Saturday Fulham Stuff (03/02/18)...

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Fulham without two key men for Nottingham Forest clash as Floyd Ayite returns from injury

Slavisa Jokanovic will have to make do without both men - but Ayite has returned to training after his injury

Fulham will be without captain Tom Cairney and Sheyi Ojo as they take on Nottingham Forest at the Cottage.

Cairney missed the trip to Barnsley last week as he continued his rehabilitation from a knee injury and will miss out once again as the side head back to the Cottage.

Liverpool loanee Ojo will also miss the game as he steps up his recovery from injury, but Floyd Ayite will be available after returning to full fitness from a calf problem.

Otherwise, Slavisa Jokanovic has a fully fit squad as Aitor Karanka brings his team to west Lodon.

Jokanovic said: "Tom Cairney and Sheyi Ojo will not be available, Sheyi will be ready to start working next Tuesday.

"All other players are available for the game."



https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-without-two-key-men-14239009

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Fulham 'one of the best teams' in the Championship - but Nottingham Forest must believe they can beat them, says Aitor Karanka

Karanka has told his players to believe they can end Fulham's flying form by claiming victory at Craven Cottage this weekend

Aitor Karanka believes Fulham are one of the best teams in the Championship – but insists Nottingham Forest must only worry about themselves at Craven Cottage.

The Spaniard admits he is excited about the prospect of a future working with his new-look Reds squad, starting with the trip to London in the Championship.

Karanka says Forest will be wary of the threat posed by Slavisa Jokanovic's Cottagers, who have won six of their last seven Championship games – and drawn the other one.

But he has challenged his squad, which has been bolstered by seven January signings, to go into the game with a "winning" mentality – and a belief they can bring a halt to Fulham's flying form.

"They are one of the best teams in the league, they have a very good manager who knows the division and how to win promotion," said Karanka.

"I know him, he is a good man and a good manager and we are expecting a tough game.

"But I do not care about Fulham, it is about us and our desire to grow.

"Now we have the tools to keep working and, for me, it is important to start with a winning mentality. We need to go into the game believing we can beat anyone.

"If we can beat Arsenal and we can beat Wolves, with this squad, it should be special."

Karanka believes the new additions will boost motivation levels within the entire squad – but says the desire to make amends for the performance against Preston should be a driving force for those who were involved in that 3-0 midweek defeat.

"After last Tuesday and how we felt, I am expecting a good reaction. They know now that they cannot slip," said Karanka. "If they are not performing well, we know we will have players here who are desperate to play.

"I hope their attitude will be good and that, from Saturday, we will start to build.

"It is the aim to get promotion and we have the time to do that. We have to take the right steps.

"I do not want people to think we will win promotion if we win on Saturday and that we will be fighting relegation if we lose. It is step-by-step."

Karanka feels he did give every player in the squad he inherited the chance to prove themselves, prior to making his deadline day additions.

"It was important to respect the club you are joining and I wanted to get to know everyone," he said.

"I wanted to give players their chance and, in the last three or four games, with the exception of (Stephen) Henderson, all the players had their chance.

"I did not want to make mistakes. I wanted to be sure. After the game on Tuesday, we knew that we had to change something and the club was really good; really prepared to do that.

"It was busy and it was not easy. But I said always that I was really calm, because the club had been working really well behind the scenes.

"We had to take decisions, but everyone was ready for that. I have been here for three weeks and everyone has been working hard since I arrived, because we knew something could happen in January."

With the exception of Joe Lolley and Adlene Guedioura, all of Forest's signings are either loan deals or additions on short-term contracts.

But Karanka is open to the idea of all of them potentially staying with Forest in the longer term.

"I don't know at the moment, because we only did these deals (on Wednesday). But I would like to have the best players for the longest time possible," he said.

"If, after the next three or four months, they are comfortable here and we are comfortable with them – and we can extend the relationship – that would not be a problem.

"But they have just signed for now and we need to be calm."

Karanka's initial challenge is to get a group of players who have not all played regular football fit and ready for Championship football.

Only Lolley, Costel Pantilimon and perhaps Guedioura will arrive at Forest close to full match fitness.

And the Forest boss says he must be patient, when deciding when to pitch the new signings into the fray.

"This is my job now – to try to get them as fit as possible," he said. "Speaking with them one-by-one, I told them that they cannot be in a hurry (to get a place in the side).

"The Championship is tough and I do not want to bring four or five players into the side and ask them to play Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday – and then find that, in three weeks, they are not available because of injury.

"I need to manage those situations, I need to spend time with them."



http://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/fulham-one-best-teams-championship-1158272

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Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez hits out at Anderlecht after they pull out of loan deal for striker Aleksandar Mitrovic

    Rafa Benitez says Newcastle were surprised after Anderlecht withdrew their bid
    They were set to re-sign Aleksandar Mitrovic before pulling out on deadline day
    Benitez says he could have allowed the striker to leave for several other clubs

Rafa Benitez has hit back at Anderlecht after they pulled out of a deadline-day loan move for Aleksandar Mitrovic despite the player travelling to Brussels.

The Serbian striker was all set to rejoin the club he left for Newcastle in a £13million deal in 2015 and had even spoken to journalists about his excitement at returning to the Belgian champions.

But Anderlecht told Newcastle with just a few hours of the window remaining that they could no longer complete the deal owing to the collapse of an outgoing transfer.


