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Struggling Fulham sign Babel from Besiktas

Published

6 years ago

January 16, 2019

Fulham signed former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel from Besiktas on Tuesday as the Premier League strugglers bid to bolster their spluttering attack and avoid relegation .
Netherlands international Babel has joined Claudio Ranieri ’ s side , who sit 19 th and five points from safety , until the end of the season and could make his debut against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend .

“My first impressions are good and I ’ m very excited , ” former Liverpool attacker Babel told Fulham ’ s website after returning to England .

“ I definitely have faith that Fulham can stay up . That ’ s one of the reasons that I ’ m here , to try and help that to happen .

“I ’ m ready to go , I ’ m excited and I can’ t wait. ”

The 32 – year -old will be expected to spark a Fulham team who are deep in a relegation battle after losing 2 -1 at fellow strugglers Burnley on Saturday .

The Cottagers have scored only 20 goals and won just three of their 22 league games despite splashing out around £ 100 million ( $ 127 million) on new players in the summer following promotion from the Championship .

Babel made 146 appearances during his three – and – a – half year spell with Liverpool .

He left Anfield in 2011 and played for Hoffenheim , Ajax , Al Ain and Deportivo La Coruna before joining Besiktas in 2017 .

Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan added : “Ryan has excelled at playing attacking football on both the club and international stage , and we welcome that experience as we build our squad for a strong second -half push . ”

( AFP )