Fulham

On August 1, 2001, Edwin van der Sar joined Fulham following two mostly disappointing seasons at Juventus.

The Dutchman—a four-time Eredivisie champion and 1995 Champions League winner with Ajax—had failed to win any major silverware in Turin, and after back-to-back second-place finishes in Serie A and a group-stage exit in the Champions League he was replaced by Gianluigi Buffon, who had arrived at the club for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper.

And so van der Sar, 30, moved to Craven Cottage, where over the next four seasons he would revitalize his career to the point that Manchester United would offer to make him their No. 1 ‘keeper ahead of the 2005-06 campaign.

He could hardly refuse, and by the time he hung up his boots in 2011, another four league titles and a Champions League winner's medal had been added to his trophy case.

Those four years at Fulham were a godsend to van der Sar, but the club—who were able to employ a top talent in transition—benefited from them as well. And after signing Maarten Stekelenburg from AS Roma on Wednesday, the modest London outfit is no doubt hopeful history is about to repeat itself.

The €5.6 million Fulham spent to land Stekelenburg (h/t Football-Italia.net) represents only a small financial risk, and with Mark Schwarzer out of contract and set to turn 41 in October, the Cottagers were always going to be in a market for a goalkeeper this summer anyway.

Enter Stekelenburg—the Netherlands No. 1 who, like van der Sar, headed to Italy after an illustrious spell at Ajax only to jump to the Premier League after two years. And, like his countryman, Stekelenburg arrives at Fulham at the age of 30, having failed to make much of a mark in Serie A.

But will he provide an upgrade on Schwarzer, the popular veteran who might have agreed a new contract had a replacement not been sought out?

This past season Schwarzer took points from 20 of the 36 matches he started, stopped 89 percent of the shots he faced and recorded an impressive eight clean sheets.

Stekelenburg, by comparison, took points from 14 of the 19 matches he started (he spent much of the season injured), stopped 88 percent of the shots sent his way and shut out his opponents three times.

Statistically (all stats courtesy of TheScore.com), Schwarzer had the slightly better season, and when Stekelenburg takes his place between the sticks, his teammates will find a goalkeeper significantly less confident on set pieces—particularly corner kicks—than what they got used to with the Australia international.

What Stekelenburg will offer, however, is excellent ball distribution and a chance that he just might rediscover the highs he hit while at Ajax, where he worked under current Fulham manager Martin Jol.

Stekelenburg has already expressed his delight at linking up with his former boss, telling Fulham’s official website that Jol understands the abilities he brings to the table.

There will also be at least one new face in the Fulham defense next season—Venezuela international Fernando Amorebieta, who joined the club on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao back in May (h/t Telegraph).

Looking at Fulham’s summer transfer activity as a body of work (which has also included the acquisition of Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), they have managed to sign a goalkeeper and starting central defender for the grand total of €5.6 million—moves that might represent some of the smartest business conducted over the next few months.

Of course, Fulham would prefer to see all their new players—and Stekelenburg in particular—play well above their valuations.

Stekelenburg, for his part, will be looking to replicate what van der Sar did at this club. If he takes the opportunity, there could still be big things waiting for him.

It may have taken Fulham an extra six months to acquire the signature of Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg from Roma, but they finally got the man that they wanted. It was officially announced on Monday that the 30-year-old Stekelenburg reached a deal with the Cottagers to replace the out-of-contract Mark Schwarzer, according to Sky Sports:

Fulham will be the third club that Stekelenburg has played for in his career, as he played with Ajax before he signed with Roma. He signed with Roma from Ajax in the summer of 2011 and has been the first-choice keeper for the Netherlands since Edwin van der Sar's international in 2008. 

This season with Roma, Stekelenburg appeared in 19 Serie A matches and recorded three clean sheets. He will be a welcome addition to the Cottagers as they look to rebuild after a disappointing end to the 2012-13 English Premier League season.

