Sunday Fulham Stuff (22/05/16)...

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Report: QPR and Fulham want Spanish defender Sergi Gomez, £4.6 million bid made

Queens Park Rangers and Fulham have been linked with Sergi Gomez.

According to El Desmarque Vigo, Championship duo Fulham and Queens Park Rangers are both planning an ambitious move for Celta Vigo central defender Sergi Gomez.

The report claims that the English duo are in talks to sign the defender, and a £4.6 million bid has been lodged by one of them as they look to make a big statement this summer.

Sergi Gomez is a Barcelona academy graduate, coming up through the famous La Masia academy.

The 24-year-old found first-team opportunities at the Nou Camp hard to come by, and therefore moved to Celta Vigo in the summer of 2014 and has since become a key player for the club.

Gomez made 31 La Liga appearances for Vigo this past season, helping the club to a top half position.

The report claims the defender has an English representative working for him and he has begun talks over a potential switch to the Championship with both Fulham and QPR.

While the English second tier is no doubt a step down from La Liga in terms of quality, economically it's more enticing for players playing in so-called smaller clubs and Gomez is reportedly intrigued by the interest.

The Hoops and Fulham haven't enjoyed the best of times of late, yet both clubs have the finances to bolster their squads and the latter is expected to make moves after seeing their transfer embargo lifted.

Gomez's contract with the club expires in 2017, meaning the club may be willing to sell him below his actual valuation as they risk losing him for free at the end of next season.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/05/21/report-qpr-and-fulham-want-spanish-defender-sergi-gomez-46-milli/?

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What Manchester United's next manager Jose Mourinho told Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic

Former Chelsea Special One spelled out a few home truths about a Cottage in disrepair with Whites head coach only too willing to listen and learn


Talking heads: Slavisa Jokanovic and then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho

Slavisa Jokanovic says he sought the advice of Jose Mourinho to help save Fulham's season.

The Special One imparted a few home truths about the struggling Whites - and the listening one, in this case Whites' head coach, was relieved that it backed up his own thoughts.

The two have links going back a way, and met again when then Chelsea boss took on Jokanovic's Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League last Autumn.

Mourinho, now odds-on to succeed Louis Van Gaal at Manchester United, was then a keen observer at Fulham games in February and April, and sat down with Joka both times afterwards.

There is a further Fulham link insofar as Mourinho's son Jose Mario Mourinho Jr is a goalkeeper for the Whites U16 academy side.

"It was a pleasure to talk with him (Mourinho)," said Jokanovic.

"He's well informed on all the English clubs, and I asked him for observations about my team. Generally, he found the team to listen to my view and it was his view too. His success goes before him.

"He's at a different level to where I am but I'm going to fight to get closer to his. I can't compare to him, but I can make steps at Fulham.

"I asked him about his job, and he asked me about mine and I need people who can open my views."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/what-manchester-uniteds-next-manager-11365788?

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London rivals battling it out to sign former Barcelona defender

According to Spanish news outlet El Desmarque, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers are targeting Celta Vigo defender Sergi Gomez.

It was revealed by the President of Celta Vigo Carlos Mouriño that they had received a bid in the region of six million Euros by a Championship side.

The two Championship sides that have been associated with making a move for Sergi Gomez are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

El Desmarque are suggesting that the two sides are negotiating with Gomez's entourage about a potential move in the summer.

One potential promising sign for both Fulham and Queens Park Rangers is that Sergi Gomez is a close friend of Marc Muniesa, the former Barcelona defender who is currently at Stoke City has spoken glowingly of British football.

As Sergi Gomez has a release clause in his contract, it may be a question of if Fulham or Queens Park Rangers are willing to activate the release clause.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/london-rivals-battling-it-out-to-sign-former-barcelona-defender/?

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Danny Murphy: England will go for broke this summer, because Roy Hodgson knows his job is on the line

The former midfielder worked with Hodgson at Fulham and has nothing but praise for the Three Lions boss


Roy Hodgson is hoping to lead England to glory

Danny Murphy insists England will go for broke in France because Roy Hodgson knows he will be axed if England fail again.

Hodgson presided over disappointing campaigns at Euro 2012 and the World Cup two years later – but Murphy is backing his former boss to prove his critics wrong now.

Murphy flourished as skipper at Fulham and now has nothing but praise for a man he initially doubted when appointed boss of the west London club.

"If he was to fail at Euro 2016 that would be the end for him," said Murphy.

"Let's not beat around the bush, if England fail here then Roy is finished.

"He probably knows that as well. So I think he'll really go for it. And I hope they do well because I know he works damn hard at it and he really thinks about the game.

"He's a thinker. And he's a real coach. He doesn't stand on the sidelines watching other people do it. He does it himself."

Although the Three Lions had a perfect qualifying campaign, and boast an array of exciting young talent, Hodgson has yet to convince critics he is capable of improving on the past two ­tournaments.

Murphy admits he was won over by Hodgson at Fulham as the team embarked on the most successful period of their history during his two-and-a-half years in charge – ending up with an appearance in the 2010 Europa League Final.

Murphy said: "When he first got appointed at Fulham I would not have thought he was destined for the England job.

"He had been away for so long. It was only a couple of months after that I realised I was working with a very clever and articulate man, who was very wise in the football world.

"I then started looking more in depth at the jobs he had previously done at club and international level.

"He had so much more to him than I actually knew about. Then obviously when he got the England job I was singing his praises because I think so highly of him.

"He is someone who needs time with a team to implement his ideas. And every job where he has had time, he has made teams a bit better.


Murphy worked with Hodgson at Fulham

"The way he coaches takes time. When he came in at Fulham we didn't win for eight games. His methods grow.

"The way he coaches and the way he wants you to play doesn't happen overnight. You learn more off Roy the longer you are with him.

"England have definitely developed since the World Cup. Maybe it should not have taken this long, but you can now see Roy's ideas taking shape."

England, who face Turkey at the Etihad this evening in the first of three warm-up games, have been drawn against Russia, Slovakia and Wales in Group B.

"I think the criticism Roy got after the World Cup was ­inevitable because of results," Murphy said. "But I think he deserves credit for coming through the negativity and still taking risks along the way.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/danny-murphy-england-go-broke-8020538?