Friday Fulham Stuff (27/07/18)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham and Leicester City at the front of the queue for Swansea striker

Swansea City striker Jordan Ayew appears to be following his brother out of the exit door at the Liberty Stadium after the clubs relegation to the Championship.

According to WalesOnline, Fulham and Leicester City are leading the race to sign the forward as both clubs look to strengthen their squads before the close of the transfer window.

The 26 year old joined the Welsh side from Aston Villa in 2017 for a fee of £5m plus Neil Taylor.

During his time at the club, Ayew has made 50 league appearances for the Swans, registering 8 goals in the Premier League.

Despite not being prolific in front of goal, his work rate and overall contribution to the team are big pulling factors for the Ghanaian.

He also made 51 appearances for Aston Villa during his time in the Midlands, scoring 9 goals for the Villains.

He spent half a season in the Championship with Villa, before moving to Swansea in the January transfer window of 2017.

However, Ayew now looks set to depart Graham Potters side in favour of a move back to the Premier League, with Leicester and Fulham both vying for his signature.

He has made 46 appearances for Ghana, scoring on 12 occasions for his country.

It is likely that a prolonged stay in the Premier League will increase his chances of being picked for further Ghana call ups.

Fulham will be looking to secure their status in the top flight next season after winning the Playoffs, and Ayew is a man who carries a wealth of Premier League experience.

Leicester have money to spend this summer after the sale of Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City, and the Swansea striker could be next through the door at the King Power Stadium.

It appears that Ayew's future in Wales is over and a tug of war between Leicester and Fulham for his services is about to commence.



http://the72.co.uk/111352/fulham-leicester-city-front-queue-swansea-striker/

[WhiteJC]

 
Trio leave Fulham's first team pre-season training to take part in Aesch International Tournament

The trio had been training with Slavisa Jokanovic's first team in pre season but will travel with the U19s to Switzerland for the tournament

Fulham trio Matt O'Riley, Moritz Jenz and Tyrece Francois have left first team pre-season training to take part in the Aesch International Tournament.

The club are sending an U19 team to play in the annual competition where Fulham reached the final last season, losing 2-1 to FC Basel.

All three players have been involved in Slavisa Jokanovic's first team preparations for the upcoming Premier League season, but they have been moved into the U19 side to take part in the tournament, where they will face Hamburg, Red Star Belgrade and Basel once more, with their final position dictating who they face on the Sunday.

O'Riley is touted as having a bright future at Craven Cottage, with the 18-year-old signing his first professional deal earlier this year while also being part of the side's large matchday squad through most of last season.

He made the bench against Cardiff City last September and has been mentioned in the same breath as Arsenal and Manchester City, although he has yet to make his league debut for his boyhood club.

Jenz and Francois, meanwhile, embarked on their first senior pre-season this summer and have both featured in friendlies for Fulham, but neither have featured in any capacity in the first team fixtures as yet.


Matt O'Riley puts pressure on John O'Shea in Fulham's friendly with Reading (Image: Get Reading)

The squad that will travel is:

Cody Drameh, Fabio Carvalho, Sylvester Jasper, Trialist A, Scott Armsworth, Zico Asare, Timmy Abraham, Sonny Hilton, Matt O'Riley, Showkat Tahir, Tyrese Francois, Ben Davis, Jayden Harris, Jaydn Mundle-Smith, Tony Stahl, Cameron Thompson, Taye Ashby-Hammond and Mortiz Jenz.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/trio-leave-fulhams-first-team-14957425

[WhiteJC]

 
Why Cardiff City are calm about their transfer policy despite lavish Wolves and Fulham spending

Joao Moutinho and Andre Schurrle have arrived at the Bluebirds' rivals but Neil Warnock and the hierarchy are content

Cardiff City won't be signing any Portuguese European Champions or German World Cup winners this summer.

But then, you knew that already didn't you.

Yet the recent transfers that have seen Joao Moutinho move to Wolves and Andre Schurrle to Fulham have merely served to highlight the Bluebirds' underdogs status in the upcoming Premier League campaign.