With the veteran Australian Schwarzer presumably not renewing his contract now, Stekelenburg will be the main man in net for Martin Jol's club next season.

The 30-year-old Dutchman was ready to move to Craven Cottage during the January window, but the deal fell through on the final day of the window. Stekelenburg had landed in London on January 31 expecting to sign a deal with Fulham, but since his now-former club could not find a replacement for him, the deal was called off, according to the Telegraph. 

The Dutch keeper is the third player that Jol has brought in to Fulham since the offseason began. Defender Fernando Amorebieta and midfielder Derek Boateng have already joined up with the London outfit, according to BBC Sport. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90

Another season draws to a close, and Fulham once again find themselves lolloping around in the middle of the table. The threat of relegation has never really been taken seriously at Craven Cottage this season—despite the club’s recent loss to Reading—while the promise of a European campaign to rival those during the reign of Roy Hodgson has been washed away by inconsistency.

Fulham have the building blocks, however, to gently begin to break into the higher echelons of the Premier League, and with a few more astute signings, and the accomplished stewardship of Martin Jol, I can see them finding their way to the top of a bracket containing the likes of Swansea, The Albion and West Ham.

It looks like the wily Dutch manager has already set about recruiting the players needed to forge a little more consistency within the Cottagers’ ranks. Reports this week have identified Ghanaian midfielder Derek Boateng as a potential new summers signing for the London side.

The 29-year-old, currently engaged with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, is a character who has traipsed around many of Europe’s leagues without genuinely finding his feet.

He began his career at Liberty Professionals, the same Accra-based club that produced Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Asamoah Gyan and Kwadwo Asamoah. After impressing in his homeland, he made his move to Europe aged 16, when Greek side Kalamata secured his services.

After a couple of dominant years with the Black Storm, he was snapped up by national heavyweights and Athens-based giants Panathinaikos. I would argue that the move probably came a little too soon for the young man, and he struggled to adapt to the demands of such a major club and to earn himself a regular spot in the side’s midfield.

A change in management didn’t help, and after a stint with OFI Crete—where, despite injury and more bad luck, he helped the club to mid-table stability—Boateng was once again on the move. His parent club allowed a switch to Sweden, to the Allsvenskan and to Stockholm side AIK.

When he was a teenager, Middlesbrough had been keen to acquire him, but work permit issues prevented Steve McClaren’s side from closing the deal.

It was in Sweden that Boateng truly found his feet, and I would suggest became the player that we see today. Adored by supporters, the defensive midfielder overcame the club’s relegation and remained to help the national giants rediscover their spot in the Swedish top flight.

His composed performances in the heart of AIK’s midfield once more saw a bigger dog come in for his services, and in 2006, he wrenched himself away from the Venice of the North to sign for Beitar Jerusalem in Israel.

Here, Boateng tasted both Champions League action and the joys of a championship victory—helping the side to their first top-flight title in a decade.

It wasn’t long before he was off again though, and after a clutch of honour-laden years with the Menorah, he made his first foray into a major European league, with a January switch to Koln.

Once again the midfielder struggled to make an impact—and, mimicking his time in Athens—his new club didn’t hesitate to cut their losses. After only six months and ten appearances in Germany, Boateng headed back south, and to La Liga side Getafe.

In Spain, the Ghanaian excelled—his dynamism and energy complementing the technical players that surrounded him. After two successful years, and despite interest from English clubs such as Stoke City, West Bromwich, Aston Villa and Sunderland, Boateng reluctantly accepted a deal to join ambitious Ukrainian side Dnipro.

Boateng has enjoyed several years under the stewardship of Juande Ramos, and despite not yet managing to break the club’s glass ceiling of fourth place in the league, his reputation has been bolstered on the Dnieper River.

Recent reports have suggested that the time has finally come for Boateng to consummate the Premier League rumours that have long accompanied his career. It may be that he is soon exchanging the Rocket City for West London.

