Fulham have confirmed the shirt numbers for their new signings Cesar Palacios and Gonzalo Garcia, who have joined from Real Madrid for a combined fee of £42.5 million. Palacios will wear the No8 shirt, while Garcia takes the No7 jersey.
Palacios signs five-year deal
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has signed a five-year contract at Craven Cottage, keeping him at the club until 2031, with an option for a further 12 months. He becomes the second signing of new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa's tenure, following Garcia.
Palacios expressed his excitement: “I am very emotional to be here. I believe it is the perfect step in my career. The club is showing a lot of trust in me, and I’m going to show it on the pitch.”
Garcia replaces Jimenez
Garcia, a highly-rated striker, has also signed a five-year deal with an option for an additional year. He arrives as a replacement for Raul Jimenez, who rejoined Wolves on a free transfer, and will compete with Rodrigo Muniz for the main centre-forward role.
Garcia said: “I’m very grateful, very happy to be here. I have to thank the board and Arbeloa for the trust they’ve put in me, and I’m very, very excited to start.”
Possible debuts this week
Both players could make their Fulham debuts as early as Friday in a pre-season friendly against Crystal Palace. Following that, the team travels to Spain to face Malaga at the Estadio La Rosaleda on August 12.
