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LONDON: Fulham have completed the signing of former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise from Italian side Roma for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League club announced on Wednesday.
Riise has signed a three-year contract and his arrival at Craven Cottage will see him linking up with brother Bjorn Helge.
The Norwegian has spent past the three season in the Italian capital after leaving Anfield in 2008.
Riise, a 30-year-old left-back who made more than 230 appearances for Liverpool after joining them from Monaco in 2001, said it was great to be back in England.
“I'm delighted to have completed my transfer to Fulham this morning and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League once again,” he told Fulham's official website.
“Fulham is a club that I have been following as my brother, Bjorn, plays here and he speaks very highly of the club and the staff.
“Obviously I also played against the club in the Europa League group stage when they went on to reach the final of the competition.
“I know that the club is ambitious and continues to make good progress each year, under the guidance of the chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed.
“I am looking forward to working with Martin Jol and the rest of the squad when I report to training next week.”
Riise is the second signing made by Dutch manager Jol since he arrived at the west London club following Hungarian goalkeeper Csaba Somogyi, who joined earlier this week.
“John Arne Riise is an experienced international left-back, who will bring a number of qualities to our squad and provide more options for me,” said Jol.
“He is used to performing at the very highest level for both club and country and is an accomplished player defensively, who can also contribute to our attacking play.
“I am extremely happy that we've been able to add him to our squad, and believe that he will prove a valuable addition as we progress.”
Fulham finished eighth in the Premier League last season.