Rafa Benitez hits out at Anderlecht after they pulled out of a deal to sign Aleksandar Mitrovic

Mitrovic - who has fallen down the pecking order under Benitez - very quickly rerouted to London and joined Fulham until the end of the season.

Benitez, though, was not happy with the Belgian club.

'We were surprised with Anderlecht,' he said. 'The situation was strange. Anderlecht was saying, "Yes, yes, yes", and then, "No".

'I had two or three Spanish clubs wanting him on loan and a French club. Anderlecht pushed and pushed. You cannot push the way they did and then not have a position. But we reacted well and that's it.'

Benitez added: 'Mitro wants to play in the World Cup and needs games. In the future it is not necessary to go to the end of the window so close.

'But he wanted to play and needed to play. There is no problem, he is a nice lad.'


The Belgian side had agreed a loan, but withdrew when an outgoing transfer collapsed



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5345151/Newcastle-manager-Rafa-Benitez-hits-Anderlecht.html#ixzz561sR5cUl
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London Football Awards

Slaviša Jokanović and Ryan Sessegnon have been shortlisted for the London Football Awards across three categories.

Head Coach Slaviša Jokanović is up for Manager of the Year at the 2018 London Football Awards. It is his second consecutive nomination for this award, and this year he faces competition from Emma Hayes (Chelsea Ladies), Roy Hodgson (Crystal Palace), Neil Harris (Millwall), and Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur).

Ryan Sessegnon has made two separate shortlists, firstly for Young Player of the Year, of which he was also nominated last year. He will be up against Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), and Harry Winks (Tottenham Hotspur).

His second nomination is for The English Football League Player of the Year, currently held by Fulham teammate and captain Tom Cairney. Fulham are hoping for a third consecutive win in this category, with Moussa Dembélé having won the award in 2016.

The awards ceremony takes place on March 1st.




http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/february/02/london-football-awards

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Preview: Fulham (A)

Nottingham Forest begin life after the January transfer window with a trip to Fulham in the Sky Bet Championship.

Following a dramatic transfer deadline day which saw them make six new additions to their first-team squad, Forest now go in search of a morale-boosting three points in the capital.

Back-to-back defeats to Hull City and Preston may have knocked The Reds' confidence but they travel to Craven Cottage knowing victory against their promotion-chasing hosts would put them right back on track.

Fulham are on a strong run of form in the league having won six and drawn one of their last seven matches and last Saturday's 3-1 victory at Barnsley pushed Slavisa Jokanovic's men up into the play-off spots.

The home side look set to be without their infuential midfielder Tom Cairney once again but with the likes of Ryan Sessegnon, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Oliver Norwood in their ranks, The Cottagers look set to pose a difficult challenge for Forest.

Team news

Forest boss Aitor Karanka has Liam Bridcutt available once again following the completion of his suspension and a host of new signings at his disposal.

Costel Pantilimon, Jack Colback, Ashkan Dejagah and Adlene Guedioura could all start the game at Craven Cottage with Lee Tomlin, Joe Lolley and Tobias Figueiredo also available.

From the opposition

Slavisa Jokanovic says new additions to his squad should help them to carry on their strong recent run of form ahead of Saturday's clash with Forest.

"I expect Forest will be organised, compact, solid defensively and wait for mistakes. They (Forest) have started to build something new, but will be extra motivated because of it.

"The game will be really tough and complicated and we will need to be ready for the challenge. What's best for us is to support each other, work hard, be clever and to only think about Forest.

"We've had a good run of results and must show a desire to be even better. I believe our new players will help us to improve. I need competition between my players. We've tried to create a good atmosphere to push our players to work and to achieve important targets."

One to watch - Ryan Sessegnon

England Under 19 international Ryan Sessegnon has scored 11 goals for Fulham this season including a brace in each of their last two games against Burton Albion and Barnsley.

The 17-year-old scored a hat-trick in the memorable 5-4 win at Sheffield United in November and his form has only got stronger as the season has progressed, as seven goals in his last seven games would testify.

A left-sided defender with attacking instincts, Sessegnon is always a threat for Slavisa Jokanovic's side and will surely be on the books of a Premier League club next season.

Last visit

Tickets

Tickets for Nottingham Forest's game at Fulham are no longer available. This is an all-ticket fixture so no tickets will be on sale on arrival at Craven Cottage.
Coverage

The match will be broadcast live on iFollow Forest for international subscribers, with audio commentary also available.

There will also be full coverage via the club's official social media channels and in the Match Centre.
Other fixtures

All fixtures to be played at 3pm on Saturday unless otherwise stated:

Bolton v Bristol City (Friday, 8pm)
Aston Villa v Burton Albion
Derby v Brentford
Leeds v Cardiff
Norwich v Middlesbrough
Preston v Hull
QPR v Barnsley
Reading v Millwall
Sheffield Wednesday v Birmingham
Sunderland v Ipswich
Wolves v Sheffield United



https://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/news/2018/february/preview-fulham-a/

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On The March

Loan signing Matt Targett is out to play his part in Fulham's push for promotion.

Arriving for the remainder of the season from Southampton, the left-back turned in an assured display as a second-half substitute as Fulham earned three vital points at Barnsley last weekend to move into the Play-Off places.

