Kelly completes Reading switch

Reading have confirmed the signing of full-back Stephen Kelly from Fulham on a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.



Kelly, 29, lost his regular starting place in the Fulham side to Sascha Riether this season. A Republic of Ireland international, Kelly has been at Fulham since 2009 and has made 71 appearances in all competitions for the club.



The defender has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the Royals but will not be eligible to face West Bromwich Albion this weekend.



Reading boss Brian McDermott told the club's official website: "I'm delighted to have Stephen here. He has played a lot of games in the Premier League and more than 30 times for his country.



"He's the kind of player I've been talking about - someone with great experience, but at 29 still very young in football terms and at a really good stage in his career.



"I know he's going to fit into the dressing room here really well. He's up for the fight, up for the battle, he's hungry, he wants to do well and I know he'll be successful for us.''

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Fulham sign Chris David from FC Twente

Fulham manager Martin Jol has confirmed the signing of FC Twente striker Chris David.



The cottagers missed out on the 19-year-old in the summer after running out of time to complete the move for the young Dutchman despite agreeing a fee with the Eredivisie side.



David's oppertunities at FC Twente have been rare since he refused to sign a new contract at the club which paved the way for a move to Craven Cottage.

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Ruiz out until New Year

Fulham's Bryan Ruiz faces at least four more weeks on the sidelines after suffering a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.



The 27-year-old has been missing since the 3-1 defeat to Sunderland three weeks ago and was expected to return against Newcastle.



However, Fulham manager Martin Jol has confirmed Ruiz will miss Monday's match and will be out until the New Year after suffering a setback.



"He came back on Monday then he had a setback and he will be out for at least four weeks," Jol said.



"It is the same injury. He was in the final stage of his rehabilitation and he aggravated his hamstring muscle again.



"He has had intensive screening and that highlighted some problems."



Jol has voiced his frustration in the past at the number of injuries Ruiz has picked up, especially when he has travelled back to his native Costa Rica for international duty.



The Dutchman, though, insists the hamstring complaint has nothing to do with that.



"He had this hamstring injury before, now we've found out it is a structural thing," Jol said.



"We had a second opinion and hopefully we found a solution now, but he needs treatment and he will be out for the next four weeks.



"Maybe before he went back to his country and then he came back with a different injury, but as it is now it is the same injury all the time. The same area.



"Hopefully we have found a solution. We sent him to Germany with our people and Doctor [Hans-Wilhelm] Muller-Wohlfahrt is a specialist I know from my time there.



"Hopefully he will be fine in four weeks now but of course it is a big disappointment.



"As you know, Bryan was a vital player for us and every time he played, like against Arsenal, Southampton and Wigan, he was quite important, but we've got other players. Good luck to him and he will be back after Christmas."

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No regrets for Kacaniklic

Highly rated midfielder Alex Kacaniklic believes he made the right choice leaving Liverpool for Fulham.



The Sweden international will face his former manager Roy Hodgson, who sold him to Craven Cottage in August 2010, when his country host England on Wednesday.



But the 21-year-old, who has made a bright start to the English Premier League season, insists he is not out for revenge.



"I didn't speak to Roy Hodgson that much at Liverpool. I was only there for a month or two when he was manager," Kacaniklic told reporters.



"It was my decision to leave and go to Fulham and he let me go. It was up to me if I wanted to go.



"I had to move to develop my career. It has gone very well at Fulham and it feels like I made the right move and it was a good decision.



"I am not out for revenge. Like I said, it was my decision and Roy is a good coach. He's done a lot of good things in football and is well respected throughout the game."



Kacaniklic is also looking forward to the prospect of meeting Steven Gerrard again.



"When I was young I trained with the first-team squad at Liverpool, with people like Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard," he said.



"Steven was a great help, passing on good advice about things like passing. He is one of the players I look up to. It will be nice to meet him again and to get to 100 caps (as he is set to do on Wednesday) is a fantastic achievement."



The ex-Helsingborg youngster is delighted to have been a part of two recent impressive comebacks – a member of the Sweden side who came from 4-0 down to draw 4-4 against Germany in October and, on Saturday, a scorer in Fulham's 3-3 draw at Arsenal.



