Sunday Fulham Stuff (18/06/17)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Former Liverpool and Fulham boss makes return to football – and not at Crystal Palace

Former England boss Roy Hodgson, who has been linked with Crystal Palace, is to work as a television pundit during the Confederations Cup

He has been linked with Crystal Palace, but it looks unlikely that former Liverpool, West Brom and England boss Roy Hodgson will be turning up at Selhurst Park anytime soon.

That is because he has accepted a role as a television pundit in Qatar for the Confederations Cup, which starts today (Saturday).

Hodgson, who has been out of work since leaving England after a shock defeat to Iceland in the round of 16 at last summer's European Championships, has been linked with Palace since the resignation of Sam Allardyce two days after the end of the season.

At one stage, he was installed as the favourite to take the hotseat at Selhurst Park, but his odds have since drifted and he is now considered an outsider at 20/1 with several bookmakers.

And with the Croydon-born 69-year-old now set to be in the beIN Sports studio alongside Richard Keys and Andy Gray in the next couple of weeks, it looks increasingly likely that he won't be appointed at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles' search for a new manager looks to be down to three leading contenders, with Frank de Boer, Sean Dyche and Mauricio Pellegrino the current frontrunners with the bookmakers.



http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/former-liverpool-and-fulham-boss-makes-return-to-football-8211-and-not-at-crystal-palace/story-30395396-detail/story.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Report: Arsenal youngster interesting Fulham as well as a host of Bundesliga clubs

The 19-year-old is yet to make a first team appearance for the Gunners but has impressed on his loan spell in Holland last season

Arsenal youngster Dan Crowley is a target for Fulham and a host of Bundesliga clubs, according to reports.

The Cottagers are among a number of Championship clubs interested in signing the 19-year-old either permanently or on loan, with Hannover one of the German clubs hoping to lure him to Europe next season.

According to ESPN , Arsenal want to make a quick decision on the youngster's future and expect a deal to be concluded shortly.

Crowley spent the second half of last season on loan at Go Ahead Eagles in the Netherlands and impressed in his time there, and has previously spent time on loan at Barnsley and Oxford United.

He scored two goals and two assists for Go Ahead Eagles, although he has never played a first team game for the Gunners.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/report-arsenal-youngster-interesting-fulham-13198987

[WhiteJC]

 
Town Eyeing Tunnicliffe Return

TWTD understands that Town are weighing up a move for former loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe, who is a free agent following his release by Fulham.

A number of other clubs are also eyeing the one-time Manchester United trainee with Scottish giants Rangers having been linked along with Town, Reading, Huddersfield, Brentford, QPR, Cardiff and Nottingham Forest in March.

The 24-year-old previously spent time on loan with the Blues in the first half of the 2013/14 season when with the Red Devils, making 24 starts and five sub appearances without scoring.

The Heywood-born midfielder, who we understand would be keen on a permanent move to the Blues having enjoyed his time at Portman Road, was due to stay with Town for the whole season but was sold to Fulham in the January window.

Tunnicliffe's last game for the Cottagers was in October last year and he joined Wigan for his second loan spell with the Latics in January, making eight starts and two sub appearances, scoring once.

While with United - for whom he made only two League Cup sub appearances - the former England U16 and U17 international was also on loan at Peterborough and Barnsley, while his first stint with Wigan came at the end of 2013/14 shortly after joining Fulham and he spent the first half of the following campaign at Blackburn.

Town boss Mick McCarthy will be looking to add to his experienced central midfield options over the summer - last season's loan star Emyr Huws is also a target - with Jonathan Douglas having been released and Kevin Bru expected to return to France after being told he can find another club.



https://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/31777

[WhiteJC]

 
Real Betis to offer Fulham man Jozabed a chance to return home to Spain

The Spaniard spent half of the season out on loan with Celta Vigo and returned to Fulham earlier this month, but he is still keen on a move back to Spain

Real Betis are ready to offer Jozabed the chance to move back to Spain this summer after he returned to Fulham from his loan spell at Celta Vigo.

The former Rayo Vallecano spent half of the season out on loan at Celta after only signing for the Craven Cottage outfit in the summer having struggled to make an impact and to settle in England.