"I had other offers to go on loan but Fulham stood out," the 22-year-old tells Saturday's official matchday programme. "It was the right club for me.

"I want to try and play as many games as possible but for the team the main thing is the Play-Offs or even automatic promotion. All we can do is keep winning and maybe we'll look back and say it was games like Saturday that put us there.

"With all the boys playing with confidence, it's so much easier for me to join in. They're on a great run and we want to keep this going for as long as possible."

To read the full interview with Targett, pick up a programme on Saturday.

Other highlights from the publication – named Programme Monthly's 'Championship Programme of the Season' - include:

    Slaviša Jokanović, Tom Cairney and Gordon Davies pen their latest columns
    Brede Hangeland looks back on his Fulham career ahead of his return to SW6 this weekend
    Les Strong recalls facing Nottingham Forest four times en route to Wembley
    Lucas Piazon takes our nine-dart challenge
    Ernie Howe talks us through a picture from his Fulham days
    And Paul Brooker picks his Fulham Dream Team

Priced £3.50, the 100-page publication is available from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off. Or order it online from ProgrammeMaster where you can also purchase past editions and take out a half-season subscription.

For just £1.99, the programme is also available as a digital download on your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC or Mac via Pocketmags from 1am on Saturday morning.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/february/02/matt-targett-nottingham-forest-programme

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Jokanović On Transfers

Pleased with his Club's business in the January transfer window, Slaviša Jokanović expects Fulham to only improve as the season continues.

"I believe we had a great transfer window," he said in Friday's press conference. "Tony Khan showed great thought and did a very good job for the team and for the Club.

"The last two training sessions we had all together, the sensation is positive. I feel we are more competitive and stronger. We are on a very good run of results and we must show desire to be better still.

"I believe these new players can help us, I believe they are going to push the team to work better still and to play better football. We are going to see, and immediately our job is to think about the game that is in front of us."

Aleksandar Mitrović was the last man through the door – someone his compatriot says needs no introduction.

"He's not a new face in England," Jokanović stated. "He's a strong, young, quality player, and I believe he can be important for the team.

"From another side I also believe he can push my strikers to work harder still and fight for a place in the team. I need competition between my players to be ready to compete against the opposition.

"We tried to create a good atmosphere for work, and this can help us fight for important targets."

The other deadline day arrival saw Cyrus Christie swap Teesside for the Capital, and Jokanović is thrilled to now have two top right-backs at his disposal.

"Cyrus is a good player," he said. "We had the opportunity to sign him and I am satisfied we made this step.

"We have him for three-and-a-half years, he is 100 per cent going to be an important player for us. The character of the player is exactly what we need.

"The last two years I always used Ryan Fredericks, who gives us many things and is one of the best full-backs in the category, and I expect he is going to be still better than he is actually right now. At the moment we have two options and this is very good news for us."

Not only did Fulham bolster their ranks, but all key personnel remained when the window closed at 11pm on Wednesday.

"It's good transfer business behind us," Jokanović reiterated. "It's very important to keep your best players.

"It's not easy to find a replacement for someone who is working well in the team. They know how we play, they know our style and what we must do in the games.

"It's very good news for us and it's important for our targets. We will see where we are at the end of the competition and see if we've found enough benefits from these movements."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/february/02/slavisa-jokanovic-on-transfers

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Matchday Live: Forest

Overseas fans can enjoy a live stream of Saturday's Sky Bet Championship encounter against Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage.

If you are already a fulhamfctv subscriber you can pick up a match pass for just £5, while non-subscribers can access the stream for £10, and also enjoy video content on the official website for 48 hours from the point of purchase!

Please note that you must be abroad and be using an overseas bank account to access the stream.

The stream will kick in around 30 minutes prior to kick-off, with a number of links to the correct page across the website. Alternatively, head to www.fulhamfc.com/live to view the game. We recommend watching via Google Chrome.

For our supporters based in the UK and Ireland, you can listen to full live commentary from Gentleman Jim and Jamie Reid, with a monthly subscription. 

Any fans who experience problems on a matchday with your stream please contact > [email protected].

Fans who have experienced issues accessing the stream in the past are advised to have a look at our streaming tips page which we constructed following feedback from supporters, while our FAQs are available here.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/february/02/matchday-live-nottingham-forest

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Slavisa Jokanovic praises Tony Khan for Fulham's January Transfer Window business

The club added three new faces to the side and kept hold of all their key players during January

Slavisa Jokanovic has praised Tony Khan for Fulham's January transfer window business after the club brought in three new faces.

Matt Targett, Cyrus Christie and Aleksandar Mitrovic were all signed by the club, while they were also able to keep hold of all their key players, including Tom Cairney who was subject to bids from West Ham.

At the start of the window, Jokanovic issued a 'back me or sack me' ultimatum to the club's hierarchy after he claimed they felt the squad was strong enough, something the head coach did not.

But Jokanovic is now happy with how the window went, saying: "I believe we had a great transfer window, Tony Khan showed great thought and did a very good job for the team and for the Club.

"The last two training sessions we had all together, the sensation is positive. I feel we are more competitive and stronger. We are on a very good run of results and we must show desire to be better still.