"Everything is going well for me at the moment and it was a fantastic feeling to score against Arsenal," Kacaniklic said.



"That was one of my biggest games so far – although I played in the 4-4 draw with Germany last month after we had trailed 4-0, which was also a pretty big game. I can't really explain what happened.



"The last few months have been a bit of a whirlwind but I am enjoying myself at the moment."

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Fulham eye defender deal

Fulham are keen to tie defender Brede Hangeland down to a new deal before the January transfer window opens.



The Norwegian defender is out of contract at the end of the season and Fulham are eager to resolve the player's future.



Hangeland will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January if he does not agree new terms at Craven Cottage and Fulham are keen to prevent the 31-year-old from leaving as a free agent at the end of the campaign.



If the west Londoners fail to convince Hangeland to sign a new deal prior to the January transfer window it has been reported they will seek to sell the centre-half, rather than allow him to leave on a free transfer.



Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been credited with an interest in the past but it remains to be seen if the Old Trafford side will step up their interest in the new year.

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Real Madrid 'make Dembele contact'

The agent of Fulham midfielder Moussa Dembele has told reporters that Real Madrid are looking to secure his client's services this summer.

Dembele, 25, had an impressive 2011-12 season in the Premier League and has caught the attention of several top sides, with Manchester United among those linked.

The Belgium international featured in a deep-lying midfield role under Dutch manager Martin Jol and won over many of his previous critics as he inspired Fulham to some impressive results in the second half of the season.

Jan de Visser, of the Sports International management agency, has claimed that they have received several approaches for their player, including one from Real Madrid.



"Real Madrid have contacted us and asked about the possibility of signing Moussa Dembele," De Visser told De Telegraaf. "They are not the first big club who have contacted us this summer for him."

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Dempsey misses Fulham trip

Clint Dempsey has missed Fulham's pre-season tour of Switzerland, with the club citing a 'lack of match fitness' for his absence.



The American international has been linked with a move to Liverpool who confirmed last month they are interested in signing the attacking midfielder.

Fulham spokeswoman Katie Holmes said Dempsey has remained in London "to work on his fitness" with the youth team.

Holmes refused to comment on media reports concerning a possible switch to Merseyside.

It has been reported that Dempsey and Fulham manager Martin Jol were involved in a fiery debate before the squad flew out of London.

Dempsey has told club officials that he is keen to leave west London.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told his own club's website in July: "Clint is a player we've enquired about, it is as simple as that.

"Ian Ayre, our managing director, has spoken with the club (Fulham) to see what the position is. That is where we're at.

"He's a very talented player but we don't like to talk about other clubs' players."



The 29-year-old scored 23 goals in 46 games for the Cottagers last season, with Fulham opening their Premier League fixtures on August 18 at home to Norwich.

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Iaquinta in Fulham frame

Juventus striker Vincenzo Iaquinta could be set for a move to the Premier League with Fulham, according to the player's representative.



The forward, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season, has reportedly been told that he can leave Turin this off-season.



And his agent has stated that the Italian is considering a number of options, but the west London club are a 'concrete possibility' for the 32-year-old.



"We are verifying a number of different options for Iaquinta in Italy, but especially in England," Andrea D'Amico told Calcio Sport 24.



"Fulham? That is a concrete possibility."



The former Udinese player did not play a single minute for Juve last season, and was loaned out to Cesena in January where he scored once in seven appearances.



Fulham have lost three strikers so far this transfer period, with Andrew Johnson joining QPR on a free transfer, Pavel Pogrebnyak choosing to join Reading despite his successful loan spell with the Cottagers and Orlando Sa terminating his contract by mutual consent.



However, Croatian striker Mladen Petric and former Wigan man Hugo Rodallega have boosted the forward ranks after agreeing to join Martin Jol's side.



Meanwhile, speculation continues to suggest that star forward Clint Dempsey could leave the club, with Liverpool among those interested in securing the American's signature.

