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Nigmatullin or Nikopolidis?
last updated Sunday 13th May 2001, 8:29 PM
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Greece
international goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis Fulham's main target
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Premiership newcomers Fulham have turned their
attentions to Panathinaikos' Greece international goalkeeper Antonis Nigmatullin
after Russia's number one Ruslan Nigmatullin snubbed a move to Craven Cottage.
A Fulham representative watched the 30-year-old Nikopolidis in last week's
1-0 defeat to AEK Athens. He was a target for Bolton earlier in the season
and has made it clear that he would jump at the chance to play top-flight
football in England.
Nikopolidis was a regular in the Athens club's Champions' League campaign
although he was pressurised by understudy Costas Halkias in the group stages
prior to the youngster's shoulder injury.
The interest in Nikopolidis has only emerged after Lokomotiv Moscow refused
to part with Russian prodigy Nigmatullin before the end of the season.
Club spokesman Natalia Vasilyeva revealed that president Valery Filatov
had spoken to Fulham about a move. "Filatov talked about Nigmatullin's
departure with a Fulham representative, but he said it was too early to
discuss it. Nigmatullin will stay until the end of early July, when the
first half of the Russian season ends," he said.
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Ruslan
Nigmatullin snubbed a move to Craven Cottage
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Last season Nigmatullin looked set to replace Peter Schmeichel at Portuguese
champions Sporting Lisbon but the Danish star recovered from injury and
signed a contract extension.
Nigmatullin has been seeking a transfer ever since Lazio were interested
in signing him after his heroics against them in 1999's European Cup Winners'
Cup semi-final.
Former Napoli coach Zdenek Zeman also considered making a bid for the goalkeeper,
who holds the Russian first division record for not conceding a goal for
939 minutes,
He began his career in the lower reaches of the Russian league with Electron
Kazan, before moving on to second division club Kamaz. In 1995 his boyhood
dream of playing for Spartak Moscow came true and he helped the Russian
giants win two league titles in 1996 and 1997.
But after being edged out of the side by Alexander Filimonov, Nigmatullin
moved across the city to Lokomotiv where he has been in outstanding form
over the last three seasons. |
Source onefootball
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