Fulham have completed the transfer of Chris Baird in a £3.025million deal from Southampton, beating Sunderland to the signature of the Northern Ireland defender.
A fee had been agreed with Black Cats manager Roy Keane but Baird opted to link up with Lawrie Sanchez, who coached him at international level, and he has signed a four-year deal at Craven Cottage.
Sanchez said: ‘I'm delighted that Chris has chosen to join Fulham despite interest shown by other clubs’
The 25-year-old becomes Sanchez's fourth signing since taking over towards the end of the last campaign following the arrivals of Aaron Hughes, Steven Davis and Diomansy Kamara.
Baird, Hughes and Davis all played in the famous Northern Ireland win over England in 2005 and David Healy, who scored the winner in Belfast, has also been linked with Fulham.
‘I am well aware of Chris' attributes as a player from my time with Northern Ireland and his qualities and versatility will be a major asset for the club next season,’ added Sanchez.
After withdrawing his bid for David Nugent - who has signed for Portsmouth - and missing out on Baird, Sunderland boss Keane continues his search for players to add to his squad.
Baird was earmarked after consistent performances at Southampton since George Burley took over just a few months after the full-back played in the win over England in Belfast.
Burley said: ‘It is disappointing to see him go because he has done very well since I came here. He had not played many games under previous managers but in the 18 months I have been here, he played virtually every game for me.’
Burley added on saintsfc.co.uk: ‘He is a great pro and has developed into a top-class player and shown great quality.’