Add in that Wolves have already secured big money deals for Willy Boly and Diogo Jota - two of their loan stars who helped secure promotion last season - as well as signing the Portugal No.1 Rui Patricio; add in that Fulham have swooped for highly rated French midfielder Jean Michel Seri, previously linked with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool and tipped to be Xavi's long-term successor in the Barcelona engine room...

It all means you have a league that is slanted towards Cardiff's fellow promoted sides, the big spenders who it is automatically presumed will survive with ease.

It's teams who were in the Championship a few months ago we are talking about here, never mind the millions being spent by Liverpool, Man City, West Ham and Everton, which is in another stratosphere altogether.

Of course, we knew Cardiff would never go down that path. From the moment Neil Warnock ruled out signing "big times Charlies" in his press conferences minutes after promotion was sealed in May, everyone was aware what policy the Bluebirds would follow through this summer.

That stance hasn't altered one iota and the public briefings from Cardiff executive director and CEO Ken Choo have reaffirmed it.

"It's the philosophy of Vincent Tan and Mehmet Dalman, as well as Neil," says Choo.

"We sat together to get the strategy right. To get the players to fit the team rather than these big names and prima donnas, which we're not keen on.

"We want players who look hungry and willing to gel with the squad. Not to bring someone from Spain or Italy, just because they have a name."

Not even the frenzy set to ensue as the transfer deadline looms closer will change Cardiff minds.

Warnock, while extremely eager to sign Marko Grujic on loan plus another one or two to supplement his squad - of which one could be a significant permanent deal - knows the limits with which he is working. He doesn't like spending unnecessary money anyway and is delighted with how Josh Murphy, Bobby Reid, Greg Cunningham and Alex Smithies have settled into the squad.

With Fulham on the verge of announcing the Schurrle signing after Cardiff's 2-1 defeat to Rotherham , it was put to Warnock again about the chasm between his transfer blueprint and that of Nuno Espirito Santo and Slavisa Jokanovic.

"We can't compete with that, we're not kidding ourselves that we're up against it in that respect," he said.

"But if we get the right players in, I'm sure you'll see a different ball game. It's just a matter of getting the players in that I want and then giving it a good go."

"Just because you're spending big doesn't mean it's going to come off," added new signing Greg Cunningham.

Cardiff have spent money, verging on £30million this summer on Cunningham and others.

But the lacklustre nature of their performances against Rotherham and Torquay are inconsequential to how much more will be paid, though the Millers defeat perhaps made the need for a central midfielder that tiny more urgent.



https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/cardiff-city-calm-transfer-policy-14955361

[WhiteJC]

 
'Investment and attractive football' are key to Fulham's successful summer, says Boa Morte

Serious investment and the attraction of being a part of Slavisa Jokanovic's innovative project are the reasons why Fulham have been able to sign top class players this summer, according to former Whites forward Luis Boa Morte.

The Premier League new boys added former German World Cup winner Andre Schürrle to their ranks last night as the Borussia Dortmund winger arrived on a two-year loan deal to join the likes of former Nice midfielder Jean-Michael Seri. Boa Morte told TalkSPORT that Fulham's ambition to do more than merely make up the numbers upon their return to the Premier League makes them an intriguing option for potential signings.

    I think it's the investment. I think you have got to invest and when you go for a player you've got to make sure you need him to sign even if there is other clubs.

    We know sometimes there could be a bit of speculation, definitely some times clubs are interesting and sometimes it's not the best proposal a player gets. So I think it's always good to sign top players with a bit of variety in terms of playing style and culture so that you have a good mix to the team, to the squad and you have a full season.

Boa Morte, who became a firm fans' favourite during his seven years at Craven Cottage, was part of the Fulham side that established themselves in the Premier League after romping to the Division One title under Jean Tigana. The Portuguese winger famously scored the goal that secured a historic win over Chelsea in 2005 and managed 54 goals in 205 appearances for the Whites. Having been on the coaching staff with his old club, he has now taken his first steps in management by talking the helm at Portuguese third division outfit Sintrense.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/07/investment-and-attractive-football-are-key-to-fulhams-successful-summer-says-boa-morte/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 'pushing to complete Aleksandar Mitrovic deal'

Fulham are reportedly planning to step up negotiations with Newcastle United over a deal to sign striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The newly-promoted Cottagers have already agreed personal terms with the Serbia international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Fulham and scored 12 goals to help fire them to playoff glory.

