Fulham American defender Tim Ream has agreed to a new two-year contract with Fulham after helping the Cottagers gain promotion to the Premier League in May.
The deal announced Friday includes an option for the 2020-21 season.
The 30 year old from St. Louis played for Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls from 2010-11, then joined Bolton.
He moved to Fulham in 2015 when the London club was in the second-tier League Championship and helped the Cottagers return to the Premier League after a four-season absence.
Ream has made 26 appearances for the U.S. national team.
Fulham FC statement
The Club is delighted to confirm that Tim Ream has agreed a new two year deal with Fulham.
Our Player of the Season has signed a new contract which keeps him at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2020, with an option to extend by a further year.
It follows the news that Captain Tom Cairney has committed his long-term future to the Club.
Ream joined the Whites a few games into the 2015/16 campaign, but it was the following year that the Fulham Faithful began to see the best of him.
Before long he had become an integral part of Slaviša Jokanovic’s starting XI, with his composure and accuracy on the ball a key component of how our Head Coach likes to play.
He improved even further in 2017/18, winning Man of the Match on six occasions – the joint most alongside Kevin McDonald and Ryan Sessegnon – and ended up being comfortably voted Player of the Season by the fans.
Ream delivered a typically assured performance in the Championship Play-Off Final in May to help secure our return to the Premier League, where he played for Bolton Wanderers back in 2012.
Speaking moments after signing, Ream said: “I wanted to sort it out fairly quickly. It gives you the freedom and the licence to go out and focus on the football, so it’s just nice to have it done.
“The goal all along was to be in the Premier League, and now to have the opportunity to play there with this group of guys is something that I think we’re all looking forward to, not just myself, and hopefully we can make it special this year.”
Tony Khan added: “I’m thrilled to announce that Fulham Football Club has agreed to a contract extension with Tim Ream.
“Since his arrival, Tim has set unparalleled standards for professionalism and dedication, and because of his contributions to our success in the past year he was voted our Player of the Season.
“It's therefore only fitting that Tim will continue his career at Craven Cottage, where his love affair with the Fulham faithful and their exuberant chants of “REAM!” shall continue.”