Martin Jol moved quickly into the transfer market last week, as the Fulham boss snapped up centre-half Fernando Amorebieta from Athletic Bilbao on a four-year deal. The 28-year-old moves to Craven Cottage on a free transfer and looks likely to partner Brede Hangeland in the heart of Jol’s back-four over the season ahead:
With midfielder Derek Boateng also arriving under freedom of contract, the Cottagers boss is wasting little time in addressing a poor end to the previous campaign which harvested a mere four points from the final eight Gameweeks. Speaking to the Fulham official website upon completion of the deal, Amorebieta revealed:
“I’m delighted to have signed a four-year deal with Fulham and I’m looking forward to competing in the Barclays Premier League next season. I’m impressed with the talent already at the Club and I look forward to meeting the players for pre-season training in July.”
The Statistics
Starting his player career at Athletic’s feeder club, Baskonia, in the 2003-04 campaign, Amorebieta then stepped up to the club’s reserved side, Bilbao Athletic, the following year before finally making his first-team debut in 2005-06. The 6 foot 4 centre-half spent the next eight seasons at the La Liga outfit, making a total of 195 appearances and producing three goals and three assists, though it is his disciplinary record which really catches the eye. A real no-nonsense approach at the back has seen Amorebieta register an astonishing 75 yellows and 11 red cards over his time in Spain’s top-flight, with plenty of suspensions picked up over his time in Bilbao.
On the international stage, he represented Spain Under 19s on four occasions and was also called up to the senior side by Vincente Del Bosque, though never made it past bench-warming duties. As a result, he was free to represent his native Venezuela and has turned out eight times, scoring one goal – the winner in a World Cup qualifier against Argentina last October.
The Prospects
Certainly, there’s no doubting Amorebieta’s talents. Comfortable in possession, his ability to pick out a pass from deep and prowess in the air have caught the eye of Arsenal and Liverpool in previous years but his temperament has proven enough of a deterrent for any would-be suitors.
Mainly left-footed, his arrival should see Hangeland switch to the right of the central defensive pairing and knock both Philippe Senderos and Aaron Hughes further down the pecking order. With Jol also snapping up Sascha Riether on a permanent deal after last term’s successful loan spell, it only leaves question marks over the first-choice left-back area, with John Arne-Riise and Kieran Richardson alternating over the last few games of 2012/13.
With eight clean sheets accrued last term, Jol’s backline are unlikely to either fall or rise in price across the Fantasy games, keeping their initial costs at the mid-price level. Despite a likely starting price of around the 5.0 mark in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Amorebieta may find it difficult to attract early investors unless he can chip in with some attacking returns. Hangeland, for example, finished a full 60 points behind Mark Schwarzer last time out after failing to produce a goal or assist, while the Australian’s save points and spot-kick heroics earned him sixth spot in the FPL keeper standings, by comparison.
As Schwarzer hints at an exit from the Cottage, however, Jol looks to have further rebuilding on his summer agenda. Fantasy managers are likely to approach with plenty apprehension, then, with many more than happy to hold fire and assess just whether Amorebieta can rein in his reputation as a card magnet before contemplating any possible acquisition.
Further Reference
Fernando Amorebieta Wikipedia
Fernando Amorebieta Statistics
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