Fulham had initially agreed a deal to sign the player in January, a bid to bolster their options for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, once again in dispute with the officials at his club, Boateng couldn’t agree terms and the move was postponed.

In the intervening months, Boateng has fought his club at the European Court of Arbitration for Sport, in Switzerland, and, according to Sky Sports, has finally been released from his contract with Dnipro.

With the work permit issues already concluded following January’s wrangle, it appears that the only hurdle now facing Fulham is the reported interest of Greek giants Olympiakos—who also harbour desires to bring the Ghanaian midfielder back to Athens.

It appears that Thrylos might currently have the initiative; Boateng has indicated that he has a pre-contract deal in place with the club, and the suggestion is that he will honour this agreement.

With experience in multiple European leagues, at both ends of the table, Boateng is a cultured player who could still offer a lot to a Premier League midfield.

With 46 caps for the Black Stars, he is one of the squad’s more experienced campaigners, and is capable both of contributing to a side’s effort with valuable goals, or of shoring up a midfield with his intensity and energy.

There is a sense to which Boateng has never quite lived up to his immense potential; once heralded in the same class and category of Michael Essien, a combination of poor form and poor performances meant that it took the player that much longer to grace the leagues of Western Europe.

One word of caution, however, concerns the player’s age. With the likes of Brede Hangeland, Dimitar Berbatov, John Arne Riise, Damien Duff and Giorgos Karagounis among Fulham’s most influential players, I would argue that Jol should look to youth to improve the club’s fortunes.

With the aforementioned stars all coming toward the latter stages of their careers, the manager’s time, and the chairman’s money, might be better spent investing in younger stars who can buy into the ethos and direction of the club, and help the Cottagers reinvent themselves moving forward.

According to Spanish newspaper Voz Populi, Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta has chosen to sign for Fulham this summer and spurned the offer of a better contract to stay in the Basque country.

The news was also circulated by ESPN's David Cartlidge on Twitter:

Fresh from a season in which Athletic reached two cup finals, boasted stars by the names of Javi Martinez, Fernando Llorente and Iker Muniain, the club have slumped—badly.

Martinez left for Bayern Munich, Llorente attempted to force a move away and was banished from the starting XI and Muniain's dip in form has been nothing short of alarming.

The latest blow, it appears, will be the loss of Amorebieta via free transfer to Martin Jol's Fulham this June.

There were rumours his representatives were in talks with Arsenal earlier in 2013 (via Sky Sports), but it appears a different London club will welcome the Venezuelan international.

With fresh defensive blood arriving at Craven Cottage, let's check in on their reported new signing.

Amorebieta is a solid, capable central defender who will fit Jol's side very well on paper.

The transformation in his game under Marcelo Bielsa has been dramatic, and while his form has been up and down this season, he has developed into a very enticing prospect for Fulham fans.

He's big, strong and good in the air. At 28 years of age, he arrives as a finished article ready for immediate deployment.

Bielsa's policy of chopping and changing between a two-man and three-man defence has led to him becoming increasingly versatile and mobile, while his positional awareness took a distinct turn for the better in the 2011-12 season.

Playing out from the back is a big strong suit for him, having learned from the best in Martinez, so Jol's dreams of playing good football through the middle will be helped enormously through this acquisition.

In the UEFA Europa League this season, Amorebieta averaged an impressive 68.3 passes per game with an 83.2 percent completion rate.

The only questions remain over his rash nature. Bielsa utilises a high-energy system that sees players move around a lot, but Amore does have a tendency to make rash moves in the wrong directions.

It can lead to him leaving some pretty big holes in the defensive line at times, and he's usually good for one red card per season.

Taking everything into consideration, Fernando is a great free signing for Fulham.

He will aid Jol in playing how he really wants to play while providing presence and much-needed fresh, younger legs in defence.

Martin Jol has been reunited with left-back Urby Emanuelson. The team announced the Dutchman will be loaned from AC Milan for the remainder of the season.

