Tuesday Fulham Stuff (23/01/18)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Ex-Arsenal and Benfica forward happy with his improvement and excited by Fulham's potential and play

The Portuguese striker moved to Craven Cottage in the summer and had a slow start

Rui Fonte was the star of Fulham's first half against Burton.

Two goals accompanied by clever dummies and blood and sweat battling, the Portuguese forward looked the total package.

The 27-year-old moved from Braga in the summer and had only one goal before Saturday but his performance showed that his training ground work with Stuart Gray is paying off.

Fonte said: "At the beginning players are excited and they might perform well but sometime when you don't perform well that's when you need to keep your head balanced.

"Me and Abou [Kamara] struggled a little bit but now we're getting more involved in the game. They're used to it and their getting us more involved - that shows us the team is developing which is a good sign for everyone.


Rui Fonte scored twice in Fulham's win against Burton

"I try to be balanced as I am in life. So in football I know what i am capable of doing so I just keep on working. People are helping me to settle, my teammates, Stuart stays with me every day working on my game so it's just believing in myself and i know what I am capable of.

"Of course, Saturday we show the work we do during the week so to come here and get the two goals I want to show them what I am capable of yes.

"My last team was similar in a different shape but we had a couple of chances as well, we just need to be around and be ready for it. That's why I've been doing with Stu and working on my game to try and be ready."


Stuart Gray

Fonte is enjoying playing in a Fulham side with quick movement and attacking thrust and believes that the whole squad is ready for the promotion push ahead.

He said: "It's excellent because you get involved in the game. Playing up front on my own you need to choose wisely when to link up because you need to be around the box and around the goal but yeah it is amazing to have the dynamics we have.

"He [Oliver Norwood] shows everyone he's ready to be in the team. Everyone knows what to do when they're on the pitch and I think that shows that everyone is ready to get their opportunity and show what they're capable of."



https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/fulham-ex-arsenal-benfica-happy-14184883

[WhiteJC]

 
Targett Joins On Loan

The Club is delighted to announce the signing of Matt Targett on loan from Southampton.

The 22-year-old left-back, who was on the bench for the Saints in our recent Emirates FA Cup meeting, will remain at Craven Cottage for the rest of the 2017/18 campaign.

Targett joined Southampton's Academy at the age of eight, which was then led by Fulham's current Academy Director Huw Jennings.

After progressing through the ranks, he was given a first team opportunity following Luke Shaw's move to Manchester United, and made his debut in the League Cup against Millwall in August 2014.

His Premier League bow wasn't far away, with the youngster coming on as a substitute in a win over Queens Park Rangers a month later.

Targett's first top flight start arrived in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in December 2014, and he ended his maiden campaign with 12 senior appearances to his name.

The following two seasons saw him continue his progression at St Mary's, and he now has 42 games under his belt across the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League.

Targett was first capped by England at Under-19 level, and went on to captain the Under-20 side. Recognition at Under-21 level followed, and he was a member of the 2015 European Championship, and 2016 Toulon Tournament-winning, squads.

"I'm really happy to be here," Targett told fulhamfc.com. "I am looking forward to helping the side push on to the Play-Offs.

"One of the main reasons I joined is that the Club is in a great place at the moment and the results have been fantastic. I can't wait to be a part of that.

"I am very excited to make my Fulham debut and the most important thing is that we pick up the three points when I do."

Tony Khan added: "Matt is a talented young player, and he will be an exciting addition to our squad.

"He brings Premier League experience with him, and we feel that he can be a valuable contributor to our team as we continue to push for promotion."




http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/january/22/matt-targett-joins-on-loan

[WhiteJC]

 
Matt Targett: Fulham sign Southampton left-back on loan

Matt Targett has made 42 appearances for Southampton after coming through the club's academy

Championship side Fulham have signed left-back Matt Targett on loan from Southampton for the rest of the season.

The 22-year-old has made only two Premier League appearances for the Saints this season.

Fulham are seventh in the table, one point behind the play-off places.

"One of the main reasons I joined is that the club is in a great place at the moment and results have been fantastic. I can't wait to be a part of that," he told the club website.




http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42773408

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham complete loan signing of Targett

Fulham have completed the signing of left-back Matt Targett on loan from Southampton.

Targett, 22, will spend the rest of the season at Craven Cottage after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.

"I'm really happy to be here," he told Fulham's website. "I am looking forward to helping the side push on to the play-offs.