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Fulham complete Rodallega deal

Fulham have bolstered their strike options after completing a deal to sign Hugo Rodallega on a free transfer.



The former Wigan frontman has penned a three-year deal to join the Craven Cottage club subject to a work permit.



Rodallega had become available on a free transfer after his contract with Wigan, where he spent the past three years, expired last month.



Despite managing just two goals last term the Colombia international had reportedly also drawn interest from Everton and Aston Villa, and admitted he had hoped to remain in England.



"I'm thrilled to have signed for Fulham football club," Rodallega told the club's official website.



"I wanted to stay in England and I'm delighted that I now have this opportunity with Fulham.



"I would like to thank the staff and fans of Wigan Athletic for three and a half wonderful seasons there.



"I'm looking forward to pre-season training with the rest of the Fulham squad and starting a new chapter in my career."



Manager Martin Jol described Rodallega's arrival as a "massive boost" ahead of the new campaign.



Fulham's strike options have been weakened over the summer following the departure of Andy Johnson while Pavel Pogrebnyak, who impressed on loan in the second half of last season, opted to join newly-promoted Reading.



"I am delighted that Hugo has decided to join Fulham," Jol said.



"There has been a lot of interest in him from other top flight teams in England and abroad, so to be able to add his quality to our squad is a massive boost this early in our preparations for the new campaign.



"He is a great addition and I think he will contribute very well to our style and philosophy here."

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Duff has no intention of quitting Ireland

Fulham star Damien Duff has revealed that he has no plans to retire from international football, at the moment.



The 33 year old, who captained Ireland on his 100th cap against Italy in the final game of Ireland’s Euro 2012, also stated his intention to play for as long as possible saying: “I’m going to play until I drop.”



Following Ireland’s poor showing in Poland , which saw them lose all three of their group matches, conceding nine goals and scoring just once, there had been speculation that a number of the teams more senior players, Duff amongst them, would step aside however Duff has rubbished those claims and insists he does not want to turn his back on his country.



“There’s speculation just because of my age. I’m 33 years old, but I feel as good as ever. I feel 23,” said the former Chelsea and Newcastle winger.



“Listen, I’m going to play until I drop. I don’t think I’m interested in anything else. Fulham, Ireland, if I end up in the Airtricty League, the Leinster Senior League. I’m going to do all that.



“At the minute I’m still an Ireland player. I never brought it up that I was thinking about retirement.



“I’ve spoken to Giovanni Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli, and at the moment I’m still available.”

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Croatian striker Petric joins Fulham

Fulham have completed the signing of Croatian striker Mladen Petric on a free transfer.



The 31-year-old has signed a one-year deal at Craven Cottage after leaving Hamburg last month.



Petric, who worked under Fulham boss Martin Jol when he was in charge of the German club for the 2008-2009 season, scored 38 goals in 98 games during his four-year spell at the Imtech Arena.



He has has played 44 times for Croatia, scoring 12 goals, but was left out of their squad for Euro 2012 by manager Slaven Bilic.



"I like the Premier League and it has always been one of my wishes to come here," Petric told his new club's official website.



"I played with Hamburg against the dlub two years ago in the Europa League. It was very nice to play at Craven Cottage with a fantastic crowd and I have enjoyed a good relationship with every member of the club I have met since.



"I’m very happy to be part of what is happening at Fulham. The club is doing very well and that was why I decided to come here.



"I know the manager well and I know that he is always looking to strengthen his attacking options and I hope that we can do even better next season.”

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Murphy makes Blackburn move

Blackburn Rovers has made its first signing of the summer by bringing in Fulham FC captain Danny Murphy on a two-year contract.



The 35-year-old returns to the north-west, where he previously played for Liverpool and Crewe, having also spent time at Charlton Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur before his move to Craven Cottage.



"Being able to bring Danny on board is a massive boost for everyone and I couldn't be more delighted," manager Steve Kean, preparing for life after relegation from the Barclays Premier League, told rovers.co.uk.



"His record is there for all to see. He is a model professional, who has a real hunger to keep on playing football and we are thrilled he has decided to commit his future to us.



"This is a pivotal signing for us."

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