Fulham Transfer News: Cottagers Ink 'Keeper Stekelenburg to Deal

It may have taken Fulham an extra six months to acquire the signature of Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg from Roma, but they finally got the man that they wanted. It was officially announced on Monday that the 30-year-old Stekelenburg reached a deal with the Cottagers to replace the out-of-contract Mark Schwarzer, according to Sky Sports:

Fulham will be the third club that Stekelenburg has played for in his career, as he played with Ajax before he signed with Roma. He signed with Roma from Ajax in the summer of 2011 and has been the first-choice keeper for the Netherlands since Edwin van der Sar's international in 2008. 

This season with Roma, Stekelenburg appeared in 19 Serie A matches and recorded three clean sheets. He will be a welcome addition to the Cottagers as they look to rebuild after a disappointing end to the 2012-13 English Premier League season.

With the veteran Australian Schwarzer presumably not renewing his contract now, Stekelenburg will be the main man in net for Martin Jol's club next season.

The 30-year-old Dutchman was ready to move to Craven Cottage during the January window, but the deal fell through on the final day of the window. Stekelenburg had landed in London on January 31 expecting to sign a deal with Fulham, but since his now-former club could not find a replacement for him, the deal was called off, according to the Telegraph. 

The Dutch keeper is the third player that Jol has brought in to Fulham since the offseason began. Defender Fernando Amorebieta and midfielder Derek Boateng have already joined up with the London outfit, according to BBC Sport. 

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