"One of the main reasons I joined is that club is in a great place at the moment and the results have been fantastic. I can't wait to be a part of that."



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-southampton-matt-targett-move

[WhiteJC]

Fulham complete loan deal for Targett
by Dan on January 22, 2018

Fulham have brought in Southampton left back Matt Targett on loan until the end of the season.

The former England under-21 international, who was on the bench when the Saints knocked the Whites out of the FA Cup earlier this month, has moved to Craven Cottage until the end of the season. Targett, whose two appearances for Southampton this season came either side of Christmas, is delighted to have made the move and hopes to help Slavisa Jokanovic's side move into the top six this weekend at Barnsley.

    I'm really happy to be here. I am looking forward to helping the side push on to the play-offs.

    One of the main reasons I joined is that club is in a great place at the moment and the results have been fantastic. I can't wait to be a part of that. I am very excited to make my Fulham debut and the most important thing is that we pick up the three points when I do.

Targett, who signed for Southampton's academy at the age of eight when the south coast club's youth development was overseen by Fulham's current academy supremo Huw Jennings, made his senior debut against Millwall in the League Cup in 2014. The 22 year-old was named Southampton's young player of the season in 2015 and has made 42 appearances, including featuring in the Europe League, over the past three and a half years. His arrival could facilitate Ryan Sessegnon, who started the season at left back, moving forward to the left wing position where the teenager has proven so devastating of late.

Targett – a good striker of a dead ball who scored decisive penalties for the England under-20 in two 2013 shoot-outs – was part of the England under-21 squad that won the prestigious Toulon tournament in 2016 alongside Fulham striker Cauley Woodrow. The Eastleigh born defender also won the Premier League Youth Cup with Southampton's under 21 side in 2014-15.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/01/fulham-complete-loan-deal-for-targett/

[WhiteJC]

 
Ryan Sessegnon next club: Tottenham, Man Utd and Arsenal tipped to sign Fulham ace
FULHAM have signed Southampton left-back Matt Targett on loan and it's raised questions over the future of starlet Ryan Sessegnon.

Sessegnon has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Craven Cottage in recent seasons, and Tottenham are understood to be front-runners to secure his signature.

Spurs are keen to sign a new attacking player and have been considering moves for Sessegnon, Bordeaux ace Malcom or Watford's Richarlison.

And with Targett's arrival from Southampton, Sessegnon's future has been thrown into doubt once again.

But which sides are the bookies backing to sign the youngster?



https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/908071/Ryan-Sessegnon-next-club-odds-Tottenham-Man-Utd-Arsenal-postgalleries

[WhiteJC]

 
Matt Targett joins Fulham on loan from Southampton

Matt Targett is moving to Craven Cottage on loan

Fulham have signed Southampton full-back Matt Targett on loan for the remainder of the season.

The temporary switch to Craven Cottage sees the 22-year-old reunited with Fulham academy director Huw Jennings, who performed a similar role at Southampton when Targett first joined the club as an eight-year-old.

Targett, who has played 42 games in all competitions since making his Southampton debut in 2014, is desperate to help seventh-placed Fulham's push for promotion from the Sky Bet Championship.

"I'm really happy to be here," Targett told Fulham's official website. "I am looking forward to helping the side push on to the play-offs.

"One of the main reasons I joined is that the club is in a great place at the moment and the results have been fantastic. I can't wait to be a part of that.

"I am very excited to make my Fulham debut and the most important thing is that we pick up the three points when I do."

Fulham vice-chairman and director of operations, Tony Khan, added: "Matt is a talented young player, and he will be an exciting addition to our squad.

"He brings Premier League experience with him, and we feel that he can be a valuable contributor to our team as we continue to push for promotion."



http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11681/11218065/matt-targett-joins-fulham-on-loan-from-southampton

[WhiteJC]

 
FA Youth Cup Plymouth

Fulham's Under-18s will travel to Home Park on the 7th February to take on Plymouth Argyle in the Fifth Round of the FA Youth Cup in a 7pm kick off. The winners of this tie will be in the quarter-final of the competition.

To get to this stage the Young Whites beat Swansea 2-0 away from home in a convincing win in South Wales, as Nicolas Santos-Clase scored a first-half brace to put Fulham into the next round.

The Young Whites also navigated their way past Huddersfield Town in the Third Round, penalties were needed to decide the tie at the John Smith's Stadium.

