MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - New Everton signing Diniyar Bilyaletdinov believes the club has a good enough squad to contend for honors in the English Premier League.
The Russian international signed for Everton for an undisclosed fee late on Monday.
"I believe the squad is good enough, and can battle for the top places," the player told sports.ru website.
Everton have made a catastrophic start to the new season, losing 6-1 at home to Arsenal and 1-0 away to newly-promoted Burnley.
The 24-year-old winger also said that the success of Arsenal star and compatriot Andrei Arshavin had not been an influence in his decision to quit Lokomotiv Moscow, whom he captained from 2007.
"Everyone has their own story, and I have to answer for and worry about myself," he said.
Another Russian in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, has struggled with the language barrier. However, Bilyaletdinov is optimistic that he will not have the same difficulties.
"I don't think the language barrier will be a major problem," he said. "In general I will just need to get used to my new surroundings, my new teammates and a new championship."
Bilyaletdinov declined to reveal which English side he favored before his move, saying he was a fan of the Premier League in general.
"I started to follow Everton after Jo (formerly of CSKA Moscow] moved there," he went on.
