By Patrick Akoto
Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng has confirmed he has signed a two-year deal with English side Fulham as exclusively reported by GHANAsoccernet.com on Monday.
The 30-year-old will start training with the English Premier League side on Tuesday after sealing the deal in London on Monday.
Boateng moves to the Craven Cottage as a free agent after months of intense speculations.
Fulham saw their move for the Dnipro enforcer fall through in the last two windows but manager Martin Jol persisted and finally landed his man.
The Ghanaian international has confirmed he has signed the dotted lines for the à London side after snubbing offers from Greek giants Olympiakos.
ââ¬ÅI have signed a two-year deal with Fulham and will be training with them for the first time today (Tuesday),â⬠Boateng told Accra-based local radio station Happy FM.
ââ¬ÅI believe itââ¬â¢s a good move and Iââ¬â¢m finally happy to see this deal concretised.ââ¬
The move is a dream come true for Boateng who has been yearning to play in the English Premier League before he retires from the game.
Boateng is a journey man having played in several countries including Spain, Greece, Germany, Israel and Sweden.
The club have been heavilyà linkedà with the Ghana international over the past two transfer windows but grabbed their man after the third time of asking.
Regardless, as a free agent, there would seem to be littleà riskà in moving for a player that comes with reasonable pedigree.
Capped 46 times, the central midfielder is full of energy and has an enviable work rate â⬓ both traits that would complement our current crop.
However, heââ¬â¢s a player that is slow to adapt, having played all across Europe for eight differentà clubsà and yet only excelling in a couple of those stints.
He was superb with AIK in Sweden, and impressed with Beitar Jerusalem and Getafe.
Elsewhere, though, he has failed to find his feet and, now that he has reached his thirties, there is not long left for Boateng to prove himself.
Fulham could well bring the best out of the player, as we have done with many others in the past, but it could also prove to be a transfer fraught with risk.