Jean
Tigana has agreed a deal to make his second signing since his
appointment as Fulham manager with the transfer of John Collins
from Premiership Everton for an undisclosed fee.
The
former Celtic midfielder is well known to Tigana having played
for two years under his management at Monaco. His wealth of experience
at the top level, including 53 Scottish caps, will add a valuable
dimension towards Fulham’s aim of attaining Premiership football.
Tigana,
welcomed his new signing, “I am really pleased to be working with
John once again and this signing is an important part of our plans
to build a successful team.”
>Collins
will complete a medical on Friday and then travel with the squad
to a training camp in France.
Date of Birth:
31.01.1968
Place of Birth: Galashiels, Scotland
Position: Midfield
Transfer Fee: Undisclosed
Height: 5' 8"
Previous Clubs: Hibernian, Celtic, Monaco, Everton
When Joe Royle
was pipped to John Collins' signature by Monaco in 1996, few people
at Everton would have believed that two years later the former
Celtic star would have become Everton's highest ever paid player
and part of a revolution under new manager Walter Smith. It was
all the more remarkable given Everton's dangerously close brush
with relegation in the 1997-98 season and the fact that Collins
had pledged to see out the remaining year of his Monaco contract
just a fortnight before he arrived at Goodison Park.
Collins was
brought up in Galashiels at the heart of the rugby stronghold
of the Scottish borderlands. He drifted away from a potential
rugby career and played for Celtic Boys' Club and Edinburgh's
Hutchison Vale before he signing for Hibernian in 1984. He made
his Scottish Premier Division debut for Hibs against Aberdeen
at Pittodrie at the age of just 17 in the same team as former
Everton player Joe McBride, going on to replace McBride as a substitute
in the Scottish Cup Final against the same team later that season.
His career
blossomed under Alex Miller and in 1988 Collins made his international
debut for Scotland in Saudi Arabia. Two years later he made a
high profile move to Celtic and although he wasn't able to help
the Bhoys break Rangers stranglehold on the league, he became
a genuine star player cementing his place in the international
set-up.
In 1996, always
looking for a new challenge, Collins made the decision to take
advantage of the Bosman Ruling to secure a free transfer away
from Scotland. Everton led the chase to sign him but he chose
the sun and sea of the French Riviera when he opted to join Monaco.
He won the
French League in his first season and enjoyed a successful Champions
League campaign the following season when Monaco reached the semi-final
stage. Soaking up the flair and style of the French League and
progressing under Monaco's rigorous training techniques, Collins
made the best possible preparation for the 1998 World Cup and
was one of Scotland's best players of the tournament, scoring
a memorable penalty against Brazil in the opening natch of the
tournament.
Although he
thoroughly enjoyed his time in France, John decided after France
98 that it was time to seek a fresh challenge in England. A total
of 15 clubs from France, England and Scotland were chasing his
signature at one time but he eventually chose the ultimate challenge
at Everton, citing Walter Smith as the main reason for his £2.5m
move.
He took the
no.7 shirt from Mickael Madar and signed a contract worth a rumoured
£29,000-a-week. He came to Goodison as the first genuine star
player to join the club in years but he struggled to fulfil the
promise of his high-profile arrival.
In January
1999 he underwent surgery on a tiny fracture in his toe that he
had sustained during the World Cup and had been plaguing him all
season. It meant he missed the rest of that season but he returned
fighting fit for the 1999/2000 campaign.