OTish - Fulham sign McCormack

Former Newcastle target signs for Fulham in £11m deal


FULHAM have completed the signing of Scotland striker Ross McCormack from fellow Championship club Leeds for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £11m.

The 27-year-old – who has signed a four-year contract at Craven Cottage – was the top scorer in the Championship last season after hitting 29 goals for Leeds.

A statement published on Fulham’s official website read: “Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Ross McCormack from Leeds United for an undisclosed fee.

“The Scotland international, last season’s top scorer in the Championship, has penned a four-year deal with the Whites, with the option of a further 12 months, potentially keeping him at the club until the summer of 2019.”

Fulham had a £5m bid for McCormack turned down last month but have now succeeded with a much increased bid.

The reported £11m fee for McCormack would make him the second most expensive Scottish footballer of all time following James McCarthy’s £13m move from Wigan to Everton in September last year.

West Ham failed in their bid to sign McCormack in January, while Newcastle, former club Cardiff, Norwich and Derby had also been linked with the player.

Cardiff are understood to be owed around 15 per cent of the transfer fee due to a sell-on clause.

McCormack signed a new four-year contract at Elland Road last summer, but is understood to have asked for a transfer on June 20 – the day after David Hockaday had been appointed as the club’s new head coach.

The transfer fee is more than had been expected for a player unproven in the top flight, but the deal may still anger some Leeds fans who had been hoping McCormack would spearhead their club’s promotion challenge under Hockaday next season.

When Hockaday was unveiled by Leeds president Massimo Cellino on June 19, the Italian insisted McCormack would only be sold for the right price to a Premier League club.

Cellino said he had blocked the Scot’s proposed move to Fulham’s London rivals West Ham in January. He also claimed he rejected an approach from Newcastle in May.

But McCormack is reported to have told Cellino he wanted to leave the club in a face-to-face meeting at the end of last month and the former Cardiff forward did not travel with the squad last week to its summer training camp in Italy.

McCormack, who started out at Rangers, spent two seasons at Motherwell before joining Cardiff on a free transfer in June 2008.

Leeds paid an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £350,000, for McCormack in the summer of 2010 and after a slow start to his spell at Elland Road he became the club’s main striker under Neil Warnock.

He flourished last season after being installed as captain by previous boss Brian McDermott, scoring a total of 29 goals in 53 appearances.

Fulham’s summer transfer kitty is boosted by the Premier League’s parachute payment following relegation last season and boss Felix Magath had made McCormack his No1 target.

He becomes the Cottagers’ fifth summer signing following the arrivals of Tim Hoogland, Adam Taggart, Kay Voser and Shaun Hutchinson.

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Glad we've not signed him should be much better options available for the reported £11m fee

 

Puts the Debuchy transfer fee into perspective. £11m for an unproven 27 year old. Could turn out to be money well spent but I can't help remembering a certain Jermaine Beckford.

 

Sounds a lot of money for McCormack. Could be wrong. I think he'll do well for them in the Championship but for that money I'd want the guarantee of goals once promoted. I suppose his goals may fire them up and if so the influx of cash will cover it.

 

All that cash for him to stay in the Championship?
Utterly crazy.
Fulham are at their level now and I can't see that changing.
Looks like they are taking a big gamble on getting sraight back up.

 

Don't rate him, champion ship quality at best. He was kept out of the cardiff side by chopra I think..reckon last year was a freak total for him anmd he's definitely not prem quality unless his all round game has massively imrpoved since I last saw him.

 

Bullet dodged. ****ing £11m?