However, the two clubs are still wrangling over a fee for the 23-year-old, with Newcastle thought to be holding out for a bid of around £20m.

The Evening Standard reports that Fulham are now looking to complete the deal in the coming days, with Mitrovic growing frustrated that his future remains uncertain.

Mitrovic was due to return to Newcastle yesterday following an extended break after his World Cup exploits, but the striker is eager to move to Craven Cottage ahead of the new campaign.

The Serb could become Fulham's second signing of the week after they brought in Andre Schurrle on a two-year loan deal yesterday.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/fulham-push-to-complete-mitrovic-deal_331563.html

[WhiteJC]

2018 Fulham Player Profiles: Ryan Fredericks
Let's take a look at the attacking fullback one last time


Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Basic Stats: 47 appearances | 47 starts | 0 substitutions | 4,182 minutes | 0 goals | 7 assists

Economics: £250,000 Transfer Fee | Signed: 2015 | Contract Ended in Summer 2018

Stats by Seven-Game sequences

WhoScored Rating Chart

Radar

All data from whoscored.com

Transfermarket Value Chart

From transfermarket.co.uk

CC Thoughts: We all know that Ryan Fredericks is no longer with the club. In fact, we all knew that he wanted to play in the Premier League desperately after Swansea City came knocking in the January transfer window. However, that doesn't discount the fact that Fredericks played a special part in Fulham's promotion campaign this past season.

We all know his playing style since he was with the club for three seasons. Fredericks loves to bomb down the right and join in on the attack, but he's not afraid to get in their with a crunching tackle when he is at his best. Sometimes, his emotions get the best out of him: hence the club-leading 29 yellow cards during his tenure. However, Fredericks is everything you wanted in an attacking fullback and he will be missed now that he'll be playing his football down at West Ham. Even if Fulham never got any transfer fee on the account of his contract running out, the club still should know that they were able to get so much production with such little market value at the time.

This past season was a strange one for Fredericks, however. He just wasn't willing to get involved in defense and it took a while to see how much of a presence he truly was along the right hand flank. But like the rest of the squad, Fredericks began to get rolling as soon as the club were in the middle of their unbeaten run. He really began to be a thorn in so many opponents and none more so than at home against Aston Villa back on February 17th. In that match, Fredericks went on to assist on Ryan Sessegnon's goal, as well as have three key passes, two successful dribbles, three tackles and three interceptions. And to put the cherry on top, Fredericks went on to play all but two fixtures this entire league campaign; quashing all fears of his lack of fitness despite playing a style fitting for a sprinter.

So in will come Cyrus Christie at right back for 2018/19, but it does need to be recognized that, at minimum, it will be difficult to replicate what Fredericks brought to Fulham. Let's all hope that he continues to have a fulfilling football career and thank him for his service with the club.

Key Stat: 22 key passes from crosses. To be honest, it was quite difficult to find a statistic in which Fredericks was the leader among all Fulham players. If anything, he was more a jack-of-all-trades kind of footballer when it came to his attacking skillset, but he was not that considered elite in any one of them, including his pace and dribbling. That said, his persistence to put balls into the penalty area led to a club-leading 149 attempted crosses, as well as 22 of them resulting in shots. In the end, Fredericks' 20.8% successful crossing rate isn't all that intimidating, but it was right within the league average for a Championship footballer.

Your thoughts: So what say you about Mr. Fredericks? How much will you miss him in a Fulham shirt? What type of reaction do you think Fredericks will get when he returns to the Cottage on December 15th? What are your favorite memories during his time with Fulham? Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/7/26/17617390/2018-fulham-player-profiles-ryan-fredericks

[WhiteJC]

 
Schuerrle joins Fulham on two-year loan

LONDON: Germany winger and 2014 World Cup winner Andre Schuerrle on Wednesday agreed to join Fulham of the Premier League on a two-year loan from Borussia Dortmund.