"I believe these new players can help us, I believe they are going to push the team to work better still and to play better football. We are going to see, and immediately our job is to think about the game that is in front of us."



https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/slavisa-jokanovic-praises-tony-khan-14239971

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Slavisa Jokanovic delighted Fulham kept hold of key players like Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon in January

There was strong interest in players like Sessegnon and Cairney, but the head coach was pleased that the club managed to keep hold of their star men

Slavisa Jokanovic was delighted that Fulham managed to keep hold of key players like Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney this January - insisting keeping them was important in order to reach their targets.

West Ham had bids rejected for Cairney, while Tottenham and Manchester United were interesting in Sessegnon and the likes of Swansea and Stoke took a look at Ryan Fredericks, but in the end no one who can be considered a first team member left the side.

And that to the three new faces the side managed to add in January, and you get a very happy head coach in February.

Jokanovic said: "At the end this is a good transfer window what is behind of us, it's very important to keep the important players.

"It's not easy to find a replacement for something what is working well in the team, they do how we play and what is our style and what we must do in the games.

"It's very good news for us and at the end it's important for the important targets, it's important for us, but we must be focused on this game what is ahead of us and we will see at the end of the competition where we are and if you find enough benefits to make these kind of movements."



https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/slavisa-jokanovic-delighted-fulham-kept-14240147

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Wanting Newcastle to pay wages, 5 hour stall, strange medical – How Mitrovic went to Fulham

Aleksandar Mitrovic was supposed to be returning to Anderlecht.

Well, he did actually return to Anderlecht, there was picture proof, but his transfer to the club fell to pieces at the last minute.

In Belgium there was initial confusion and even a claim it was because Islam Slimani had failed his medical at Newcastle United, but now Het Belang van Limburg have explained what actually happened, and how Mitrovic ended up at Fulham instead.

Mitrovic arrived at Anderlecht's offices early on Wednesday evening, knowing his move to the club was in the balance. He knew the club had to get rid of Lukasz Teodorczyk because they couldn't afford to pay both him and the Serbian striker.

Taking things into his own hands, Mitrovic 'put pressure on Newcastle to continue to pay his salary' (around €1m for the rest of the season) and then waited for four hours. At 9pm, Newcastle contacted Mitrovic and told him they'd had a better proposal from Fulham, but he still wasn't giving up and waited another hour.

When he finally gave up, it was too late for Fulham to get a medical done, so given Mitrovic was at Anderlecht's offices, their club doctor Marc Van Grinsven did it for the London club.

Anderlecht, left without Mitrovic, then gave their manager a list of attackers who could be signed in the very short time available. He picked Lazar Markovic, remembering the Liverpool player from his Benfica days.

There was no time for a medical on that either, and Anderlecht's doctor, probably a little confused by this stage, had to telephone his counterpart at Liverpool for an assurance that Markovic is indeed well.

Then, hopefully, all Anderlecht's staff went out and downed an obscene, but well deserved, amount of Belgian beer.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/wanting-newcastle-pay-wages-5-hour-stall-strange-medical-mitrovic-went-fulham/

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Why Reading signing 29-year-old Derby striker on loan until the end of the season is a really good move

Why Reading signing Derby striker on loan until the end of the season is a really good move

Reading brought Derby County striker Chris Martin in on deadline day on loan until the end of the season, but is it a good move for the Royals?

The 29-year-old Scottish international hasn't started a game for the Rams since early December when they played Barnsley and is desperate for first-team football, something he wasn't going to get at Derby given the signing of Cameron Jerome.

The former Norwich City player was on loan at Fulham last season, scoring 11 times for the London side and helping them into the playoffs.

It's been quite a year for Martin too, who, this time last year, was the subject of some wrangling, as Derby were attempting to get him back from his Fulham loan. Steve McClaren denied it because of the lack of a recall clause in Martin's contract.

Martin's goals, but more to the point his all-round forward play, helped Fulham to achieve their top-6 goal last term, though they couldn't capitalise on it at the end and Martin went back to Derby. Ironically enough, Fulham were dumped out of the playoffs by Reading, who have struggled to match that sort of form this season, asking for Martin's help to dig them out of trouble.

The big striker has not been trusted to be the first-choice at Derby for some time but was a very important player for the Rams during Steve McClaren's first period in charge of the club, being the focal point of the 4-3-3 shape and ending up as top scorer for three seasons in a row.

Despite McClaren taking just about all of the blame, it was Martin's injury towards the end of the 2014-15 season which majorly contributed to Derby's promotion bid falling flat. Martin has, for most of his career, been one of those archetypal underrated players and he deserves a chance to play every week. So from his point of view, I'm chuffed that this deal was completed.

As for Reading, well they definitely needed something extra. A look at the Royals squad tells you that they have been about quantity and not quality thus far, with plenty of options. But nobody is really stepping forward for the club to themselves the hero.

Martin will put himself on the line for Reading and will relish the chance to link up once again with winger Sone Aluko, the pair having played together last season along the road at Craven Cottage.



https://soccersouls.com/2018/02/03/why-reading-signing-29-year-old-derby-striker-on-loan-until-the-end-of-the-season-is-a-really-good-move/

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Aleksandar Mitrovic delighted with Fulham move

Aleksandar Mitrovic has revealed that he was delighted to link up with Championship side Fulham on transfer deadline day.

Mitrovic was expected to return to former club Anderlecht in the latter stages of the transfer window, but the move broke down on Wednesday afternoon.

