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The Inside Scoop: Zambo Anguissa

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is quite the name for a new signing, but the young midfielder from Cameroon is an unknown quantity to many, so our man Jack J Collins reeled in a French football expert to give you the lowdown on what to expect from the big fella in the middle.

To answer the big questions about the fifth of Fulham's deadline day acquisitions, he turned to Peter Rutzler, who works for The i and Get French Football, where he regularly features on their podcast.

JC: Where does Anguissa play in the 6-8-10 that Fulham tend to have as a midfield three? Is he the holding midfielder Fulham have been crying out for?

PR: Anguissa is a defensive-minded central midfielder, known for using his striking physicality to protect the backline and force turnovers. It's often a reductive, throw-away comment to describe a player as purely 'physical' and 'imposing', but in Anguissa's case, this wouldn't be wide of the mark.

He is exceptionally strong and quick, and this made him an outstanding foil for Marseille during what was an impressive season. Coupled with this is an excellent ability to retain and recycle possession from deep, leading to Anguissa becoming one of the most assured central midfielders in France last year.

His idol is Yaya Toure, and there are comparisons to be made regarding his imposing stature, but I'd say in terms of game play, he's more of a Yaya without the goals. Both he and fellow Whites signing Jean Seri fit the label of a box-to-box midfielder, but unlike the former Nice midfielder, it's in defence where Anguissa operates best. With that in mind, you most certainly could say he is the midfield enforcer Fulham have been crying out for.

JC: Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is that horrible mistouch against Atleti, but how good a season did he have overall last year?

PR: That mistake was gut-wrenching for Anguissa. He actually started the Europa League final against Atleti exceptionally well, appearing nerveless on the ball and helping Marseille to more or less control proceedings. But after that dreadful touch helped to gift Antoine Griezmann the opener, it was all downhill from there.

However, the fact he started that game reflects just how far he has come in such a short amount of time. Only Luiz Gustavo, a summer signing from Wolfsburg this time last year, played in more games during the last campaign than the Cameroon international, and this marked a clear departure, as he has gone from a player thought to be on the periphery at the Velodrome, to a key asset.

He did not start every game, it must be said, rotating his midfield role with the more creative Morgan Sanson and on occasion the diminutive Maxime Lopez. But in the big games, his defensive insurance was important, especially for Gustavo. The Brazilian was one of OM's best performers last season, and this was in part due to inclusion of Anguissa in the starting line-up, who offered him greater license to move up the field and effect play in the final third.

The best example of this came during OM's thrilling 2-2 draw against PSG, where Gustavo opened the scoring with brilliant long-range effort. OM had a brilliant season with a hugely disappointing finale. They were in the mix for a Champions League spot in the league and had the chance to win a European competition at the home of rivals Lyon. Neither happened, but the fact they reached that stage, with Anguissa playing a huge part in that, shows the midfielder's value.

JC: Mixed emotions from OM fans on Twitter–many seem happy about the money, but is this a vastly overinflated fee?

PR: In short, yes, it's a little inflated. Of course, this depends on what Fulham ultimately end up paying for him, but around £20 million should be the absolute maximum at this point. Anguissa was good last season, but he was not a standout name and nor is he the finished article yet by any means.

I think where Fulham will find value is that he fills a role that desperately needs filling. If he can adapt quickly, and that's a big if considering the struggles of Tiemoue Bakayoko, Florian Thauvin and others who have struggled to make the switch from French to English football, then he could well prove value for money.

JC: There's obviously huge potential—but just how much moulding will Fulham have to do to make him a Premier League quality player?

PR: With that all in mind, I think it's evident that Fulham may need to do some moulding this season. When Anguissa was released by Reims three years ago, before he was picked up by OM, it was felt he was not astute enough tactically. Since then, he has come on leaps and bounds, especially recently under OM manager Rudi Garcia, who has helped dispel that idea.

But it is still an area of his game that needs working on. The biggest challenge though, as touched upon, is adapting to the Premier League. Ligue 1 is a slower, more intricate division and the pace of the English top flight has taken many a French import by surprise. What works in his favour though is that physicality is one of his best assets.

