Football United

Turkish champions Fenerbahçe SK have landed Ghanaian midfielder Stephen Appiah in an €8m transfer from Juventus FC.

Serie A success
The length of Appiah's contract in Istanbul has not been revealed. The 24-year-old Accra-born player spent two seasons with the Italian champions, but was deemed surplus to requirements once the club signed Patrick Vieira last week. In all, Appiah made 48 league appearances for Juve, scoring three goals.

Plenty of experience
Prior to joining Juventus, Appiah played 36 matches in three years at Udinese Calcio before moving to Parma FC in 2000. After a two-year spell, he was loaned to Brescia Calcio where he appeared 31 times in the 2002/03 campaign, his most productive Italian season.

Friendly advice
Appiah said: "Before accepting the offer, I took the advice of friends who had played in Turkey. It will be a pleasure to continue my career here." He becomes the second summer signing at Fenerbahçe after goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge arrived from Bursaspor.

Rüstü deal
The club are also set to finalise the future of Turkey No1 Rüstü Reçber, after offering him a new two-year deal. Fenerbahçe begin their UEFA Champions League campaign in the first group stage on 13/14 September.

Source: uefa.com