Bordeaux were also credited with an interest, but it was Fulham that won the race to sign the Serbia international on loan from Newcastle United for the remainder of the season.

"It was a really long and stressful day but I am here and I want to be here," Mitrovic told Fulham's official website.

"There were a lot of clubs [interested] but I chose Fulham, first of all because of the coach and second of all because of their style of football.

"Fulham have a young and good team and they have scored a lot of goals this season and last season as well. For me, Fulham played the best football in the Championship last season and they have continued to play like that this season as well."

Mitrovic has scored twice in seven appearances for Newcastle this season.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/mitrovic-delighted-with-fulham-move_317816.html

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A Happy Jokanovic means a Happy Fulham
by Lydia on February 2, 2018

Fulham finished the January transfer window in classic style, with two signings at the death of the 11pm deadline. I think many of us had given up hope when the majority of the day had brought us pretty much zero talk of any activity at Motspur Park apart from a couple of out-goings. But overall, I think we can be very pleased with the business Fulham managed to get done, no matter how late in the day it was. The very uncomfortable talk of Tom Cairney amounted to nothing and we have survived another transfer window keeping the outstanding Ryan Sessegnon.

The acquisitions of Matty Targett and Cyrus Christie are solid, and help to provide cover in defence while Aleksandar Mitrovic will surely provide a considerable goal threat up front. I am still a little bit disappointed that we haven't brought in more CB cover, especially considering Michael Madl has been off-loaded and Djalo has never seemed to appeal to Slavisa Jokanovic, but I suppose we were never going to get everything that we wanted. I'm most excited about Mitrovic, as he already has plenty of experience in both the Premier League and Championship with Newcastle and he was always a player who I feared coming on against Fulham. He is young, hungry and will literally run through a brick wall for you, which should come in handy against some of the 'park the bus' defences we are likely to come up against in our league. He also provides good competition between the strikers currently in our ranks which is always a good thing. Christie and Targett are both young and come with decent reputations. Both should fit in with Slav's philosophy and can rip up and down the flanks, something that we have become accustomed to seeing from Fulham. I think Targett is more likely to have a starting berth, but I'm happy that Fredericks now has some competition for his right-back spot. From his comments at today's press conference, it is clear that Jokanovic is for once happy with how things have went regarding transfers. He isn't one to give praise, so when it happens, you know that big things are happening at the club. A happy Jokanovic equals a happy Fulham so I'm very excited about what he can get from this squad.

It will be interesting to see how Jokanovic sets us up tomorrow for the visit of Nottingham Forest. I'm not sure if Mitrovic has had enough game time to warrant a start but I'd imagine that we will see him at some stage tomorrow. I reckon we will have Targett starting ahead of Odoi while Fredericks should get the nod ahead of Christie for now at least.

Forest have had a difficult season so far, but that certainly doesn't mean that the result is inevitable. Aitor Karanka is a shrewd manager and, as a former defender, will be focused on tightening up a leaky defence. Forest were actually the busiest Championship side on deadline day with a total of six signings, including Lee Tomin, Joe Lolley and former Fulham favourite Ashkan Dejagah. It will take time for them to bed in, but Fulham should be wary of a side very different to the one we beat 3-1 at the City Ground earlier in the season.

It is going to be my first visit to the Cottage of 2018 and my first game since that awful day in Sunderland. Since then, however, we have only lost once, and that was in the FA Cup, and are currently on a rich vein of form. Hopefully tomorrow brings our 6th win in a row at the undisputed home of football.

#COYW



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/02/a-happy-jokanovic-means-a-happy-fulham/

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Benitez baffled by late move collapse

Rafa Benitez has claimed he was left bemused by the actions of Anderlecht on deadline day, after a deal for Aleksandar Mitrovic fell through late on.

Newcastle signed Leicester striker Islam Slimani and Sparta Prague goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on loan deals in the final hours of the transfer window, and were also able to shift a number of players out of St James' Park before the window slammed shut.

One such player, Aleksandar Mitrovic, had looked destined to sign for former club Anderlecht, although the Belgian outfit had a late change of heart. Instead, the Serbian joined Championship side Fulham until the end of the season.

Talking about the late change of plans, the Magpies boss said;

    The Mitro situation was strange. Anderlecht were saying yes, yes, yes, then no.

    Mitro wants to play in the World Cup (with Serbia), and needs games. Mitro wanted to play, needed to play. He's a nice lad.

    We were surprised with Anderlecht. I had two or three Spanish clubs wanting him on loan and a French club.

    Anderlecht pushed and pushed. You cannot push the way they did and then not have a position. But we reacted well, and that's it.



http://readnewcastle.com/2018/02/02/benitez-baffled-late-move-collapse/

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Fulham FC January Transfer Review
As January turned into February, did Fulham get better?

As we approach February, Fulham are in the most positive place that they have been in for some time. Sure, this seems like a complete repeat as how last season went for the good guys, but the method with how the turnaround occurred was different. The club needed a spark at striker for both campaigns (by way of Chris Martin and "insert false nine here" last season and by way of Rui Fonte and Aboubakar Kamara this season) and whenever Ryan Sessegnon consistently played up front, but Fulham were a consistently good attacking unit that needed to just be more clinical in 2016/17. Hence, why you didn't see Craig Kline and Slavisa Jokanovic go after many guaranteed starters in that January window as Cyriac and Thanos Petsos only played 158 minutes combined for the club. Both were out the door before you know it.