Fulham will not take the Pilgrims lightly, Plymouth have so far knocked out Manchester City, Burnley, AFC Wimbledon and Eastleigh FC to get to this stage of the prestigious youth tournament.

"It will definitely be a hard fixture," commented Under-18s Coach Colin Omogbehin.  "They knocked out a very strong Manchester City side so they won't be push overs.

"They will be difficult, we will look at what they have done and what they will be doing, we'll put our plan in place and be ready for them. We look forward to it."

If you wish to come and show your support for the Young Whites, tickets are priced at £5 for adults, £3 for over 65s and £1 for under 18s.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/january/22/fa-youth-cup-plymouth

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfers: Blues eyeing former Fulham and Wigan frontman

Blues are understood to be heavily linked with Columbian attacker Hugo Rodallega, according to MynetSpor.

Representatives from Blues are currently in talks with his current side Trabzonspor and according to the Turkish website the striker has a low release clause of around €1.75m.

Rodallega has fallen down the pecking order at the club, behind Burak Yilmaz. It's worth noting that if the Columbian favours a move back to England in search of regular first team football, the clause won't be able to hold him back.

The 32-year-old Colombian spent seven years in England, scoring 43 goals in total during his time at Wigan and Fulham.



http://bcfcfollowers.com/news/transfers-blues-eyeing-former-fulham-and-wigan-frontman/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham man delivers latest message after recent transfer news

Fulham have been flying of late in the Championship and they are certainly looking like genuine play-off contenders now.

The Lilywhites have been pretty exceptional going forward over the last 18 months as a whole, but earlier this season things had dried up and many had wondered whether they'd challenge for the top six this year.

Now, though, we have our answer and the London club is going into games with that fearlessness that helped them so much towards the end of last year.

Momentum is building down by the river, then, and it seems as though they are going to sign some ambitious players with Matt Targett the latest to arrive at Craven Cottage on loan.

Certainly, he should have a good chance of playing regularly at Fulham with Ryan Sessegnon being used further forward this year.

They could have a decent finish to the campaign this season at Craven Cottage, then, and fans will be looking forward to seeing their left-hand side develop with Targett now pushing for a spot.




https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-man-delivers-latest-message-after-recent-transfer-news/

[WhiteJC]

 
Rui Fonte says Fulham made their victory over Burton Albion 'easy'

Fonte's first-half double put Fulham on the road to victory

Fulham striker Rui Fonte says his side made it look easy as they thrashed Burton Albion at Craven Cottage - despite the Brewers' impressive run on the road of late.

Fonte's first-half double helped Fulham on their way to a third-straight win in the league in a 6-0 triumph.

And the Cottagers forward reckons his opener killed the game-plan Albion might have hoped to carry out - a plan that had worked at Bolton Wanderers, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday in recent weeks.

"They won their last three games away and if I'm not mistaken have kept six clean sheets away," said Fonte.

"So that shows it was a tough game - we just made it easy.

"People have to give us credit for this big win.


Kyle McFadzean and Fulham's Rui Fonte compete for the ball (Image: Rob Sambles/Epic Action Imagery)

"We killed their strategy with the first goal, we wanted to get the first goal as soon as possible.

"After the first goal we kept on going as well, and that was important."

Fonte reckons the drubbing of Burton could set his side back on the promotion charge.

They sit in seventh place on 45 points, just one point outside the play-offs with 18 games remaining this season.


Ryan Sessegnon of Fulham celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's fourth goal against Burton Albion (Image: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)

After an indifferent start to the campaign, Fulham look to have turned a corner - with Burton the recipients of the Whites' new-found "ambition".

"We want to be in that fight and we showed that, we need to be ambitious and show that ambition as well," Fonte added.

"We can't say we want to if we don't show it, so we just need to make sure when we go to the game we show everyone.

"We have to be ambitious so we want to be up there like at the beginning of the season.

"We had a couple of games at the start of the season that left us a bit apart from that position but now that we're close we want to be there for sure.

"We showed what we want, not just in this game of course because it was a 6-0 game but we had a couple of wins away, at home we've been incredible so we just want to keep on going."



https://www.burtonmail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rui-fonte-says-fulham-made-1100547

[WhiteJC]

 
Brazil legend Ronaldo admits interest in buying Championship club

The 41-year-old retired from football seven years ago but is keen to remain in the game in some way

Brentford, Fulham and QPR could be welcoming Brazil legend Ronaldo to their boardroom in the future after he revealed that he is looking at buying a club in the Championship or the second tier in Spain.

