Fulham sign defender Jorge Cuenca from Villarreal on a four-year contract

London, Aug 4 (IANS) Fulham have announced the signing of Jorge Cuenca from Villarreal for an undisclosed fee. The defender has agreed a four-year deal, keeping him at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2028, with a Club option to extend by a further year. Cuenca, 24, primarily operates as a left-sided centre-half but has also lined up at left-back on numerous occasions for Villarreal.

“I’m really, really happy. I'm so proud to be here. I'm so happy to be here and to play for Fulham. The Club is a 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,” said Cuenca to FFTV.

Born in Madrid, Cuenca came through the youth ranks at local side Alcorcón, where he became their youngest-ever player before moving to Barcelona at the age of just 17. After featuring regularly for the club’s B team, he was handed his first senior start in a 1-0 Copa del Rey victory in October 2018.

A multi-million euro move to Villarreal followed two years later, though he went straight on loan to Almeria, whom he helped reach the Segunda División Play-offs and Copa del Rey Quarterfinals, where they were narrowly beaten by Sevilla. After three goals in 37 appearances for Almeria, Cuenca was a La Liga regular the following term, playing 32 times while on loan with Getafe to help them preserve their top-flight status.

“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! Come on Fulham!,” added the Club’s director of football, Tony Khan.

After impressing away from home, Cuenca was integrated into the Villarreal setup in 2022/23, playing every minute of their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign which saw them progress to the knockout stages. But it was last season when he became a mainstay in the Villarreal backline, missing just a handful of games as they finished eighth in La Liga and reached the Europa League knockouts.

Cuenca has been capped by Spain up to Under-21 level, whom he helped get to the Semi-Finals of the 2021 European Championship, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament.

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