Fulham have completed an audacious deal to sign Cameron international André Frank Zambo Anguissa which could be worth as much as £27m. The transfer remains dependent on the midfielder being granted a work permit.
The deal to sign the powerful defensive midfielder, who has enjoyed two stellar years in the south of France since being signed from Reims’ second string, looked liable to collapse twice earlier this afternoon – firstly, over a dispute about solidarity payments to the midfielder’s former clubs and then when West Ham attempted to try and tempt Anguissa to east London.
According to reports in the French press this evening, Anguissa had his medical in Marseille – watched by Fulham employees – and the clubs had to apply for an extension as protracted negotiations over the structure of the deal dragged on. Anguissa established himself as a key member of the Marseille side that reached last season’s Europa League final with a number of composed displays as a deep-lying midfielder, but the French club successfully managed to double Fulham’s opening bid of around £14m.
Anguissa leaves Marseille having made 104 appearances in three seasons and fits Slavisa Jokanovic’s mould of a strong defensively minded midfielder – the type of signing he was calling for in the aftermath of the Whites’ final pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo. Fulham have now broken their club transfer record for the second type in a month after signing Ivorian international Jean-Michael Seri from Nice earlier this summer.
Anguissa, who has won eleven senior international caps for Cameroon, has put pen to paper on a five-year contract. He told Fulham’s official website tonight:
I am delighted to have signed for Fulham today. This is a new chapter in my career and one I’m really looking forward to. I hope to bring my qualities to this new project. I like a challenge and I will ensure that I give my very best to my team, the Club, and the supporters.
Fulham’s head of football operations, Tony Khan, also added:
I’m thrilled to announce that Fulham Football Club has signed André Zambo Anguissa. André’s tremendous data profile, his glowing scouting reports, and his sterling reputation confirm his world class talent. Throughout this summer, we’ve pursued elite players on whom we believed we could rely to deliver the quality required to challenge the great competition we’ll face in the Premier League, and thus, Andre has been one of our top targets.