From FulhamFC.com:

Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce the loan signing of Urby Emanuelson until the end of the 2012/13 season.

The 26-year-old Dutch international joins on loan from AC Milan and can play on the left side of the pitch at either full-back or midfield.

Jol and Emanuelson were last together at Ajax in the 2009-10 season, so Jol is familiar with the player's strengths and weaknesses. The Dutchman can play at left-back, left wing or even as a deep-lying midfielder, so he'll offer Fulham plenty of versatility.

Fulham will likely offer him more playing time than he was getting at the San Siro. Emanuelson has made 22 total appearances for AC Milan, but had just eight starts for the team in Serie A play. He's been used just once in Milan's last six matches.

Fulham has focused on bolstering the squad via loan in January, also adding Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong on loan for the rest of the season. It is rumored the team's next target is Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone (via The Guardian).

Fulham are currently eight points clear of the relegation zone—a bit too close for comfort—and the team has done well to sign affordable but smart additions in January. These might not be the sort of sexy moves fans crave, but they are smart transactions and potential bargains down the stretch.

Midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong will join Fulham on loan for the remainder of the campaign, according to Arsenal.com.

The 21-year-old, who has made two first-team appearances for Arsenal this season, just got back from Charlton Athletic, where he was on loan for six weeks. He has made 16 career first-team appearances for Arsenal.

A product of the Gunners' Academy, Frimpong won the Premier Academy League twice as a youngster alongside Jack Wilshere as well as capturing the FA Youth Cup in 2009.

Eager, committed and strong in the challenge, Frimpong has talent, but he is still raw, prone to tactical errors and letting his emotions get the best of him. It hasn't helped that he's had two cruciate ligament injuries that have stunted his development in the past few years.

Fulham, of course, has nothing to lose. The club has a mere 25 points so far during the Premier League season, good for 14th place. Defense has mainly deserted the club, as Fulham has allowed 40 goals, tied for fifth-most in the EPL.

This is a good time for Fulham to test out Frimpong in Premier League play. The youngster has shown glimpses of being an asset. In his two appearances for Arsenal this season (one start), he managed to tally an assist without committing a foul in the process.

As clubs begin to assess themselves down the stretch, expect more moves like this, where young, up-and-coming players are given a chance to prove their mettle in the world's most competitive football league. 

The latest move by Fulham marks the club's recognition that it is not in competition for the Top Four this season, looking ahead to brighter prospects in the future while experimenting in the process.

Fulham FC have a fair bit of history when it comes to acquiring top-class goalkeepers. Edwin van der Sar's signing from Juventus for a club record £7m in 2001 was a clear statement from the London club, signalling their intent to become a permanent fixture in the Premier League. Which they have of course done! Van der Sar's eventual replacement, Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer, has recently turned 40, and with his contract due to expire at the end of the season Fulham are on the lookout for a replacement.

Schwarzer will be a tough man to replace at Fulham. He is a popular figure around the club and he was part of the Fulham side that had that amazing run to the UEFA Cup Final in 2010. The man that has been muted as the Australian's replacement is Dutch No. 1 Maarten Stekelenburg. His agent has made it clear that Fulham are one of a few clubs that are interested in taking him off AS Roma's hands. 

Since making his €6.3m move to Roma from Ajax in the summer of 2011, the Dutchman has not had the best of times. Injuries, suspensions and some suspect defending in front of him have all been the primary contributors.

Following an inconsistent first season with the club, he has made just nine starts this campaign under new manager Zdenek Zeman, whose cavalier approach has done little to help firm up the leaky Roma defence he inherited. Zeman clearly attributes some of the blame to Stekelenburg, however, as he now finds himself as the club's backup keeper, having been ousted by the young Uruguayan Mauro Goicoechea. This seems to have alerted a host of interested parties.

It's strange to see such a solid 'keeper being phased out by a side that has such a plethora of defensive issues. Prior to Stekelenburg's move to Roma in the summer of 2011, he was considered one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. He still is by many.

