Finnish stopper Niemi joins Fulham

Fulham have signed Finnish goalkeeper Antti Niemi from second division Southampton for an undisclosed fee believed to be around…

Fulham have signed Finnish goalkeeper Antti Niemi from second division Southampton for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £1.5m, the London side have confirmed.

Niemi, who played in Scotland for Rangers and Hearts before joining Southampton in 2002, signed a contract until the end of the 2007-08 season after meeting Fulham's coaching staff.

"I was very impressed by the amount of time they spent with me discussing their future plans, which was a real factor in my decision to come to the club," the 33-year-old told the Fulham website.

"I am looking forward to joining the squad for training today and to being back in the Premiership again."

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Fulham manager Chris Coleman said: "Antti is an intelligent goalkeeper of great ability, and with proven credentials at the very highest level, I believe he will be a great addition to our squad."

Niemi made history in 2003 as the first goalkeeper to be substituted in an FA Cup final, being replaced by Paul Jones after 66 minutes following an injury in Southampton's 1-0 defeat by Arsenal.

The experienced Finn joins a team who are 14th in the table and where goalkeeping duties had previously been shared by Mark Crossley and Tony Warner.