Disillusioned Van der Sar seeks to leave Fulham

EDWIN van der Sar says he wants to leave Fulham after slamming the club’s failure to achieve their ambitions.

The Holland goalkeeper was brought to west London by former boss Jean Tigana at a time when Fulham looked as if they could establish themselves as a force in the Premiership with the backing of multi-millionaire chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed.

However, with Fulham homeless and Tigana gone, the picture has changed, and Van der Sar believes the time is right for him to leave.

“Nothing they said has happened, and last season was dramatic. We were out of most competitions within no time and after that the rest of the season was a long road.”

He has instructed his agent to hunt for a new club although he has a contract with Fulham until 2005. Van der Sar, a Champions League winner with Ajax, was critical of the club’s participation in the Intertoto Cup.

He said he was embarrassed by the seriousness with which Fulham treated the competition. “Those were big games for that club, but I thought, what are they making a fuss for?”