The 41-year-old retired from football seven years ago but is keen to remain in the game in some way and he was an ambassador for Brazil's 2014 World Cup.

He had been linked with the role of the Brazilian Football Federation's president but he does not believe he has sufficient experience for that yet.

"It would be a great honour, but before that I want to experience running a big club," he claimed.

However, he is considering doing something 'innovative' at building a club up in Spain and England.

"I'm thinking about buying a club in the second division in Spain or England," he told Folha de S.Paulo.

"I want to do something innovative. I think I'm prepared for the challenge."

Ronaldo scored over 300 career goals for both club and country, and having played for seven clubs in four different countries.



https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/brazil-legend-ronaldo-admits-interest-14187816

[WhiteJC]

Jokanovic feels Piazon can be pivotal
by Dan on January 22, 2018

Slavisa Jokanovic feels the return of Lucas Piazon will be pivotal in Fulham's push for promotion.

The Brazilian forward celebrated his birthday with his first goal following a five month injury lay-off to give the Whites breathing space against Burton Albion on Saturday – and his intelligence as an inverted winger was one of the crucial reasons why the home side overwhelmed Nigel Clough's men. Piazon, who looked far sharper at Craven Cottage than he had in 70 minutes at the Riverside Stadium last week, has had to deal with a long spell on the sidelines for the second season in a row after breaking his leg at Leeds in August.

Jokanovic is delighted that the 24 year-old has returned to first team duty well ahead of schedule and believes Piazon could present a real threat to Championship opponents in the final third. He told GetWestLondon following final whistle on Saturday:

    We expect he can help us. At the beginning of this season he started well, then unfortunately he had this accident. But he's shown great desire to push hard and he has started to compete in the last few games and his reaction has been very good. I expect he will be important for us like last season when he did a great job for us.

Piazon scored six goals in 33 appearances as Fulham narrowly missed out on getting to Wembley via the play-offs last season and he already has three goals in nine appearances.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/01/jokanovic-feels-piazon-pivotal/

[WhiteJC]

 
Why Fulham deal for Matt Targett shouldn't raise Ryan Sessegnon hopes for Manchester United and Tottenham


Ryan Sessegnon of Fulham celebrates scoring against Burton in a 6-0 win (Getty)

Ryan Sessegnon proved yet again what an incredible talent he is over the weekend.

The 17-year-old was on target twice in a 6-0 win for Fulham – his eighth and ninth Championship goals this season – in what was a highly impressive display.

While his performances are helping Fulham push for promotion – they are now one point outside the play-offs – they are also attracting the interest of numerous major clubs. Manchester United and Tottenham are chief among those understood to be keen on the left-sided player, with Paris St Germain and Real Madrid also linked.

Hopes that a deal could be brokered this month were raised on Monday when Fulham announced the signing of Matt Targett. The Southampton player has joined on loan until the end of the season and occupies the left-back position that Sessegnon has filled for much of the season.

But suggestions Fulham are preparing for Sessegnon's departure are wide of the mark. Instead, the Cottagers are actually trying to get the most out of their teenage sensation.

Sessegnon has played at both left-back and on the left of a front three this season – starting 20 times in defence and eight in attack.

But despite playing more often in defence, he's better suited to playing in attack. His pace, technique and eye for goal far outweigh his defensive capabilities where his attention and still-developing strength have at times been exposed this season.

Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan on Sessegnon
As it's been the subject of a great deal of speculation, I'd like to announce that Ryan Sessegnon is staying with Fulham football club and will not be departing during this January transfer window.

'Ryan is a very important part of the Fulham family, and we're grateful that he'll be with us as we fight to achieve promotion this season.'

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has more often than not used Sessegnon at left-back out of necessity.

Scott Malone, who played at left-back for Fulham last season, was sold to Huddersfield in the summer. Rafa Soares was signed on loan from Porto to fill the gap but having arrived injured has played just 53 minutes of football. Jokanovic has no other natural options at his disposal, with Denis Odoi used at the weekend despite preferring to operate on the right.

It's seen Sessegnon often forced to play on the left of a back-four and get forward when he can.


Sessegnon in FA Cup action earlier this season (Getty)

So rather than signalling Sessegnon's exit, the arrival of Targett should instead see the wonderkid flourish in the second half of the season. And if he does, expect the interest and rumours surrounding Sessegnon's future to grow even louder.



http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/22/fulham-deal-matt-targett-shouldnt-raise-ryan-sessegnon-hopes-manchester-united-tottenham-7251017/

[WhiteJC]

 
What does Fulham signing mean for Tottenham Hotspur's Ryan Sessegnon pursuit?