It will be a second stint in the English top flight for the 27-year-old."I'm so happy to be here, I can't wait to get started. Fulham were the first club that showed interest in me — that was something that I appreciated a lot, and one of the reasons I wanted to come here," Schuerrle told fulhamfc.com.

"I love ball possession, I love attacking, and I love making runs, so I think it could be perfect."

Fulham have returned to England's top flight, winning promotion last season via a play-off, after four years in the Championship.Schuerrle shot to fame at the 2014 World Cup when his superb cross led to Mario Goetze scoring the winning goal in the final to give Germany their fourth title.



https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/346660-schuerrle-joins-fulham-on-two-year-loan

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham considering Arter move

Fulham are a mulling a potential move for out-of-favour Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter, according to a Daily Mirror report this morning.

The Republic of Ireland international is considering his future after only making thirteen league appearances for the Cherries last season. The Mirror article suggests that the 28 year-old is eager to end his seven-year stay on the south coast and go in search of more regular football. Arter, who hasn't featured in the Premier League since January 1st, is the brother-in-law of former Fulham captain Scott Parker, who has recommended him to head coach Slavisa Jokanovic after becoming the Whites' first team coach earlier in the summer.

The energetic midfielder would add Premier League know how to a midfield that is light on top flight experience, with only Tom Cairney and Kevin McDonald having played in the top division before. Arter, who has amassed more than 250 senior starts for Bournemouth, would likely be utilised as a squad player after Fulham surprised the world of football to swoop for Ivorian international Jean-Michael Seri a couple of weeks ago.

Bournemouth are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Arter, who was linked with a possible move to West Ham earlier in the summer. The former Bournemouth captain, who played a huge part in the club's rise through the divisions, has won thirteen senior caps for the Republic of Ireland after representing England at youth level. It remains to be seen whether Jokanovic will be tempting to act on Parker's tip.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/07/fulham-considering-arter-move/

[WhiteJC]

 
Schurrle move should make Spurs swoop for Sessegnon

Fulham shocked the Premier League this week by signing World Cup winner Andre Schurrle, and it could just open the door for the electric Ryan Sessegnon to finally make the switch to North London.

What's the story?

Of all the players Tottenham have been linked with this summer, Sessegnon might just be the most exciting, and Schurrle's move could suddenly making it possible.

Schurrle swapped Dortmund for Craven Cottage on Wednesday, securing a two-year loan deal with the Premier League newcomers. Funnily enough, that's just long enough to allow the Cottagers time to find a long-term replacement if they cash in on Sessegnon.

Spurs were linked with the wonderkid earlier in the summer, and although the links have since died down, the North Londoners' interest in Anthony Martial shows they are hunting a young, pacey left-winger.

While Martial is a brilliant player, his confidence is shot to bits, so Pochettino and Levy should revisit their interest for Sessegnon instead. The 18 year-old is a once in a generation type of player, and the last time Spurs signed a young left back that can play on the wing it didn't work out too badly.

The first thing that jumps out about Sessegnon is his electric pace, as he spent the entirety of last season burning past defenders down Fulham's left flank. He has the technical skill to match it as well, averaging 1.2 successful dribbles per game.

What really separates the youngster from other exciting prospects at his age though is his football IQ, showing great awareness and composure throughout Fulham's playoff run.

His assist in the playoff final last season against Aston Villa showed exactly how calm he is under pressure, setting up the game's only goal courtesy of his excellent decision-making. He also grabbed a goal and assist in the semi-final against Derby County, so this is not a youngster that's going to be frightened by the pressure at a big club.

His end product is also incredible for a player of his age, grabbing 16 goals and eight assists in the Championship last year. If you only consider the games he played on the wing the record becomes even more impressive, boasting 14 goals and six assists in those 28 games.

Sessegnon is only 18, but he already has the intelligence and versatility to play as a left back, left wing back or out and out winger, and his pace and dazzling dribbling will get fans off their seats every time he has the ball. If Levy wants to inspire fans with a big money signing, then the Fulham wonderkid is a better pick than Martial, and could just be their next Gareth Bale.



https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/tottenham/schurrle-move-should-make-spurs-swoop-for-sessegnon

[gerrys]

Looking at how Fulham have fared in this transfer window

We are going up!!