This campaign, the club seriously needed to improve their underlying numbers and the way they played in order for them to get back into the playoff places. Denis Odoi is now a part-time center back. Fonte and Stefan Johansen are apparently not wingers and center forwards. Who knew? Tom Cairney has gone from playing 4,119 of the maximum 4,140 league minutes in 2016/17 to being constantly checking if his knee ligaments won't explode at any second. And at minimum, that kid Sessegnon just so happens to be a future Premier League wide player in training.

The point is, this year's Fulham has produced almost the same results, but they are a different team with different XIs and different tactics. That's why this January transfer window is a little more unique. With that, three players came in and, unlike Petsos and Cyriac, bring track records that are familiar to the English public and should see them contribute instantly. Let's take a look at who they are.

Matt Targett

With Targett, Fulham are getting a unique fullback that started with the all the potential in the world (sound familiar?). However, things haven't been great for the former Southampton man. His playing time for the club has been reduced from 13 starts and 1,071 minutes in the Premier League for 2015/16 to just 167 minutes this campaign before heading to Craven Cottage. Already, Targett played a key part in Fulham's comeback win over Barnsley last weekend with his second half performance. If he continues to play the way he did and continue to receive more game action from Jokanovic will do him and his new team a world of good. The good news is that Fulham can easily slot him as the first choice left back now that Sessegnon is playing further forward and with Odoi slotted towards the center of defense. At 22 and with plenty of historical data collected for him already, proof is there that Targett should improve as a footballer and be a key asset for Fulham with his well-rounded ability in the tackle and crossing ability.

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Next up, we go from one potential prodigy needing to turn good to another. This time, he comes as a striker with a reputation of poor off field conduct. But at 23, Mitrovic still has plenty of room to prove that he has what it takes to be a consistent performer in the English game. In his two full seasons with Newcastle, he scored 11 non-penalty goals off of 133 shots. A sub-10% conversion rate is not that great for a potential star up front, but shooting well over three times per contest certainly is. If he can improve his on-target ratio to the mid 40s instead of his current career rate of 37.2%, the Serbian International can be able to me a much more consistent scorer. Until then, expect him to be a center forward equivalent of Sone Aluko whenever you see him in action.

Cyrus Christie

All data from whoscored.com

Lastly, if you have been paying attention to my Three Players to Watch pieces this season, Christie should be a familiar name this season. Automatically, he should be able to improve Fulham's passing from an effectiveness standpoint and will be another danger man for the club with the ball at his feet. I suggest you ignore his hefty dispossession rate of 1.40 times per 90 minutes, because that will always be overshadowed by his 2.50 successful dribbles per 90 minutes.

Sure, radars that I have created throughout the season can certainly be better at analyzing ball retention for each player, but that will be a project to be accomplished for another time. Until then, embrace such a player that is willing to go at people no matter what the cost.

The real question now is why did Jokanovic sign a successful starting right back from one club when we already have one in Ryan Fredericks. Consider that the 25-year old Fridericks has already played a career high 2,520 minutes of league play this season. There was chat throughout last season of him being burnt out as Fulham's run towards a playoffs place moved forward. While I don't think that's the case this time around, I do think having strength in numbers is key.

Along with that, there were rumors of Fredericks leaving Fulham for a lower-tier Premier League side as he is completing the final year of his contract. Meanwhile, Christie is under contract until 2021 with a year-long club option. If anything else, there is long-term stability down that flank no matter who plays there in the coming seasons.

Out: Yoann Mollo, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Michael Madl, Jordan Graham, Rafa Soares

Before we go, let's take some time to look back at the players that have left the club this transfer window. While Madl and Sigurdsson have left for some undisclosed transfer fees before their respective deals were completed in June, the rest left due to terminations of their contracts or loan agreements. Simply put, this quintet only stepped on to the pitch for a combined 305 league minutes this season. That's not even close enough to determine if any of these players are talented enough. I personally don't make such judgements unless they play one-quarter of the league campaign or more (in other words, over 650 minutes per player as of now).

At the end of the day, it's about seeing an opportunity and taking advantage of it. For Mollo and Graham, it was quite baffling why they came to Fulham in the first place. This is not any fault of the player alone, but more as to why the club decided to bring them over when they already had strength in numbers at the attacking midfield positions. With Sheyi Ojo, Floyd Ayite, Neeskans Kebano and Sessegon already out there, who were Mollo and Graham expected to supplant?

However, the trio of Madl, Sigurdsson and Soares was a different story. Fulham were at a place where they lacked depth at fullback and seriously could have used Soares after he recovered from his ankle injury. But with Odoi and Sessegnon playing there instead and with Targett now in the fold, there was never going to be a place for him. Again, since he did not receive game time, it's unfair to make a judgement as to whether he was a genuine bust or not.

While Sigurdsson's place in the team was gone as soon as he went on loan to Rubin Kazan this summer after a series of bad performances in 2016/17, Madl still had something left in the table. However, the Austrian International's fate was sealed after a miserable outing against Bristol Rovers in the Carabao Cup and he has struggled to even get on the matchday squad since. I wish all that have left Fulham the best of luck because all have proven before to have a chance to make an impact somewhere in European football.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/2/2/16964072/fulham-fc-january-transfer-review

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Does Aleksandar Mitrovic have a future at Newcastle? Rafa lays down goal target to on-loan forward

Newcastle United striker Aleksandar Mitrovic joined Championship side Fulham on loan on transfer-deadline day

Rafa Benitez has challenged Aleksandar Mitrovic to earn his trust by scoring "20 to 25 goals" at Fulham - and secure a long-term future at Newcastle United in the process.

