Fulham have confirmed the signing of Spanish defender Jorge Cuenca from Villarreal.
The Cottagers began their transfer business with the addition of Ryan Sessegnon, who returned from the club on a free transfer following his departure from Tottenham Hotspur.
On Friday, Fulham announced the addition of midfielder Emile Smith Rowe after they reached an agreement with Arsenal on a club-record deal.
Hot on the heels of Smith Rowe's arrival, Fulham have confirmed they have bolstered their backline with the signing of Cuenca for an undisclosed fee.
The Spaniard has put pen to paper on a four-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2028 with the option to extend by a further 12 months.
Welcome to SW6, Jorge! 🤍
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 3, 2024
Cuenca "really happy" to complete Premier League move
The central defender, who can also play as a left-back, has expressed his delight at the move and is ready to test himself in the Premier League.
"I'm really, really happy," Cuenca told FFCtv. "I'm so proud to be here. I'm so happy to be here and to play for Fulham.
"The club is an historical club and Craven Cottage is an historical stadium. I prefer Fulham because of the city, the club, obviously the historical stadium, and I want to play in the Premier League."
Cuenca will play his domestic football outside of Spain for the first time, having represented Alcorcon, Barcelona, Getafe, Almeria and Villarreal during his career.
The 24-year-old will leave the Yellow Submarine after featuring in 60 matches in all competitions, including 37 appearances in the 2023-24 campaign.
Vice-chairman Tony Khan said: "I'm happy to welcome centre-back Jorge Cuenca to Fulham! He's a talented young player, we expect that he'll continue to develop under Marco's great coaching, and believe that he'll be a great asset to the squad!"
© Imago
Cuenca bolsters Silva's defensive options
Fulham boss Marco Silva will be pleased to strengthen his backline after seeing Tosin Adarabioyo depart at the end of last season.
While they have secured Cuenca's signature, Fulham are still open to signing another centre-back amid uncertainty surrounding Tim Ream's future.
The experienced defender, who has spent nine years at Craven Cottage, is believed to be in talks over a possible move to MLS side Charlotte FC.
Cuenca has already linked up with the Fulham squad at the team's training base in the Algarve, and he could be involved in Monday's friendly against Sevilla.
The Cottagers will then travel to Germany for their final friendly against Hoffenheim, before they begin their Premier League campaign with an away match against Manchester United on August 5.