Fulham football club is the oldest established football club in London to have played the Premier League. Better known as the Cottagers, they play their home matches at Craven Cottage.

Fulham is owned by the Pakistani-American Billionaire businessman Shahid 'Shad' Khan after he bought over the club in the month of July'13. After a poor start during the 2013-2014 EPL campaign, a loss to Stoke City on the final day of the 2013-2014 season saw them finally relegated to the Championship.

The Cottagers struggled the following two seasons and finished 17th and 20th respectively. Once a Europa League finalist in 2010, it was hard for the East Londoners to see one of their favourite clubs reeling in the EFL Championship for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 season.

After yet another overhaul in the year 2016, the club saw improvement both in terms of performances and results in the 2016-2017 season. It was unfortunate to see them losing to a controversial penalty against Reading in the playoffs.

The 2017-2018 season was not different but the final outcome was. They once again had to play the playoffs to qualify to the top tier of English football for two consecutive years.

This time, Fulham won the EFL Championship playoff against Aston Villa and marked their return to the Premier League on 26 May 2018, after securing their first win at Wembley in their 139 year history. A Tom Cairney first-half strike was enough for the Cottagers fan to sing 'We are going Up! Say, We are going up!'. Indeed they are!

With the Premier League 2018-2019 season about to undergo in a fortnight's time and the transfer window to close on the 9th of August, Fulham has already had the signatures of midfielder Jean Michael Seri, defender Maxime Le Marchand, goalkeeper Fabri and forward Andre Schurrle.

Fulham will definitely not start the season as a favourite to be relegated. With Fulham required to rope in a striker before the start of the season, it is important to see where Aleksandar Mitrovic ends up playing.

Talks are understood to be continuing over a deal to bring the striker back to Craven Cottage on a permanent deal this summer. I see that happening before the start of the season with Rafa Benitez not in favour of the striker.

The Cottagers are required to put £18m on the table to grab the signature of Mitrovic. Mitrovic scored 12 goals in 20 matches while on loan at Fulham last season.

However, the first double signing of Seri and Maxime for Fulham showed the intent Slavisa Jokanovic had in the transfer market.

Jean Michael Seri had been instrumental for Nice in their midfield. A box-to-box midfielder, Seri brings in the dynamism in midfield to favour the counter-attacking football Jokanovic would expect his team to showcase against bigger opponents.

Whether Jokanovic plays a 3-5-2 formation or a 4-2-3-1 formation, Seri would be the pivotal cog in their midfield. His stats definitely say so.

With 0.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 2.1 key passes and 90.4% passing accuracy per game for Nice last season, Seri has also scored two goals and assisted for five goals. I expect Seri to play beside their club captain Tom Cairney in front of their deep-lying defensive midfielder Kevin McDonald.

Maxime Le Marchand - The French international has joined by his Nice teammate Seri in Fulham. Maxime can play both in a centre back and left back position. Expect Maxime to pair up Ream as a Fulham's centre-back pair when the Premier League begins.

Fabricio Agosto Ramirez 'Fabri' was the third summer signing for Fulham. Bought at a price of around $6.57m, the two time Super Lig goalkeeper of the season will bring in assurance at the back and experience of playing at the top flight of club football.

Fulham has signed the former Borussia Dortmund forward on a two-season loan. He has the experience of playing in the Premier League with Chelsea. A World Cup winner, Andre has scored 22 goals in 57 games for Germany and claimed the assist for Mario Gotze's extra-time goal that won the 2014 World Cup final.

With the Mitrovic deal to be finalized before the transfer window closes, Slavisa Jokanovic has given a statement of intent to all the Fulham fans and all the reasons to be optimistic going into their season opener against Crystal Palace. Here is the predicted line up for their season opener against Crystal Palace:

https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/looking-at-how-fulham-have-fared-in-this-transfer-window?key=newsnow

Not sure where he did his homework.....
"better known as the Cottagers" sure we are the Cottagers, but "better known"?
Relegated after losing to Stoke.....our last game was Palace at home
"East Londoners"!!!!!!......oh, come on!
Gave up reading and then saw the team sheet with Serri instead of Seri......