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Fulham complete transfer triple sweep on deadline day

·By Paul Vegas
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Fulham complete transfer triple sweep on deadline day

Fulham

Fulham completed a remarkable three-signing spree on deadline day, adding Manuel Ángel, Hugo Larsson and David Affengruber to Álvaro Arbeloa's squad inside a matter of hours.

The headline arrival was Manuel Ángel, who becomes head coach Álvaro Arbeloa's third recruit from his former club Real Madrid this summer.

The 22-year-old midfielder has signed a three-year deal worth £3million and follows Gonzalo García and César Palacios in reuniting with Arbeloa at Craven Cottage, continuing a recruitment strategy built on the Fulham boss's familiarity with the Spanish giants' academy graduates.

"It's an incredible feeling to have signed for such a legendary club as Fulham, the oldest in London," Manuel Ángel said. "And to compete in a league like the Premier League, where every player dreams of playing at some point in their career."

Real Madrid have inserted a 50 per cent sell-on clause into the deal, a structure the club has increasingly used with academy departures in recent years. Manuel Ángel made his senior Real Madrid debut under Arbeloa at the Santiago Bernabéu last season before spending time with Real Madrid Castilla, and Fulham's move for him followed an earlier, unsuccessful attempt to sign Thiago Pitarch, whose exit Real Madrid blocked.

Fulham also confirmed the arrival of Sweden international Hugo Larsson on an initial loan from Eintracht Frankfurt, with an obligation to make the move permanent for £18.3million at the end of the season.

The 22-year-old spent three years in Germany, making 119 appearances and scoring 10 goals after joining from Malmö.

"Obviously, it's a very proud moment for me and my family — I'm honoured to be here," Larsson told the club's media channels. "To come here, to the oldest club in London, with all the history that it has, is such an honour for me."

Completing the trio, Austria international David Affengruber has joined from Elche on a four-year deal with the option of a further year. The 25-year-old centre-back, who won his first senior Austria cap earlier this year, made 84 appearances for the La Liga side and helped them win promotion before establishing himself in the top flight.

Affengruber's exit brings the curtain down on two seasons at the Martínez Valero, during which the defender was a key figure in Elche's promotion to La Liga and their subsequent battle to establish themselves in the top flight. With his contract at Elche running down, the Spanish club opted to cash in rather than risk losing him for a reduced fee, or nothing at all, next summer.

The three deals leave Fulham with fresh depth across midfield and defence heading into the new season, and mark one of the busiest closing days of the window for any Premier League club, with Arbeloa's connections to Spanish football continuing to shape his rebuilding project on the banks of the Thames.