Fulham winger Luis Boa Morte has left to join West Ham in a deal believed to be worth around £5m.
The Portuguese winger made 250 appearances for Fulham, scoring 54 goals, after joining from Southampton in a £1.7m deal in 2001. Fulham had previously rejected interest from a number of clubs – most prominently Newcastle in 2005 – but changed their stance once Boa Morte indicated a willingness to move on.
Manager Chris Coleman said:
“I am of course disappointed that Luis has decided his future is not with Fulham. He has been a great servant to the club and we all wish him well. However, I have always said that if a player is not happy playing for this club and expresses a desire to go, then I would be prepared to let him leave, and this was the case with Luis. Having discussed this with the chairman and the managing director, we believe it is in the best interest of the club to invest in players who are prepared to commit their future to us.
“We will continue to add strength and depth this window and, if necessary, the next, to ensure that we have a strong enough squad of players for the future to enable us to push on as a club, which remains our ambition.”
