Jean Tigana smashed Fulham’s transfer record again with the shock signing of Edwin Van der Sar from Italian giants Juventus in a £7m deal in August 2001.

A product of the Ajax youth system, Edwin, who had 57 caps to his name when joining the west London club, soon progressed to become a permanent fixture with the Dutch side that won the UEFA cup in 1992, the Champions League in 1995 and the Dutch domestic treble in 1996.

When Edwin moved to Juventus, he became the first non-Italian keeper for the Serie A club.

An imposing shot stopper, the Dutch number one reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1998, only to lose to Brazil on penalties. Edwin suffered similar heartbreak in Euro 2000, when Holland again lost in the semi-final stage, this time to Italy.

The deal to bring Van der Sar to Craven Cottage smashed the club's transfer record, and begged the question how long it would take Mohammed Fayed to break that figure yet again.

Van der Sar had been linked with a move to Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in the past - and the player stated that he had rejected the chance to move to Old Trafford at one point.

Made his debut in a 3-2 defeat at Manchester United on the opening day of the season. Although he was at times at fault for some goals, Van der Sar generally won many plaudits for his debut season in England, making 41 appearances.

(source: Fulhamfc/soccernet)