Hull sign Vennegoor of Hesselink

Hull have confirmed the signing of Netherlands striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink on a two-year deal.

The 30-year-old international had been a free agent since 2 July after being released by Celtic.

Hull chairman Paul Duffen claimed the Tigers had beaten some big clubs to bring the striker to East Yorkshire.

"We've wanted an experienced, top-drawer striker who scores goals and Jan has scored prolifically in top leagues in Europe," Duffen said.

"It's what we need. We didn't score enough goals last season. Going forward we have a lot of new talent and Jan will play his part in using his experience to settle them down.

"We've been looking at Jan since July and are really pleased we've turned his head. He's been looking at other big clubs in Europe but the Premier League is where he wants to come and play with us."

Vennegoor of Hesselink once hit 22 goals in a season for PSV Eindhoven, scoring 76 goals in all from 157 appearances for the club.

He signed a three-year deal with Celtic in August 2006 for a fee of around £3.4m, and scored 38 goals for the Scottish side.

Vennegoor of Hesselink made his international debut in October 2000, and has scored five times for his county in 27 appearances. But he has yet to feature in the Netherlands' World Cup 2010 qualifiers.