JC: Overall a better deal for Fulham or Marseille?

PR: It's a tough one, but the French club perhaps edge it. Financially, the deal works better for OM. They look set to pick up £25 million with a couple of weeks to spend it, and for a player who has had more or less one successful, consistent, season in the French top flight, that is pretty good going.

But this is by no means a misstep by Fulham. He fills a void and brings European and international experience to the Whites midfield. He is also only 22, and therefore can be seen as a longer-term investment as well. If he can adapt quickly, he can be asset this season.



https://fulhamish.co.uk/post/2018-08-10-the-inside-scoop-zambo-anguissa/

 
BUSY BOYS Fulham took their summer spending beyond £100million with FIVE signings on transfer deadline day

The London club have landed 12 new players in total this summer

Fulham made a significant statement about their Premier League intentions on deadline day as they land five new signings.

The newly-promoted Cottagers had already welcomed a number of major arrivals to the club during the window – led by Jean-Michael Seri, Andre Schurrle and Alfie Mawson – and continued to be busy as the clock ran down.

Goalkeeper Sergio Rico and midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa joined, with loan deals for Manchester United' Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Atletico Madrid's Luciano Vietto also wrapped up alongside Joe Bryan's arrival from Bristol City.

(https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/08/GettyImages-957726812.jpg?strip=all&w=960&quality=100)
Luciano Vietto arrived from Atletico Madrid

Since the end of their promotion-winning campaign Fulham have now added an entire team's worth of new talent, at an estimated cost of more than £100million.

Rico, a one-cap Spain international, was a surprise addition to the squad after agreeing a season-long loan and looks sure to be installed as the club's new number one.

Vice-chairman Tony Khan told the club website: "Sergio is a world-class goalkeeper, and thus, his services have been in great demand. He answers our mandate of making our squad the strongest and deepest it can be as we face top Premier League opposition."

Anguissa's deal still requires a work permit to be completed and was processed after the 5pm deadline – Fulham and Marseille having filed a deal sheet to allow the extra time.

(https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/08/GettyImages-891709094.jpg?strip=all&w=960&quality=100)
Anguissa joined from Marseille and has been likened to Yaya Toure

The Cameroon international, who reportedly cost more than £20million, said: "I am delighted to have signed for Fulham.

"This is a new chapter in my career and one I'm really looking forward to. I hope to bring my qualities to this new project. I like a challenge and I will ensure that I give my very best to my team, the club, and the supporters."

Deal sheets were also required for Vietto, who spent last season on loan with Valencia, and Fosu-Mensah, the Red Devils defender who turned out for Crystal Palace in 2017/18.

Left-back Bryan, who had been close to signing for Aston Villa just days ago, put the finishing touches to a £6million deal and like his new employers will get the chance to prove his Premier League credentials this term.



https://talksport.com/football/409372/fulham-spending-beyond-100million-with-five-more-signings-transfer-deadline-day/

 
Borussia Dortmund: Andre Schurrle's comments show his poor mentality

André Schurrle appears to have lost class with losing his spot at Borussia Dortmund. While some will use a flashy headline, the source material has lingering questions. Did Schurrle actually rip into the fans for their behavior?

We've all seen an upset player on and off the field. Yet, Per ESPN, André Schurrle says the fans drove him out of Borussia Dortmund and had him flying back to England. This sounds ludicrous and at the same time, makes a lot of sense.

Regardless what anyone does, hecklers always exist. Fans do it all the time for various reasons, but if you can't take commentary that is a separate issue. Frankly, the way fans got to Schurrle made me chuckle. My favorite is "we'll drink until Schurrle scores" because we know he doesn't where the back of the net is.

    "It's a big jealousy thing in Germany that you have from fans — not the hardcore fans, because they always stand behind their team." – André Schurrle

The statement just shows his poor mentality. There is no one set of fans he appears upset with, he believes fans are jealous of him. Then he excludes the hardcore fans for no apparent reason.

