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Wednesday Fulham Stuff (05/12/18)...

Started by WhiteJC, December 04, 2018, 09:56:21 PM

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WhiteJC

 
Fulham have shown interest 'in recent days' over signing Man United player in January window

Despite the multitude of articles published last summer regarding the future of Matteo Darmian at Manchester United and how he could be rescued by a Serie A side, the Italian defender is still at Old Trafford.

Inter even went as far as offering a package deal worth up to €21m, which was rejected by the Red Devils, yet he's only made two appearances this season under José Mourinho.

However, the Manchester United defender could find himself a landing spot in the Premier League if TuttoMercatoWeb are to be believed: Fulham.

Since Claudio Ranieri took over, the Cottagers got off to a winning start with a 3-2 win over Southampton, while a 2-0 loss to Chelsea dampened the mood a bit, even if the result was perhaps expected.

Trying to shore up the defence, which is what his philosophy is primarily built on, it appears the Italian manager could turn to his compatriot in January, as TuttoMercatoWeb state Fulham have shown their interest 'in recent days'.

The deal offered would most likely be a six month loan, with a potential permanent stay at the end of it if Ranieri manages to both convince the player and keep the club away from relegation.

However, it's made clear that Darmian's primary wish would be a return to Italy.

If he can't get that, however, perhaps being in London with an Italian manager is the next best thing?



http://sportwitness.co.uk/fulham-shown-interest-recent-days-signing-man-united-player-january-window/

WhiteJC

 
Schwarzer On Ranieri

After leaving Fulham in the summer of 2013, Mark Schwarzer could have been forgiven for not expecting to add Premier League title winner to his CV.

But during his first full season with Leicester City – where he acted as number two to Kasper Schmeichel – the Aussie goalkeeper did just that under Claudio Ranieri.

The Foxes famously had odds of 5,000-1 to claim the trophy before a ball was kicked, and Schwarzer thinks it was that underdog tag which worked in their favour.


"There was not one particular moment in that season where I actually felt, or noticed anyone feeling, pressure to win the league," he told fulhamfctv.

"It was just a sense of, 'what an unbelievable journey, and let's just continue as far as we can go, let's just see where this takes us.'

"The players were amazing; the way that they dealt with it, the way that continued, the way they played with no fear, with an arrogance, but in a good way.

"It wasn't an arrogance in a bad way, it was showing that self-belief, and growing in confidence as the season went on.

"It was remarkable, and it will go down forever in history I think as being one of the major upsets, not just in football, but in sporting history."

The footballing world continually expected Leicester to eventually drop off, but the title charge never lost momentum, with Schwarzer pinpointing two matches in particular that were critical to their success.

"It wasn't until very, very late in the season that the players started to realise that, 'actually you know what, this is a genuine opportunity,'" he explained. "One of the turning points was when we went to Manchester City, and we beat them there 3-1.


"And the way we played and the way we beat them, I think players came away from Manchester feeling 10 foot tall, thinking, 'right, if we can do that against Manchester City in their own back garden, we can do it against anyone.'

"The other one which was telling, not so much the result but the response afterwards, was when we lost to Arsenal away with literally the last kick of the game.

"That was a moment when the boys could have dropped off, could've actually gone, 'right, it's not going to happen.' And they didn't. They sucked it up.

"Obviously it was huge disappointment in the changing room but there was also a lot of, 'it's one game, doesn't matter, next one, we've just got to keep going.' And as it went on and on and on, people just started to believe more."

Ranieri has quickly endeared himself to the Fulham faithful with his warm persona and passion for the game, and Schwarzer has fond memories of working with the Italian.

"He's very animated!" Schwarz admitted. "I always say he's like your grandfather figure – happy, laughing, very animated, but also someone who could scream and shout and get angry if he needed to, if he got upset.

"He was someone who liked to enjoy himself, he liked the players to enjoy themselves, but obviously it was first and foremost about results and performances. He was always pushing, he was always demanding more.

"He's got an amazing amount of experience. He knows how to put a team together, he knows how to run a team, he knows how to lift players, he knows how to motivate players.

"Fulham got off to the best possible start under him [against Southampton], and now it's about building on that."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/december/05/mark-schwarzer-on-claudio-ranieri

WhiteJC


Fulham shouldn't pay £15m for Sala to play second fiddle to talisman Mitrovic

Claudio Ranieri may be tempted to engineer a reunion with the prolific striker he recently managed at Nantes but £15m is a hefty outlay for another striker when other areas of the side are in need of improvement.

Claudio Ranieri has set his sights on a reunion with Nantes striker Emiliano Sala at Fulham but faces competition from London rivals Crystal Palace and West Ham United, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Argentine hitman worked with the new Whites manager last season with the Ligue 1 outfit, in a season that saw him find the back of the net 12 times.

He has started this season in even better form and is the third highest scorer in the French top flight, behind only superstars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar of unbeaten runaway league leaders Paris Saint Germain.

So it's easy to see why Ranieri would want Sala and any side that is bottom of the Premier League at this stage of the season may find it natural to reach for a goalscorer in the winter window.

But the report claims that Sala would cost £15m, and while Fulham's huge summer investment indicates they could match that asking price, there are other areas of the team in greater need of improvement.

Pragmatist that he is, Ranieri will want to bring in some new recruits to tighten up Fulham's defence, which has even let in four goals in the two games he has been in charge for.

Aleksandar Mitrović is the main man up front for the Cottagers and has shown he can score goals in the top flight; Sala would be an expensive backup or a risky purchase, if he knocks the confident Serbian off his stride.



https://tbrfootball.com/fulham-shouldnt-pay-15m-for-sala-to-play-second-fiddle-to-talisman-mitrovic/