Fodé Ballo-Touré feels Fulham can improve on last season’s top half finish and insisted his deadline-day loan move to Craven Cottage was too good to turn down.

The Senegalese international’s comments – made to FFCTV this evening – have already raised eyebrows at his parent club AC MIlan, who were surprised that the left back took up the option of a loan to London at the last minute having turned down offers from across Europe earlier in the summer, including the Cottagers, when the Serie A side made him available for transfer at around £4m.

The 26 year-old arrives to challenge Antonee Robinson at left back after Marco Silva bemoaned his lack of depth in both full back positions before Ballo-Toure and Timothy Castagne arrived very late in the window. The former Monaco man expressed his delight at joining London’s oldest professional club, telling FFCTV:

“I am very happy to be here at Fulham. It’s a very big club, a historic club. I am very, very happy to be here in England, at Fulham. It’s a very nice stadium. It’s an old, traditional stadium – it shows the story of the club and I like it. I think that is Fulham – they respected their tradition and it is a beautiful stadium, historic.

I’m a very big fan of the Premier League. I followed Fulham last season and they played very good football. I know I will improve here. For me, you can’t turn down Fulham. I saw how they played last season and it was hard for me to turn them down. I hope [Fulham can] do better than last season.”

Speaking specifically about the deal that was concluded after the closure of the English transfer window when the Whites submitted a deal sheet to the Premier League proving that they had completed negotiations with Milan in time, Ballo-Touré added:

“It’s been very peculiar. I didn’t expect it — I thought I was going to stay in Milan. At the last minute, I got a phone call from my agent, who told me that Fulham wanted me. I didn’t hesitate. I said yes and it happened very fast.”

Ballo-Touré, who was ineligible for last weekend’s heavy defeat at Manchester City, could be in line to make his first Fulham appearance when Luton Town come to the Cottage on Saturday 16 September.