Borussia Dortmund's most expensive transfer lives in his own world. One where he thinks the fans are wrong about his play. Schurrle's stats on the other hand: 51 games played with only 8 goals and 9 assists in two years (Transfermarkt). Any attacking player would seek to improve those numbers before providing an excuse for why they dislike the fans.

Schurrle cost Borussia Dortmund 30 million euros and his displays failed to justify the price tag. When you are are the club's record signing, the fans are right to expect more and demand consistently good performances.

At least Zorc and Farve were honest with the winger. It isn't just them that have stated this, but numerous opinions and outlets claimed Schurrle was surplus to requirements. He didn't make a strong case to be a starter and frankly never has since he left Chelsea. His showing at the 2014 World Cup was decent, but it's all gone downhill since then.

The final nail in the coffin, BVB will get Schurrle back in two years. Although, it's doubtful this poor attitude will lead to open arms upon return. Lets hope he can salvage his career at Fulham and earn a permanent move away from Borussia Dortmund soon.



https://bvbbuzz.com/2018/08/10/borussia-dortmund-andre-schurrle-comments-poor-mentality/

 
Fulham's frantic transfer window sets the pulse racing

Even in your wildest dreams, you couldn't have envisaged a transfer window like this. Fulham appear determined not to waste the chance that Premier League football returning to Craven Cottage this season. Tony Khan and his colleagues have bought Slavisa Jokanovic an entire new team in just a summer, spent more than £100m and attracted some serious talent to the club. The ambition that has been shown by the Khans is incredible. We set a new record this summer with the first promoted club to ever spend over £100m in their first summer and we have signed some mouth watering additions to add to a very talented squad. However, with the new signings coming in, the likes of Denis Odoi, Kevin McDonald, Stefan Johansen and Marcus Bettinelli have to be wondering if they'll be getting much game time this upcoming season.

The most exciting arrival for me is no doubt the signing of Jean Michael Seri from Nice. Just twelve months ago that he appeared on the verge of joining the Spanish giants Barcelona, but the move collapsed right before the deadline. Seri has also been linked with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich but, much to our surprise, Tony Khan and the Fulham board managed to persuade the classy midfielder to sign on the dotted line at London's oldest club. His stats are also impressive, making the most completed passes in the Ligue 1 and also claimed three individual honours last season, Prix Marc-Vivien Foe award, Nice Player Of The Year as well as being selected in the Ligue 1 team of the year. Former Fulham head coach Rene Meulensteen lauded him as the new Clarence Seedorf, which is some comparison. If Seri can reach those heights that he has achieved in previous seasons, he may well be our best signing of the window and it all adds to the dizzying excitement of a new campaign.

Our shrewdest signing of the summer window has to be Andre Schurrle. His previous Premier League experience and versatility is just what we required, as the spine of the side that triumphed at Wembley had very little top experience. Schurrle can play anywhere in the front three and his years of experience playing at the highest level will certainly help the likes of Mitrovic, Sessegnon grow and have a successful season. Schurrle has stated that it was the football we play which persuaded him to join a club wanting to reach the next level and with a two-year loan deal secured, he could have a major part in taking Fulham there.

Overall, it has been an enjoyable 2018 for us, gaining promotion back to where we belong, securing 12 fantastic additions to our squad and agreeing new deals with key players Tom Cairney, Tim Ream and Kevin McDonald. I have seen a lot of people complimenting the work of the Fulham board over these past 3 months and with just over 24 hours to go until the first ball is kicked, what a time to be a Fulham fan! COYW!



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/08/fulhams-frantic-transfer-window-sets-the-pulse-racing/

 
Paul Merson states his prediction for Fulham's clash with Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage

Former Arsenal midfielder has his say on the London derby between Fulham and Palace

Fulham and Crystal Palace meet in a London derby tomorrow (Saturday) at Craven Cottage.

And former Arsenal and Aston Villa star Paul Merson says he feels that this will be a "real benchmark" for the newly-promoted Cottagers as they play their first Premier League fixture in four years.

Coincidentally, it will be against the last team that they faced in the top flight, with Palace drawing 2-2 on their most recent visit to Craven Cottage for a Premier League fixture, back in May 2014.