Celta had the option to make the deal permanent in June after the two clubs agreed a buy clause, but the La Liga side felt the fee was too high and decided against making a move.

Now Real Betis are ready to offer Jozabed a move home, with Fulham wanting around a permanent solution to the situation, as opposed to another loan deal.

It is believed that Jozabed is keen to return to Spain, with Betis believing they are in a good position to sign the Spaniard as a result of their close proximity to his home.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/real-betis-offer-fulham-man-13199064

[WhiteJC]

 
Newcastle linked with Premier League veteran, may also bid £10m+ for attacker

Newcastle United are interested in signing Liverpool veteran Lucas Leiva while Rafa Benitez is weighing up an offer of more than £10 million for Fulham's Tom Cairney, according to The Daily Star.

The Tyneside outfit have been promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking and are expected to revamp their squad after winning the Championship in 2016-17.

Benitez knows Lucas well from their mutual time together at Liverpool, with the Brazil international seemingly set to end a longstanding affiliation with the Anfield club this summer.

The South American battler would bring a wealth of experience and a determined outlook to Newcastle if he ended up at St James' Park and could be available on a free transfer.

The Geordie faithful would surely be more excited by the possibly addition of Cairney, who lit up the Championship last season with his skill and goals from attacking midfield.

The Scottish star was one of the most-impressive performers in the Championship and was allegedly the subject of a Newcastle transfer offer in January.

The latest report suggests that Benitez may well return for the Fulham star this summer and could offer more than £10 million for Cairney.



https://ninetyminutesonline.com/newcastle-linked-premier-league-veteran-may-also-bid-10m-attacker/

[WhiteJC]

 
Ex-Burton Albion loanee Cauley Woodrow fails to get off the bench in England's under-21 opener

Former Burton Albion loanee Cauley Woodrow was an unused subsitute in England's openining European Under-21 Championships on Friday night.

The Young Lions drew 0-0 with current holders Sweden, thanks in part to a stunning penalty save from Everton's record-signing Jordan Pickford late on.

The Fulham man - who joined Albion on a temporary basis in January alongside fellow Cottager Lasse Vigen Christensen - notched five goals during his time with the Brewers, and helped fire them to Championship safety in the process.

So it is no surprise that Burton have been linked with signing the 22 year-old on a permanent basis this summer.

But on Friday night, Woodrow, who was so influential in the Brewers' Championship survival mission last season, couldn't get off the bench to nick a late winner for England.

Tammy Abraham and Nathan Redmond started ahead of him, with both players on red-hot form for Bristol City and Southampton last term.

But England were frustrated in their attempts to break the deadlock, with a draw probably the fair result overall given Sweden's chances - and of course that penalty miss.

Which means that England now turn their attention to their tie against Slovakia on Monday evening (5pm BST).

Slovakia currently top the group, courtesy of their 2-1 win over Poland, also on Friday night.

It's a busy summer for current and former Albion players, with Christensen also in action at the under-21 Euro's.

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He is captaining Denmark, who kick off their campaign at 7:45 pm BST on Sunday evening, with a tricky tie against Italy.

And of course Brewers fans still have Jackson Irvine to look out for, whose busy summer continues with a trip to Russia for the Confederations Cup.

That all gets underway on Monday at 4pm BST with the small matter of current world champions Gerrmany.

The Germans are then followed up by ties against Cameroon and Chile, on Thursday and Sunday respectively.



Read more at http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/ex-burton-albion-loanee-cauley-woodrow-fails-to-get-off-the-bench-in-england-s-under-21-opener/story-30395465-detail/story.html#bsHMuAXFKDLsPIbI.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Official : Ex-Fulham Defender Omozusi Changes Clubs In England

Vanarama National League South club Chelmsford City have announced the signing of Nigerian defender Elliot Omozusi on undisclosed terms.

Now 28, Omozusi began his career with the youth team of Fulham, rising through the ranks before making his debut for the Cottagers in a League Cup tie versus Wycombe Wanderers on 20 September 2006.

He joined Norwich City on loan for the 2008-2009 season before embarking on another loan spell with Charlton Athletic the following season.

