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Tampines Rovers sign Malaysian Super League hotshot striker Billy Mehmet

SINGAPORE — Big-spending Tampines Rovers have produced the final piece of their jigsaw puzzle as the Stags plot their assault on four pieces of silverware this S.League season.

Screencaps: Billy Mehmet, Tampines Rovers/Twitter

Screencaps: Billy Mehmet, Tampines Rovers/Twitter

SINGAPORE — Big-spending Tampines Rovers have produced the final piece of their jigsaw puzzle as the Stags plot their assault on four pieces of silverware this S.League season.

The five-time S.League champions — who are gunning for the league title, the Singapore and League Cups and the AFC Cup — have signed free-scoring striker Billy Mehmet from Sarawak FA to complete their quota of foreign signings.

The club made the announcement on their twitter account this morning.

The 31-year-old Mehmet, a former Ireland U-21 international and product of the famed West Ham United Academy, finished as the third-highest scorer in the Malaysian Super League last season with 15 goals in 25 matches, including one in Sarawak's 2-1 home win over the LionsXII in the MSL last August.

The previous season, he finished top scorer of the Malaysian Premier League with Kedah FA with 23 goals in 26 matches.

The journeyman pro has also played for Dunfermline Athletic and St Mirren in the Scottish League, Genclerbirligi and Samsunspor in the Turkish League, Perth Glory in the A-League and Bangkok Glass in Thailand.

Given his recent goalscoring feats, Mehmet is expected to form a lethal combination upfront for Tampines with former Courts Young Lions striker Jordan Webb and national striker Fazrul Nawas who was the top local scorer in the S.League last season with 18 goals.

With former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant and rising local talent Christopher Van Huizen on the flanks, the Tampines attack will be more than a handful for their opponents this season.

Tampines head coach V Sundramoorthy told TODAY that he was happy to get Mehmet on board.

Describing him as a "hardworking" and "quality" pro, he said: "Billy is a very experienced footballer having played in many leagues around the world. His maturity and experience will be an asset to the team, especially to the younger players. 

"This is a good opportunity for the young ones to learn from players like Billy and Jermaine. If I were them, I would grab the learning opportunities with both hands, and soak it all in.

"More importantly, Billy is a proven goalscorer, so we will be expecting him, Jordan and Fazrul to spearhead our attack this season."

Besides Pennant, Mehmet and Webb, Tampines have also signed South Korean defender Kwon Jun. Having four foreign signings will enable Tampines - who have also bagged nine LionsXII players - to have the squad depth to mount an effective challenge for the Quadruple this season. 

The Stags have missed out on the S.League title for the past two seasons. They last won the domestic title in 2013. 

Tampines are especially eyeing the AFC Cup, which is the second-tier regional cup tournament behind the Asian Champions League and which comes with a US$1 million top prize. 

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