Fulham have announced the capture of left-back Matt Targett on loan from Southampton.

Fulham have signed Southampton defender Matt Targett on loan until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old has only made two Premier League appearances for the Saints this campaign, but will be a valuable addition for Slavisa Jokanovc, whose team are the form side in the Championship playoff hunt.

The Cottagers record a third straight win on Saturday with a 6-0 rout of Burton Albion, in which 17-year-old sensation Ryan Sessegnon scored twice to demonstrate why he is said to be target for Tottenham Hotspur.

According to The Mirror, Spurs are willing to pay upwards of £20m to land the teenager, who has already racked up 14 goals in 53 Championship appearances for Fulham, mostly of which have been at left-back.

As The Independent reports, Fulham have been adamant that they will not sell Sessegnon this month, but could Targett's arrival soften that stance and open the door for Spurs to land English football's top young talent?

While that is a possibility, it is more likely that Targett has been brought in to free Sessegnon of his defensive responsibilities and allow him to consistently play further up the field from where he is such a scoring threat.

If he does stay at Craven Cottage, Spurs will be keeping a close eye on Sessegnon's performances as a winger as his ability to excel in both positions will only make him a more attractive proposition to Mauricio Pochettino.

Sunday's 1-1 draw with Southampton demonstrated the lack of goalscoring options on Tottenham's bench, and Sessegnon would be able to offer this as an exciting substitute, while also providing left-back cover.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/01/22/what-does-fulham-signing-mean-for-tottenham-hotspurs-ryan-sesseg/

[WhiteJC]

 
Aston Villa and Wolves behind Premier League sides in chase for Fulham midfielder

Aston Villa and Wolves are behind several Premier League sides in the chase to sign Fulham's Tom Cairney according to odds published by Bet Victor.

Over the last few years, Cairney has proven himself to be one of the best midfielders in the Sky Bet Championship. He was brilliant last season when he led the Cottagers to the play-offs and while it was a disappointment when they lost to Reading in the semi-finals, people were still impressed considering they weren't expected to make much of an impact. This of course led to plenty of interest in Cairney with Fulham rejecting several big money bids for him.

But there have been some reports that Fulham might accept an offer for Cairney during this transfer window which has triggered plenty of interest. The current favourites to snap up the former Blackburn Rovers man are West Bromwich Albion with them being priced at 3/1. But they aren't the only ones that are closely linked to Cairney with Newcastle United also being given short odds with them being priced at 4/1. They have had interest in the midfielder before with reports saying they have had a bid rejected for him in the past.

And there are also teams from the Championship who are looking to sign Cairney. The bookies believe that Aston Villa and Wolves are the most likely teams that the midfielder would move to should he stay in this league with both being priced at 14/1. The other Championship team to be given odds are Derby County with them being priced at 20/1.



http://the72.co.uk/97258/aston-villa-wolves-behind-premier-league-sides-chase-fulham-midfielder/

[WhiteJC]

The lowdown on Targett
by Lydia on January 22, 2018

Fulham's first piece of business in the January transfer window is one that has been welcomed by the majority of Fulham fans. Targett has been in Slavisa's sights for a while now according to local media and it comes as no surprise that it is the defence that has been identified as the area where most improvement is needed. However, there is something unusual about the transfer which is that most people seem to be more excited about what this means for another player rather than Targett himself. The acquisition of a left-back means that Ryan Sessegnon will most likely be played further up the field, which is exactly what we have been calling for, and for so long.

There is no doubt that Sessegnon is more useful playing in a left-wing position, but we can also be excited of the prospect of having yet another England Youth international join our ranks for more reasons than just Sessegnon's starting position.

In Targett, we have a player developed at one of the most successful football academies in England. Past graduates from the Southampton Academy include Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Gareth Bale and, my personal favourite, Chris Baird. Southampton have a strong history of producing talent, so we know for a fact that our new boy has had a very solid football education.

He is another defender who isn't afraid of attacking and should fit in nicely to Slav's 'playing from the back' footballing philosophy. He made his Southampton league debut back in 2014 and managed 12 appearances in all competitions that season at the age of just 19, which isn't a bad return at a club with so many youngsters coming through. He also went on to win the Young Player of the Year award in 2014-15. His opportunities over the next few seasons, however, came in bursts and were eventually limited due to the signing of Ryan Bertrand from Chelsea 2015. In all, Targett has made 42 senior appearances for Southampton and gained deserved plaudits after one particularly good display in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the League Cup back in 2014. He also has 12 caps for the England U21's.