The 23-year-old joined Championship side Fulham on loan on deadline day, with the Serbia striker determined to play regular football ahead of this summer's World Cup.

Mitrovic had not started a single Premier League game this season for Newcastle, with Benitez preferring Joselu and Dwight Gayle - while Leicester City striker Islam Slimani joined the Magpies on loan on deadline day, too.

Rafa Benitez has challenged Aleksandar Mitrovic to earn his trust by scoring "20 to 25 goals" at Fulham - and secure a long-term future at Newcastle United in the process.

The 23-year-old joined Championship side Fulham on loan on deadline day, with the Serbia striker determined to play regular football ahead of this summer's World Cup.

Mitrovic had not started a single Premier League game this season for Newcastle, with Benitez preferring Joselu and Dwight Gayle - while Leicester City striker Islam Slimani joined the Magpies on loan on deadline day, too.

"You pick your team. I don't need to worry about my ego. I have won trophies around the world and I don't need to be worried about my ego.

"My priority to win games. You pick your team thinking: 'This is the best team for me'.

"You pick your team. I don't need to worry about my ego. I have won trophies around the world and I don't need to be worried about my ego.

"My priority to win games. You pick your team thinking: 'This is the best team for me'.

Mitrovic was one of six Newcastle players to leave on loan on deadline day as Benitez looked to ship out squad members who were desperate for gametime.

Among them were Henri Saivet - who joined Sivasspor - Freddie Woodman, who moved to Aberdeen, while Rolando Aarons linked up with former Magpies assistant coach Fabio Pecchia at Hellas Verona.

"We have a situation where players were not playing," Benitez, who also recruited goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on an initial loan deal on deadline day, added.

"Saivet, for example, was only playing against West Ham and the other day. I was happy with him, but he had an opportunity. He has to play.

"You cannot keep a player when he isn't playing if he has the World Cup and he needs to play to stay there.

"Rolando Aarons, a young player who was not playing. Now I have brought in Kenedy. Rolando was not a problem for [Matt] Ritchie, [Christian] Atsu or [Jacob] Murphy - now you have Kenedy, so everybody has to think: 'Wake up.' Then they are on their toes and are ready.

"That is what I am looking for. The striker and the keeper are the same situation.

"We are a little bit better than before. Is it ideal? I will not say if it is ideal or not, but obviously we are a little bit better and that is the main thing for me."



https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aleksandar-mitrovic-future-newcastle-rafa-14239996

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Aleksandar Mitrovic may still have a Newcastle future, says Rafa Benitez

Rafa Benitez says Aleksandar Mitrovic could yet have a future at Newcastle United.

The striker this week joined Fulham on loan until the end of the season.

Mitrovic had been used sparingly by Benitez up to his deadline day departure. And the Serbia international was desperate to play regular football ahead of this summer's World Cup finals.

Asked if there was a way back for Mitrovic, Benitez said: "My relationship with him is fine. He's a nice lad. "You pick your team. I don't need to worry about my ego. I have won trophies around the world and I don't need to be worried about my ego.

"My priority to win games. You pick your team thinking 'this is the best team for me'. "It was clear that he wanted, and needed, to play games. Now he has an opportunity.

"Hopefully, he'll score 25 goals. "We'll be happy with that. He'll have more value. He will come here and say 'I'm a new player, you have to trust me because I've scored 25 goals'. Fine, no problem." Meanwhile, Steve Nickson, Newcastle's head of recruitment, has already started work ahead of the summer transfer window. Benitez said: "On Thursday, I was talking with Steve Nickson and the scouting team who have been working so hard for all these months.

"I said 'listen, take some holidays'. Some of them are already just analysing for the summer. "We are doing a review now of the players that we were following, how they were doing and all these things. They're doing that already." Meanwhile, Benitez doesn't have any fresh injury concerns ahead of tomorrow's game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Asked who wouldn't be involved, Benitez said: "At the moment, (Jesus) Gamez. (Rob) Elliot has been training, even (Florian) Lejeune has been training, but still it's too soon for him. The others have to wait."



Read more at: https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/newcastle-united/aleksandar-mitrovic-may-still-have-a-newcastle-future-says-rafa-benitez-1-8998526

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Fulham's loan players must fight between themselves for a place in my squad - Slavisa Jokanovic

The club have six loanees on the book, but regulations mean one will miss out from the match day squad

Fulham's loan players must fight it out between themselves for a place in the squad, according to Slavisa Jokanovic.

The club currently have six loanees on their books after adding Aleksandar Mitrovic from Newcastle on Deadline Day, but regulations will only allow for five of them to be in the matchday squad, meaning one will miss out.

It's a nice problem to have, but with Tomas Kalas, Oliver Norwood, Lucas Piazon, Matt Targett and Sheyi Ojo seemingly all important to the head coach's plans, it will be a difficult choice to decide who misses out each week.

And Jokanovic has said it's not in his hands, but the hands of the players to decide who makes it and who misses out.

