Fulham sign Benfica’s Rafik Halliche; Chelsea interested in Bayern Munich’s Martin Demichelis
English Premier League club Fulham has confirmed that they have completed the signing of Algerian defender Rafik Halliche. The deal is believed to be of 3 years that would see the former Benfica player stay in London till the end of the 2013 season.
The fee of the deal, however, has not been disclosed for the 23-year old. Halliche (on the official Fulham website) said that he is delighted to have completed the move, and hopes to achieve big things in English football. He said that he has always thought that the English Premier League is the best league in the world, and he wanted to be part of it since he was a child. The former Benfica defender said that some of the best players of the world are playing in England, and that is the reason it has been the desired destination for every emerging player in Europe and Africa. He said that he did monitor the success of Fulham last season in England and in Europe, and he was very impressed. Halliche added that with limited resources, Fulham managed to achieve a lot and making it to the final of the Europa League was a fantastic achievement.
Halliche was signed by Benfica back in 2008 but has not been able to find a place in the first-team since. He was sent on loan to Nacional for the last two seasons.
Fulham manager Mark Hughes said that the Algerian would be a great addition to the squad, and would help strengthen the defence of his team. Hughes said that his scouts had been observing the player even before he came to the club. Halliche is the 4th signing by Mark Hughes since joining Spurs. Before him, Hughes brought Philippe Senderos, Moussa Dembele and Jonathan Greening to the club.
The 23-year old defender has played 20 matches for Algeria; he was impressive in the World Cup for his country and ever since has been the target of some of the major clubs from Europe.
Meanwhile, English Premier League champions Chelsea are believed to be interested in attaining the services of Martin Demichelis from Bayern Munich. The player’s agent said that there are number of clubs enquiring about his client and Chelsea is one of them. The Argentine international has expressed his desire to leave the club after he was left out of the team in the club’s last match against Wolfsburg.
Italian giants Juventus are also interested and are believed to be the frontrunners to sign the defender. Demichelis’ agent Cyterszpiler said that clubs like Chelsea, Barcelona and Sevilla have also been in touch with him. He said that the interest from some of the biggest names in Europe is flattering, and Demichelis would decide about his future before the transfer window closes. He said that he has always had a great relationship with Juventus, but that does not mean that they are the favourites to get Demichelis. He said that at least four big names are currently in talks with him and his client, and it all depends on how the personal terms are agreed. He said that there is a strong possibility that Bayern may not want to sell right now, so a loan deal may be a viable option for now.
Demichelis’ agent said that there are also other clubs in Italy, like Fiorentina and Roma, interested in attaining the services of Demichelis, but the asking price of Bayern may be out of their budgets.
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