Fulham loan Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain

Alphonse Areola swapped Champions League evenings at the Santiago Bernabeu and Parc des Princes for quaint afternoons by the River Thames.

The French goalkeeper joined Fulham from Paris Saint-Germain on loan Wednesday. The recently promoted London club holds the option to make the move permanent after his season-long deal.

Areola, 27, spent most of the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Real Madrid.

"Fulham is a historic club in London and I have heard a lot about the stadium," Areola said.

"I hope this season will be a good one for us. I want to bring my energy and do everything for this team to keep us where we belong."

Marek Rodak took the Cottagers' No. 1 spot from Marcus Bettinelli last season, but it appears the opportunity to bring aboard Areola - a thrice-capped French international with three Ligue 1 titles and one La Liga crown - was too enticing for Fulham manager Scott Parker to pass up.

Areola, who was part of France's World Cup-winning squad in 2018, was Thibaut Courtois' understudy at Real Madrid last term after he temporarily moved to Spain as part of Keylor Navas' permanent switch to PSG.