He said: "I believe it is necessary to give some players that I don't use enough a chance to play football.

"We are organised enough for them, at the end this is not in my hands, it will be in the hands of my players who are fighting for a space in the different places and improve themselves and be ready in the future to help this team and to help Fulham."




https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulhams-loan-players-must-fight-14240258

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Three Players to Watch: Matchday 30 vs. Nottingham Forest
Can Fulham match their perfect January with a perfect start to February?


Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images

After a successful January that saw them run the month unbeaten, Fulham now look to continue their winning ways when Nottingham Forest visits Craven Cottage. Along with that, both clubs will be introducing new players into the side. While Fulham has introduced some noteworthy players, it's not like Forest hasn't been short in quality from their own signings either. Plenty of that is due to the turnover in playing style since Aitor Karanka replaced Mark Warburton as manager. And bluntly, Forest desperately need them.

They have returned to become one of the worst clubs in the second tier of English football and their underlying numbers aren't showing anything different either. Despite holding onto the ball 54.6% of the time all season, Forest has only scored 35 goals with very little scoring depth across the team. Plenty of that has been due to their poor shot selection as evidenced by their 0.085 expected goals per shot. There are plenty of elements of a side that knows a thing or two about bringing the ball to the final third, but until they have players that know how to put the ball into the back of the net, they will continue to struggle.

Lee Tomlin and Joe Lolley will provide some support in attack, but I don't know if those two will be enough to swing the needle their way towards even a mid-table position. Also, you are talking about two attacking midfielders that are providing competition rather than being shoe-ins for the starting XI. Oh, and do we really need to talk about Ashkan Dejagah?

If anything, I'm more fascinated as to what happens to Forest in defense. Coming into today, only Sunderland and Bolton have given up more goals than their 46 against and those two clubs may end up getting relegated to League One by season's end. Forest are also joint-fifth worst in shots against rate (14.0 per 90 minutes), dead last in being beaten on the dribble (11.5 per 90 minutes) and was second worst in aerial duels won (16.8 per 90 minutes).

Forest may not have gotten stronger along the back end of the defense unless you want to count the behemoth goalkeeper that is Costel Pantillimon. However, they will be much better in central midfield with the additions of Premier League stalwarts Jack Colback and Adlene Guedioura. But with all that said, it just feels like Forest will become the same boring, all-defense-no-attack unit that Karanka produced while he was at Middlesbrough. Maybe it all ends up working out in the long run, but there's just a sense that this will take years for Forest to ever hit his vision completely. Until then, let's take a look at those that have been surviving through both manager tenures and who could contribute greatly to today's game.

Liam Bridcutt

First up, we talk about possibly the biggest casualty as a result of all the January transfers. At 28, Bridcutt has only played over 2,000 league minutes once in the five seasons recorded by whoscored.com. Plenty of that has to do with his outstanding defensive work rate. He has led the club with 104 defensive actions and has never averaged less than 3.33 tackles per 90 minutes during his past five campaigns.

However, teams are beginning to expose him on the counter-attack as he has never been one to retain the ball cleanly. This season, Bridcutt has been beaten like a drum 48 times (or 2.30 times per 90 minutes) off of the dribble in comparison to his 66 tackles. While that ratio is not as bad Stefan Johansen's, that is very poor when you consider that his sole responsibility is to be the midfield destroyer. In comparison, Colback has gone on to make 242 tackles versus his 90 times beaten off the dribble in the past three seasons and 7,505 minutes of league play at Newcastle. That's not a ton of volume, but it's much more efficient and less costly. Even if Colback is used to completely improve a team-wide weakness, I don't expect Bridcutt's endeavor to go to waste the rest of the season either.

Kieran Dowell

Since I last wrote about Nottingham Forest, Daryl Murphy has been injured and predictably lost his run of form. As a result, it has been the Everton loanee that has taken charge of leading the club in goal contributions with nine tallies and four assists. Along with that, the England Under-20 International has proven to be a solid dribbler. Dowell fits the profile of an attacking wide player more so than a number ten, but he has admirably played there under both managers this season. If anything, he fits more as a support striker more so than the number tens we see in modern 4-2-3-1 formations (ala Tom Cairney) today. It will be fascinating to see what comes of Dowell with the new transfers and once Karanka's system begins to come to complete fruition.

Ben Osborn

All data from whoscored.com

One player that could be affected by the system change the most is 23-year old Osborn. While starting off as an attacking wide player, Osborn has been trotted out at left back, at deep-lying playmaker and at the number ten positions in recent weeks. Through all that, he's still second to Dowell for the club lead with 81 combined shots and key passes. That said, it's evident he is best served as a natural number .ten

However, Karanka has experimented with a 4-1-4-1 formation recently and could give that a go-to allow Colback and Guedioura to make the starting XI. Does that mean that Osborn plays out wide where he doesn't do much by way of cutting inside based on his tiny 1.15 shots per 90 minutes rate? However, his playmaking abilities will still be present there as he is the club leader with 127 attempted crosses. Along with that, his defensive deficiencies should be less exposed as a result of the cover coming from either Eric Lichaj or Tendayi Darikwa from the right back position. Either way, it will be a shame to see an academy product go to waste because of a new boss wanting to change things up drastically.




https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/2/3/16967226/three-players-to-watch-matchday-30-vs-nottingham-forest