Let's not forget—this is a goalkeeper who played a massive part in Holland reaching the World Cup Final less than three years ago. And whilst you could point to the considerably less impressive results in the European Championships two years later, the Dutch would have been on the end of some embarrassing score-lines if it hadn't been for Stekelenburg. 

This looks like a move that has the potential to tick all the boxes for both parties. Fulham could be the ideal place for Stekelenburg to reignite his stuttering career. He knows all about Fulham boss Martin Jol since they worked well together at Ajax. For players who are sometimes struggling, a return to familiarity can often bring about a change in fortunes.

Under Jol at Fulham, he would undoubtedly be the first choice at goalkeeper, with the club's young prospect, David Stockdale, going out on loan to Hull to get some first-team experience. With the likes of Michel Vorm and Tim Krul pushing Stekenlenburg for the national-team spot, first-team action is a must if he is to continue to justify his position in the Dutch first XI. He knows that this will not be a given at AS Roma.

As for Fulham, the signing of Stekelenburg would represent another major coup in the goalkeeping department. He remains a big name in European football and his signing would be in keeping with Jol's efforts to increase the profile of the club. The summer signing of Dimitar Berbatov has already shown that the club has a progressive and ambitious mentality. Securing Stekelenburg's signature would only emphasise this further. Fulham may well start to look like a much more attractive proposition for other players looking for a new club.

At 30 years of age, the former Ajax man is still young in goalkeeping terms. So Fulham will either have a top goalkeeper for the foreseeable future, or if they do choose to move him (for whatever reason that may be), then he would still have a resale value. 

So, it makes sense from a business perspective, for the club and for the player. This rumour certainly looks as though it could have legs, and I for one would find it intriguing to see how Stekelenburg would fare in the rough and tumble of the Premier League. Over to you Jol...

Would Stekelenburg be a good option for Fulham? Are there any other viable options to replace Mark Schwarzer?

Follow me on Twitter: @MattJFootball

After spending 10 years in the Premier League, news emerges today that former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise is on his way out at current club Fulham.

Due to an alleged spat with manager Martin Jol, the out-of-favour Norwegian has been told he can leave the club this month. With the transfer window still very much open, there is opportunity for him to look elsewhere. 

Now at the age of 32, Riise may only have a handful of years left in him. You can't help but feel that his decision of where to go, needs to be made from a logical and progressive viewpoint. He needs to ensure he goes where he can play his style of football. 

Fulham are good at what they do. The Craven Cottage team bulldozed their way into the Premiership and immediately set themselves up as a team who were hard to score against. They didn't need to net a bounty of goals themselves, as their clean sheet consistency ensured they remained in England's top flight.

John Arne Riise, as a contrast, could be regarded as an attacking defender. 

For a period of time, Fulham had Clint Dempsey in their ranks; a player who could score a multitude of goals per season, and as a result, represented a facet of Fulham's game that could push them firmly into the top half. When the American left for Tottenham last year you expected that Fulham would quietly slip back into their normal form. 

If you look at Riise's journey at Liverpool, and to a lesser degree his time at Roma, you do wonder where he was expected to fit in the Fulham lineup.

At Anfield, Riise was a player who could run at the opposition. His thunderous strikes on goal became a familiar sight, which anyone other than Alan Smith, could see the potential in.

For anyone picking Riise for their fantasy football team, you could gain plenty of points from a player who scored more goals than your average defender. 

As his years have advanced, it is certain that Riise's pace and power will have seen a reduction. Yet it is worth noting that in his two years at Craven Cottage he failed to muster a single entry onto the Fulham score sheet.

If you compare this to his seven goals at Roma and 21 at Liverpool, you get a glimpse as to the sort of defender he has become. 

I have always wondered what would have happened to Riise had he stayed at Anfield. As an integral part of the Champions League-winning campaign in 2005, his exit from the club seemed born out of a dip in form that combined with an own goal that sent Liverpool out of the 2007-08 campaign. 

