PLAYER PROFILE

Antti Niemi

Position: Goal

Height: 6'1

Weight: 13st 9lbs

Date of Birth: 1972-05-31 Oulu, Finland

Antti Niemi

Antti Niemi, the Finnish international goalkeeper, started his career at HJK Helsinki, before moving to Britain in 1997. Following two and a half years as Southampton's number one he moved to Fulham in the January 2006 transfer window.

Niemi's British sojourn began with a spell at Rangers, however, injury restricted his chances at Ibrox and he moved over to Edinburgh to join Hearts just before Christmas 1999.

Eighty nine appearances for Hearts boosted the stopper's reputation and Southampton swooped at the start of the 2002/2003 season, paying £2million to bring Niemi to St Mary's.

Niemi's first full season in the Barclaycard Premiership was such a success that he managed to dislodge Saints number one, Paul Jones and prove a key player in Southampton's run to the FA Cup final. The Cardiff date with Arsenal was a bittersweet one, however, as despite a typically commanding performance from the stopper, Southampton went down 1-0 to a Robert Pires goal and a 65th minute injury cut his final short.

That injury meant he missed the start of the following season, but it wasn't long before he was back to his best. So much so, that former first choice keeper Paul Jones left the club.

He continued to put in some assured performances for Southampton and when the club were relegated from the Premiership persistant rumours linked him with top flight clubs, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Charlton all mentioned as suitors. Niemi stayed with Southampton for the first half of their Championship campaign, before moving to Fulham in the transfer window for an undisclosed fee, ostensibly to fill the gap left by Edwin van der Sar.

He certainly helped their form in his first half-season, as the Cottagers won seven of the nine games he played for them.

When van der Sar left the club for Manchester United, Niemi took over the number one jersey and proved a vital part of the squad.