Fulham acquire defender Jorge Cuenca from Villarreal for 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.

Speaking to FFCtv from the team's training base in the Algarve, Cuenca said: "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 an 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."

Tony Khan added: "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!"

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 Quarter-Finals, 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.

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.

He departs the club with 60 appearances and three goals to his name.

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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