Liverpool have not since reached the dizzy heights of the Champions League final four, and in part this is due to the total disappointment of the players brought in, who were promised to be stronger than the likes of Riise, but ultimately weren't.  

If Riise does now decide to leave Craven Cottage, he needs to select a team that will utilise the best he has to offer. He should not just be a defender fighting from the danger area. He needs to be at a club where his full attacking potential can also be recognised. 

2012 was a disappointing year for Fulham. The team lost Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele over the summer, and despite a decent start to the Premier League season, is now just six points clear of the relegation zone.

And while there won't be a ton of money available to the team to make improvements, there is no question that improvements need to be brought in. Fulham will be bargain hunting, there's no doubt about that. But if the team plays its cards right it could still solidify itself for the second half of the season.

It looks like the team has already made some solid moves to improve the midfield—a necessity, no doubt about that—signing Chris David and looking close to landing Derek Boateng. 

So with Fulham busy already this window, who else should fans realistically look for the team to land?

Jack Butland, Goalkeeper

The 19-year-old keeper is highly regarded and may take over for Joe Hart as the English starter on the international level in the near future. For Fulham, this would be an excellent addition, no two ways about that.

It's also a practical one. Mark Schwarzer is on the last year of his deal and likely won't be back if this deal goes down, meaning Butland could step in immediately and take over as Fulham's top option. 

John Percy of The Telegraph has more:

Fulham are the latest Premier League club to register their interest in Butland and have made a firm enquiry for the 19 year-old this week.

Southampton have also been in informal discussions with Birmingham over the past few days and are expected to make another attempt to sign Butland, after their £6m bid was rejected in the summer.

As Percy notes, Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool have also shown interest in Butland, so Fulham might have to make a very nice offer to bring him in. Still, it would be a coup for the team, and Butland should certainly be on the team's shortlist.

Vegard Forren, Centre-Back

With the possibility—however improbable— that captain Brede Hangeland could leave the club in January, the team will need a replacement for the reliable centre-back. Enter Vegard Forren?

It certainly seems a possibility, according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail:

Fulham have launched a bid for Molde defender Vegard Forren.

The Norway international was due to join up with the national squad for their training camp but was pulled out after his club received a £4million bid.

Fulham better open up the purse strings, however—Everton has made a serious push to land the defender, according to Andy James of the Daily Mail:

Everton are believed to have had a £4million bid for Norway defender Vegard Forren accepted by his club Molde.

Fulham reportedly made an offer for the 24-year-old on Thursday and Molde boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed Forren was set to leave the club.

But, according to The Sun, Everton have now rivalled Fulham's bid and are in pole position to wrap up Forren's signature this week.

I'm always of the belief that you can never have enough solid defenders on your team, and Forren is a promising player. While it looks like Everton may snatch him from under Fulham's noses, the team shouldn't give up on landing the talented centre-back just yet.

Will Hughes, Midfielder

Hughes may be the toughest target for Fulham to land, as Manchester City are thought to be hot on the heels of the 17-year-old. From Alan Nixon of the Mirror:

Manchester City are making a late and strong bid to sign Derby County wonder boy Will Hughes—and throw him into the title race, writes the Sunday People.

City chief Roberto Mancini wants to add to his squad and his No. 2 David Platt has launched a raid on the Rams for their 17-year-old midfield sensation.

Hughes is already wanted by Arsenal, Tottenham and Fulham who are all sniffing around as Derby wait for a potential £10 million bid.

But megabucks City have come in and asked Derby to name their price for Hughes and are keen to land him now.

One advantage Fulham may have in that grouping of suitors is the potential to offer Hughes more immediate playing time. It's hard to imagine him seeing the field often given the depth the other sides in his bidding already possess. 

Of course, the other clubs may simply price Fulham out of the running. Keep an eye on this one—Hughes would be an amazing get for the team.