Former Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell delighted with three-year contract extension with Fulham
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Steve-Sidwell-c34181, the 28-year-old central midfielder, revealed he had signed a three-year contract extension with Fulham, which will keep him at the London club until the end of the 2014 season. The Englishman said he was extremely delighted to have extended
his contract at Craven Cottage, where he planned to remain in the future.
Sidwell arrived at the club in the January transfer window on a short-term contract, which was set to expire in six months. However, he has impressed manager Mark Hughes and fans alike, which has earned him an extension of his existing contract. Since his
arrival at Craven Cottage, Sidwell has made 6 appearances, but is yet to find the back of the net for his new side.
The Englishman revealed he had proved himself to the club, which is why he had been given a new contract. The midfielder said while speaking to reporters, “I'm delighted to be tied down for another three years. The main objective was to come here in January
and prove myself to get a contract. I'd like to thank the management and the people upstairs. I'm delighted to be here for three years.”
Sidwell said he intended to help the club further up the Premier League table, “I'd like to help in the progress of the club and take it where the management and the owner want to take it. This has been a transitional year compared to the success the club
had last year, but I'll be hoping to take each year as it comes and progress.”
The former Aston Villa man first got his chance to make an appearance for Fulham because first team midfielder Dickson Etuhu was sidelined with an injury and Sidwell was asked to step in. However, he also picked up an injury shortly after, but despite being
unable to feature for the Cottagers, Sidwell managed to earn a long-term contract.
The midfielder made his senior debut with English Premier League giants http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-Maseru-c38430 in 1999, and spent most of his time with the Gunners on-loan to Championship sides like Brentford, Beveren and Brighton & Hove Albion. In 2003, he transferred to Reading for
an undisclosed fee and played an important part in the 2005-2006 season when Reading won the Championship.
The 28-year-old made a total of 168 appearances for Reading and scored 29 goals in all competitions. Upon his contract running out, Sidwell refused to remain with Reading and signed for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 on a free transfer. He did not quite receive the welcome he
had been hoping for, making a mere 15 appearances for the Blues and being put up for sale at the end of the season.
In the summer of 2008, the English central midfielder joined Aston Villa for an estimated fee of £1.2 million. Despite an impressive start and spirited performances, Sidwell failed to retain his place in the starting line-up because of which he started considering
a move away from Villa Park. He was linked with the likes of West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers but the player ended up signing with Fulham.
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