THE Ospreys say Richard Fussell has "all the attributes" to succeed at the Liberty after signing the winger from the Dragons.

The 25-year-old will arrive in the summer and has penned a two-year deal which will keep him at the region until the end of the 2011-2 season.

Fussell, who is regarded as a fine finisher, is out of contract at Rodney Parade at the end of the season.

"With Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe, Nikki Walker and now Kristian Phillips and Tom Prydie all getting called up for international rugby at different stages of the season, we felt that we needed to add strength to our wing department to cover for these players," said Ospreys head coach Sean Holley.

"We also see Tom Prydie as someone who in the longer term will emerge as a full-back, so we were in no doubt about the need to bring someone in.

"We were looking for someone who is Welsh and who is a consistent player.

"In Richard, we saw somebody who has hit some good form, understands a sound defensive system, has the ability to kick off his left foot and has become a proven finisher.

"He has all the attributes that we look for in a winger at the Ospreys."

Fussell has made 78 Dragons appearances since joining the region in 2005 and has scored 23 tries. Earlier in his career he scored 21 tries in 46 games for Pontypridd.

Standing 5ft 11in tall and weighing in at 13st 10lb, he has been capped by Wales at all the age-grade levels.

"He was coming out of contract and both parties expressed an interest in coming together," added Holley.

"As a coaching team, all we can do is review the footage and make the recommendations. In Richard's case, we recommended that he was a player that could be a real asset to the Ospreys, and I'm looking forward to working with him next season."

Elite performance director Andrew Hore added: "We have invested heavily in facilities, personnel and coaching structures, and the set-up we have here is proving an attraction to quality players who want to come here and be a part of what we are trying to build at the Ospreys.

"In Richard's case, we are delighted to welcome him into our environment and are looking forward to seeing him grow as a player over the coming seasons.

"He has genuine aspirations to represent Wales at senior level and, with our proven track record for player development, we strongly believe that we can help him achieve that goal."