© EuroFootball.com
The French club acquired the security of the Swedish national team and Brussels club, Cristian Wilhelmsson, successfully concluding lengthy negotiations. The player was purchased from a Belgian club for 3.5 million euros.
C. Wilhelmsson signed a three-year contract with the "yellow" team, and Anderlecht is already losing its second player. Recently, the club's ranks were deserted by Vincent Kompany, who moved to the German Bundesliga and will represent the "Hamburg" team next season.
"I already feel much better now that everything is settled," rejoiced the Swede, who played with the national team in the World Championships and helped the team reach the quarterfinals, where they lost to the tournament host, the German national team.
"Before the championship, the clubs had not yet reached an agreement, so during the course of the competition, I thought about it every day," explains the 26-year-old defender.
C. Wilhelmsson is currently looking towards his future career in the "Ligue 1" championship and announced his goals for the upcoming matches.
"The contract is good and I can't wait to play for Nantes. It's a great feeling to move to a new league. The French football league is one of the best in quality and this will give me a chance to compete against many good teams. I need new challenges. Our goal this season is to finish in a higher position than last season, because I believe finishing in the top five is not impossible," C. Wilhelmsson told "Sportbladet."
Last season, with the Anderlecht club, C. Wilhelmsson won the Belgian championship for the umpteenth time, and also competed in the UEFA Champions League with the team, where they were forced to admit the superiority of the "Chelsea," "Betis," and "Liverpool" teams. Nantes in France finished just 14th.
Meanwhile, another French club has added another player from the Swedish national team - forward Johan Elmander from Denmark, who was acquired for an undisclosed amount.
The former Feyenoord player signed a four-year contract with the Ligue 1 club, despite attracting the attention of several other European teams.
A sum of money offered by the Scottish giants Rangers for the 25-year-old player was rejected, and Borussia Dortmund and Rennes also failed to seize the opportunity and wanted to see the Scandinavian in their teams, but the humble French club won the duel.
J. Elmander is pleased to play in France and wear the "purple" jerseys in the upcoming season.
"I am really happy to play for Toulouse. I can't wait for the moment when I can play," the forward told the Toulouse club website. "I think it's a good club and they have ambitions to compete in Europe."
The team's head coach, Elie Baup, is also delighted to have a player of his caliber in the team: "He's the kind of striker I've been looking for for a long time. He has experience playing for the national team."
Last season, Toulouse barely avoided relegation to a lower French league, finishing 16th in the championship.
