Holland goalkeeper Stekelenburg joins Fulham

Dutch international goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has joined Fulham from Italian side Roma on a four-year contract, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old becomes Fulham’s fourth signing of the close season, following earlier moves for German full-back Sascha Riether, who spent last season on loan at Craven Cottage, Ghanaian midfielder Derek Boateng, and Venezuelan defender Fernando Amorebieta.

Stekelenburg, who has won 54 caps for the Netherlands and played in the 2010 World Cup final defeat against Spain, said he was excited about the prospect of linking up with Fulham manager Martin Jol again, having previously worked with his compatriot at Ajax.

“It’s good that I’ll be joining Martin again,” Stekelenburg told the Fulham website.

“He knows my capabilities very well, so I am just looking forward to joining up with the team in pre-season and enjoying some time with them prior to the new season starting.

“I am very happy to be joining Fulham and to have everything sorted out so early in the summer, so I can really focus on preparations for playing in the Barclays Premier League next season,” added Stekelenburg who replaced Edwin van der Saar at Ajax early in his career and went on to win two Dutch titles in 2004 and 2011 before joining Roma.

Jol tipped Stekelenburg for success, saying: “He is a player of great quality and technical ability whose distribution and ability to react quickly and read the game is exceptional; he will be a fantastic addition to the talented team of keepers that we already have.”

Stekelenburg’s arrival casts doubt on the future prospects of long-term first-choice goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, the 40-year-old Australia international, who may now look to leave the club.