without permission, announced the deal on their Web site. Jo scored twice in 24 appearances for Everton and one for Manchester City in over six months.

Jo was acquired by Manchester City from CSKA Moscow for 18 million pounds in the summer of 2008 and was loaned to Everton in February 2009 until the end of the 2008–09 season.

City, now completely owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, embarked on an expensive buying spree last summer, spent more than $300 million on transfers, acquiring world-renowned strikers like Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal and Carlos Tevez from Manchester United, among others, for the star-studded squad.

Hence unsettled Jo could not find a place in the starting 11 after a successful spell at CSKA Moscow. The Brazilian joins his fellow ex-Everton teammate, Aussie defender Lucas Neill, who was signed by Galatasaray earlier last week.

Jo got his first call up to the Brazil national team in May 2007 and was in the squad to play against England but was not fielded. He then made his international debut in a friendly against Turkey in June 2007 at the age of 20.

Jo was named in the Brazilian squad for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and scored a goal in his team’s 3-0 victory over Singapore in a pre-Olympic friendly. After gaining a handful of mostly substitute appearances in the Olympics, he scored two goals in the bronze medal playoff in Brazil’s 3-0 victory over Belgium.

Another Cassio Lincoln?

Indiscipline and perhaps insubordination come to mind when Jo is mentioned. And that reminds soccer pundits of Jo’s compatriot, striker Cassio Lincoln, who walked bag and baggage on Galatasaray last season.

That Jo was declared persona non grata by City gives serious food for thought.

Under the headline “Unwanted Jo becomes a loaned loan,” an irate diehard Manchester City supporter wrote:

“Brazilian flop Jo … has been loaned to Galatasaray in Turkey. The player was on a season long loan at Everton but they returned him to Manchester City and they wasted no time and immediately moved the striker on to the Turks. Jo has not only been a disappointment on the pitch for [Everton manager] David Moyes, he has been one off it too, leaving Merseyside without permission and returning to South America for Christmas…”

Lincoln, like Jo, had problems with Kaiserslautern before joining Schalke 04. Lincoln disappeared from Kaiserslautern in the spring of 2004 and had headed back to his native Brazil. Many Kaiserslautern fans, members of the board and playing staff were left embittered by the fact that Lincoln left the Bundesliga club as it struggled against relegation.

Lincoln looked like a changed man when he signed with Schalke 04 in 2004-05. But when he joined Galatasaray in 2007-08 he returned to his old ways, vanishing without permission. He is still AWOL.