Previously, the Hackney-born player has represented Leyton Orient and Cambridge United.

Elliot Omozusi has appeared for England at U16, U17, U18 and U19 level.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : cambridge-united.co.uk



http://allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=23448

[WhiteJC]

 
Do It Jokanovic – Fulham Must Retain This Ivorian Attacker Next Season For Various Reasons

Why Fulham Must Retain Cyriac Next Season

Fulham could be looking once again to loan Oostende forward Cyriac for the whole of next season. The 26-year-old was on loan at Craven Cottage for six months last season, where Fulham very nearly got promoted to the Premier League.

Apparently, Oostende seem keen to lose Cyriac before the beginning of next season and so the opening of the summer transfer window has given several clubs the opportunity to talk to the Ivorian. Last season's loan has put Fulham in the box seat in terms of landing the Ivorian international permanently.

Having arrived for the second half of last season to boost Fulham's attacking options, Cyriac didn't truly hit the heights in what was already a well established and slick attacking line-up. Fulham did not take up their option to keep the player on a permanent deal after his loan was over, though they now are considering taking him back knowing that their team might get depleted in case of potential departures.

The West London side, as well as mulling over a permanent move, remain open to the possibility of taking the Ivory Coast man back on loan for next season and it seems Oostende are open to any sort of deal. In his 9 Championship games (playing only 158 minutes though), Cyriac managed a single goal and did not get enough time to truly show what he can do.

Previous to this, in Belgium, Cyriac netted over 51 goals and played his part at Belgian First Division level. He has the talent to do well in the Championship. Fulham cannot afford to turn down any attacking talent at the moment, despite having Sone Aluko and Floyd Ayite at their disposal.

Fulham struggled all year to find a good option at no.9.  Chris Martin's 10 goals were never going to be enough to carry them to where they wanted to be, while Lucas Piazon is talented but clearly not an out-and-out goal scorer. Cyriac may not be any Luis Suarez, but the way to look at it is that the 26-year-old can net more than 10 and so would represent some sort of improvement on last season's central striking option.

It would be important for Fulham to add Cyriac to their lineup to cope with the possible departures this summer and if they can sign Cyriac and hold on to their current bunch of stars as well, then it would be a perfect summer window for the Londoners.

http://soccersouls.com/2017/06/18/do-it-jokanovic-fulham-must-retain-this-ivorian-attacker-next-season-for-various-reasons/

[WhiteJC]

 
Could Newcastle United revisit interest in Nottingham Forest's Ben Osborn?

Newcastle were heavily linked with the Forest man in January, and now they've had a bid for Fulham's Tom Cairney rejected, it's possible they could go back.

Following reports that Fulham rejected a mammoth £20m bid for Tom Cairney from Newcastle United, as reported by the Independent, it's very possible that they could revive their interest in Nottingham Forest midfielder Ben Osborn.

Back in March, the Mirror reported that Rafael Benitez was a keen admirer of the 22-year-old and would look to push for a move if/when the Magpies were promoted to the Premier League, which they duly achieved as champions.

As of yet there have been no approaches, but considering that Osborn's position is arguably best behind the frontman, which also applies to Cairney, it's very possible that Benitez could look towards Trentside to strike a deal if Fulham won't budge.

Despite playing in a team that survived by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season, Osborn scored four and assisted on seven occasions, while displaying versatility as well as the 22-year-old played in several positions.

Cairney on the other hand got 13 goals and 10 assists, but a fee for Osborn would probably be around the £6-8m range, which is considerably less than the £20m bid Newcastle have just had knocked back for Cairney, and that could appeal to Newcastle's hierarchy.

Considering just how good Cairney is, it would be a surprise to see Newcastle abandon their chase for the midfielder, but if they do, Osborn could be a genuine target.




http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/06/15/could-newcastle-united-revisit-interest-in-nottingham-forests-be/

[WhiteJC]

 
Aluko Urges England U20 Stars to Play for Nigeria

Fulham FC striker Sone Aluko has urged Dominic Solanke, Fikayo Tomori, Sheyi Ojo, Ovie Ejaria, Josh Onomah and Ademola Lookman to switch their international allegiance from England to Nigeria. The six players, who are of Nigerian descent, recently helped England Under-20 clinch the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup with Solanke winning the competition's Player of the Tournament accolade.

