This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Alan Curbishley has been appointed first-team technical director at Fulham as he returns to club football more than five years after leaving West Ham.

The announcement came hours after the Premier League club confirmed the United States captain Clint Dempsey was returning on a two-month loan from Seattle Sounders in the Major League Soccer off-season.

It has been a time of change recently at Craven Cottage, with the former manager Martin Jol sacked on 1 December to be immediately replaced by Rene Meulensteen.

The arrivals of Curbishley and Dempsey will give the fans hope the club can start to improve on the field as they sit second from bottom at Christmas.

Curbishley is taking his first role at a club since leaving West Ham in September 2008.

A statement on Fulham's website read: "With a wealth of football experience behind him, Alan will work with head coach Rene Meulensteen as the club embarks on the second half of the season, and the important task of securing our Barclays Premier League status for a 14th consecutive campaign.

"Both Curbishley and Meulensteen will report to the club's CEO Alistair Mackintosh."

Meulensteen said: "I'm very happy that Alan has joined us as I know his expertise will be invaluable as we enter the remaining months of the season.

"Following Martin [Jol's] departure I discussed with both Alistair Mackintosh and the chairman the challenges we face, and I was delighted that they supported the idea of additional support within the coaching team.

"Alan has a proven track record in the industry and understands full well what it takes to succeed."

Meulensteen and Curbishley will be able to call on the knowledge and leadership of the 30-year-old Dempsey in his second spell at Fulham.

He signed from New England Revolution in January 2007 and scored 60 goals in 225 appearances before moving to Tottenham in August 2012.

"It feels good to be back," Dempsey told Fulham's website. "This has always felt like my home in Europe."