Before the start of this season, Southampton made known just how much they rate Targett when they handed him a new 5-year contract. However, they feel that it is time for Targett to get more consistent football than what they can give him at the minute and feel that a step down to the Championship to a promotion chasing side will do him the world of good.

It seems as though the 22-year old is raring to go and we know full well how useful young players can be when they are trying to make a point to their parent clubs. I think we have a good one here, and I'm excited to see what he can offer us as we try and mount a promotion bid.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/01/the-low-down-on-targett/

[WhiteJC]

 
Why Tottenham Need To Make Sessegnon Move Quickly

Tottenham Hotspur continued to be linked with exciting youngsters under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino in North London and another transfer for a talented youth player needs to be concluded extremely quickly.

Fulham full-back Ryan Sessegnon has established himself as one of the most highly-rated young footballers within English football over the past 18 months and Tottenham are one of many sides linked with his signature.

Our club are not alone with their interest in the 17-year-old talent though as the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are also attributed with a desire to bring the talented teenager to their clubs.

As such, Tottenham cannot afford to rest in the market and need to negotiate a deal with their fellow London side in order to win the chase for his signature- even if he doesn`t move to North London immediately.

Fulham will demand a high price for his services, as the Cottagers are fighting to return to the Premier League after a four-year absence, and any deal negotiated in January would likely require Sessegnon to remain at the club until the end of the season- but that isn`t an issue for Spurs.

Danny Rose and Ben Davies are amongst those capable of playing on the left side of defence for our side and, as such, the need to bring in a player like Sessegnon is not immediate and is more for the long-term.

Signing Sessegnon would not necessarily move him immediately into the first-team and he may well spend further time out on-loan, potentially with a Premier League side next season, but it would cement the future of an important area within the squad.

That may well be crucial in itself as Manchester United are long-term admirers of England international Danny Rose and could reignite their interest in our stellar full-back this summer, with Luke Shaw`s future remaining in doubt.

Sessegnon is not a ready made replacement for Rose just yet but he has the ability to eclipse the defender in the future and we will certainly regret it if we don`t beat other Premier League sides interested in his services in the transfer market.

Perhaps the most difficult side to beat in the market for Sessegnon is North London rivals Arsenal, who would potentially be able to offer more immediate first-team football to the 17-year-old as it`s been a problem area for the Gunners.

Nacho Monreal is in the twilight years of his career and summer signing Sead Kolasinac has struggled to establish himself as a first-choice regular this season, often finding himself behind young Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the pecking order; despite it not being the youngster`s natural position.

Missing out on Sessegnon to Arsenal would be an even bigger blow and Spurs therefore need to go for broke to ensure they don`t miss out on one of the most talented defenders to emerge from English football in years.



Read more: http://www.spurs.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7524139#ixzz54zgXmw3U

[WhiteJC]

 
Fredericks In Team Of The Week (23/1/18)

Fulham are represented in the latest Football League team of the week that has been selected after this week's action.

The performance by Ryan Fredericks in the six nil victory over Burton Albion at the weekend at Craven Cottage was enough to earn them a place in the side alongside the other most impressive performers in the Football League pyramid.

I think we'll already know ourselves, and not just based on the latest performance, why Fredericks was selected as part of the team but explaining the choice - the FL blurb read.

'Fulham`s goalscorers may very well grab the headlines after their 6-0 beating of Burton Albion at Craven Cottage, but full-back Fredericks` contribution shouldn`t go unnoticed. As well as being part of a defence which didn`t concede, he was heavily involved from an attacking standpoint and weighed in with an assist too.'

It's always good to see the club represented in this way, and well played to Fredericks for his recognition, but the most important thing about the weekend was of course the points.

Full Team:

Richard O'Donnell (Northampton Town), Joe Mattock (Rotherham United), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Johnny Mullins (Luton Town), Ryan Fredericks (Fulham), CJ Hamilton (Mansfield Town), Dayle Grubb (Forest Green Rovers), Max Power (Wigan Athletic), Sean McConville (Accrington Stanley), Scott Hogan (Aston Villa), Marc McNulty (Coventry City).

Manager - Aitor Karanka (Nottingham Forest).



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=518768#ixzz54zgsyX3X