Schwarzer rejected new contract

Mark Schwarzer has revealed he turned down new terms at Middlesbrough to head for a "new challenge" with Fulham.

The Australia international ended an 11-season assocation with the Teessiders to move to the capital and hopes to oust injured Antti Niemi at Craven Cottage following the departures of veterans Kasey Keller and Tony Warner.

Schwarzer, 35, felt he had gone stale at the Riverside and was delighted to be given the chance of a new venture by Roy Hodgson.

"I have settled in very quickly and feel at home here already," Schwarzer told the official club website.

"My family will move down next week and I am looking forward to the start of the new season.

"When you have been somewhere so long, it is always going to be a difficult decision to leave.

"I had been at Middlesbrough for 11 years and it was an amazing experience for me. Boro made me an offer to stay, but I had decided it was time to move on.

"I needed a new challenge, a new environment and Fulham was a great opportunity.

"Fulham had a very difficult season last year but with the acquisitions there have been, the club is definitely looking in the right direction, to progress up the table."