Fulham announced the double signing of midfield pair Hugo Larsson and Manuel Angel on a hugely active transfer deadline day.
Fulham have announced the double signing of midfielders Hugo Larsson and Manuel Angel on transfer deadline day.
After a start to the season which has seen the Cottagers lose their opening Premier League ties to Chelsea and Sunderland, they have dived back into the transfer market and landed two further players.
Larsson comes from Eintracht Frankfurt, with Fulham warding off competition from other Premier League clubs, including Crystal Palace, who were also said to be close to signing him.
The Swedish international can operate both as a No. 6 and as a No. 8 and will certainly be a hugely useful addition to what is already a pretty promising set of midfield talents.
Speaking on signing for Fulham, Larsson said: “Obviously, it’s a very proud moment for me and my family – I’m honoured to be here.
“To come here, to the oldest club in London, with all the history that it has, is such an honour for me.”
Fulham were not content with just the one additional signing on deadline day though, adding a second young midfield talent in Manuel Angel.
He becomes the third Real Madrid player to join the Cottagers this summer, following Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios.
Angel is a typical Spanish midfielder, excellent on the ball and technically brilliant, while he sees the game a step ahead of most others.
He was a key player under Alvaro Arbeloa at Real Madrid Castilla, even being named captain going into last season, before making his senior debut for Los Blancos under the Spaniard.
Upon completing his deal, he said: “It’s an incredible feeling to have signed for such a legendary club as Fulham, the oldest in London.
“And to compete in a league like the Premier League, where every player dreams of playing at some point in their career.
“I’m also looking forward to experiencing the passion of the fans – and, in particular, our own supporters at Craven Cottage.”
The two additional signings take Fulham’s tally up to six for the summer transfer window.
Three of them - Garcia, Palacios and Angel - have followed in the footsteps of their former manager Arbeloa.
The other three are Shea Charles, Larsson and Jonah Kusi-Asare.
Fulham’s summer has been one of significant change, with a lot of older heads leaving the club and several young academy players coming to West London to replace them.
Arbeloa has taken a risk with signing a third player for Real Madrid Castilla - if it works, he will be urged to sign more, if it fails, it has the worrying feeling of having quite dire circumstances for Fulham.
