Fulham have signed Paul Konchesky from West Ham United for a fee of around £2m.

Lawrie Sanchez snared the former Charlton left back from under the noses of Birmingham City, who had been confident of concluding a deal for 26 year-old. Konchesky, who has won two senior caps for England, has signed a four-year contract at Craven Cottage.

Sanchez said: “I am delighted that Paul Konchesky has joined the influx of players that we have managed to bring to Fulham Football Club. His calibre as a defender has been recognised on the international stage with England and he brings a wealth of Premiership experience to our side. At 26 Paul’s best footballing years will be spent at Craven Cottage and I am looking forward to him becoming an integral member of our side next season.”

Konchesky started his career as a trainee at Charlton, becoming the young player ever to represent the Addicks aged 16 in August 1997. He made a total of 169 first-team appearances in eight seasons at the Valley before signing for West Ham in July 2005. He helped the Hammers reach the FA Cup final, where he scored and then had a penalty saved in their dramatic defeat by Liverpool, in his first year with the club but has found his first-team opportunities limited of late.

Konchesky told Fulham’s official website: “When I knew that Fulham were interested in me I was really pleased. I then met with Lawrie and talked about his plans for the future here and I was really impressed with what he had to say; so it wasn’t a difficult decision to make the switch across London. Obviously the club has made a few signings this window, so it’s a case of us all settling in and getting on with training, and I’m really looking forward to it.