When the Norwegian arrived at Craven Cottage, Hangeland raised the average height of the Fulham squad by about a foot and a half
The giant centre-half was a £2.5 million capture from FC Copenhagen in the January 2008 transfer window, linking up once more with his old FK Viking boss Roy Hodgson.
Early indications suggest the money was pretty well spent. The Texan-born Hangeland, who has more than 40 caps for Norway, was voted man of the match on his televised debut against Bolton, and he went on to give the kind of commanding displays that brought him to the attention of Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa in the summer of 2007.