Aluko, who played for the England U19 side before switching his allegiance to the Super Eagles, stated that the onus is on the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).

"The onus is on Nigeria and not the players. Nigeria have to make it attractive for these players to leave the path they've known,'' Aluko told Complete Sports.

''After being in the English system, and Nigeria who have never invested in their career invite them, it would be difficult. Even me that can be described as a success story, I only have six caps, I haven't started in a competitive game for Super Eagles but I have scored two goals and people said I have done well.

''So it is the responsibility for Nigeria to make it attractive for them which I think is what they are trying to do now in getting these players."

Ojo and Ejaria are on the books of Liverpool FC, while Solanke and Tomori are Chelsea FC players. However, Solanke will join Liverpool next month after signing a pre-contract with the Reds. Lookman plays for Everton FC, while Onomah is on the books of Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea's Ola Aina recently switched his allegiance to Nigeria – having captained England's U19 side.



http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/06/18/aluko-urges-england-u20-stars-to-play-for-nigeria/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham In Numbers

Find out which Fulham players excelled across various departments in our statistical review of the season.

General

Fulham came out on top across a range of statistics in 2016/17. The Whites were the joint top goal scorers alongside champions Newcastle United, finding the back of the net 85 times, averaging just under two goals every league match. One could even argue that we were the division's outright top scorers, after Tom Cairney's effort against Reading in the Play-Offs took our tally to 86. The Royals were our closest challengers in terms of average possession and pass accuracy, but we were top of the pile on both counts, with 59.1 and 83.9 per cent respectively. Shots per game was another stat in which Fulham were the Championship's most productive outright, having 15.5 efforts on goal every match. In terms of dribbles per game, only Huddersfield Town and Barnsley managed more than our 10.1.

Distribution

Pass accuracy was a department which was absolutely bossed by Fulham players this season, with six of the best eight in the division coming from Slaviša Jokanović's squad. Cairney finds himself at the top with a superb 92.6 per cent pass success rate, ahead of Tim Ream who averaged 90.3 per cent. Two midfielders came third and fourth, with Neeskens Kebano and Scott Parker finding their man 89.4 and 89.3 per cent of the time, respectively. Promoted duo Jonathan Hogg and Dale Stephens were next on the list, but they were followed by another pair of Fulham boys, as both Tomas Kalas and Floyd Ayité averaged a success rate of 87 per cent. We scored well in terms of average passes per match as well, with Cairney top on 80.5, Kevin McDonald third with 67.7, and Stefan Johansen sixth on 62.7.

Defending

Midfield enforcer McDonald was our most productive individual when it came to tackling with an average of 2 per game, ahead of Johansen and Ryan Fredericks who both won 1.7 tackles each time they pulled on the shirt. Left-backs Scott Malone and Ryan Sessegnon followed with 1.5 each. Michael Madl was a regular clearer of the ball, getting rid on average 6.4 times every fixture, ahead of fellow centre-backs Kalas (5.1), Ragnar Sigurdsson (4.8) and Ream (4.6). Kalas led the way with interceptions, nipping in to nick the ball 1.8 times every game, slightly more than McDonald (1.7), and Denis Odoi, Madl and Ream who all made 1.5 interceptions on each occasion.

Attacking

Sone Aluko was a menace to the opposition all season, something that's reinforced by his statistics as he topped the charts for both dribbles (2.3) and shots (2.9) per game. Cairney was second in both regards as he averaged 1.7 and 2.5 respectively. Floyd Ayité and Fredericks also both averaged at least 1 successful dribble per outing, while Chris Martin was the only other player to average more than 2 attempts every match. Aluko and Cairney were joint top of the assists table with 10 apiece, while Johansen and Ayité contributed 8 and 7 respectively. Fredericks chipped in with a respectable 5 from right-back. Kebano had Fulham's best minutes per goal ratio across the season, finding the net every 223 minutes. Ayité was second in this regard with 236, ahead of Martin's 243 and Johansen's 294.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/june/18/fulham-in-numbers