And Merson is anticipating a similar result this time around after stating his prediction in his weekly feature for the Sky Sports website.

The former England man said: "It all depends on how Wilfried Zaha performs as he makes all the difference.

"I don't think they won a football game without him last year, so Palace will have done well to keep hold of him.

"This is a real benchmark for Fulham early on, playing a team that struggled last season, but are better than what they were."

And Merson is predicting a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage, although he says if he had to pick a winner, it would be Palace.



https://www.football.london/crystal-palace-fc/fixtures-results/paul-merson-prediction-fulham-palace-15010153

 
'What a signing': Fulham fans react as Timothy Fosu-Mensah joins on loan

Timothy Fosu-Mensah has joined Fulham on a season-long loan from Manchester United, becoming the Cottagers ninth summer signing.

Fulham have continued their summer overhaul as Timothy Fosu-Mensah joins on a season-long loan from Manchester United.

The Premier League new boys were very busy on transfer deadline day, completing up to five deals with Fosu-Mensah signing prior to André-Frank Zambo Anguissa being announced.

The Dutch international has been warmly received by fans of the west Londoners, who will be chomping at the bit to see their new-look side in action against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Eagles themselves had Fosu-Mensah on loan last season and the 20-year-old will be eager to join up with his new teammates as they prepare for their Premier League adventure.

Predominantly a full-back, Fosu-Mensah can operate as a defensive midfielder or centre-back, which will help the Cottagers throughout the season.

Naturally, Fulham fans are delighted with their newest signing and many will be hoping to see the United loanee in action on Saturday.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/08/10/welcome-fulham-fans-react-as-timothy-fuso-mensah-joins-on-season/

 
Fulham spent a packet on transfers but main aim is still survival, says Kevin McDonald

(https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2018/08/10/10/joe-bryan1008abc.jpg?w968)
Deadline day deal: Joe Bryan arrived from Bristol City for £6m ( Getty Images )

Fulham have shown they mean business on their return to the Premier League.

The west Londoners became the first promoted club to spend more than £100million on Thursday, with five signings on a frantic deadline day.

Fulham brought in Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for £22.3m, Joe Bryan for £6m and also added Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Luciano Vietto and Sergio Rico on loan to complete an impressive transfer window.

Owner Shahid Khan told Standard Sport in May that Fulham would do more than just make up the numbers in the top flight, and his investment is a real statement of intent.

Fulham have also signed Jean Michael Seri, Maxime Le Marchand, Andre Schurrle, Fabri, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Calum Chambers and Alfie Mawson.

The spending has increased expectation levels ahead of their opener at Craven Cottage against Crystal Palace on Saturday. On paper, they could flourish in a division that appears to be open outside the top six.

"We are going to give it a right old blast this season," says midfielder Kevin McDonald. "We are not here to make up the numbers. We are here to prove to everyone what we can do, prove that this is where the club belongs. The owners have invested money wisely and bought some really good players. That can only benefit the team."

Fulham and Wolves, another promoted side who have reached for the chequebook, look like they could invigorate the Premier League.

McDonald, though, says survival is still the primary objective.

"People are seeing all these big names coming in and the money we are spending so it is understandable that from the outside expectation levels have been raised," he says. "But we are a level-headed group of players and we know where we stand.

"We would be naive to start looking above to the top half of the table. First and foremost we have got to establish ourselves as a Premier League team. Of course we want to finish as high as we can but we know it is going to be a long, hard season."

McDonald insists the big spending does not add extra pressure.

"We are a new team coming to the league so I do not think there is pressure on us," he says. "Outsiders always think the three promoted teams are favourites to get relegated.

"With the signings we have made maybe we are different."

Tomorrow's side is likely to be considerably different from the one that won the play-off final against Aston Villa. The starting line-up tomorrow could feature just five players — Tim Ream, Ryan Sessegnon, McDonald, Tom Cairney and Mitrovic — who started at Wembley in May.

The five players who joined yesterday are unlikely to play but Seri, Fabri, Chambers, Le Marchand and Schurrle could start. And Cottagers boss Slavisa Jokanovic is committed to the high-intensity, possession-based game.

"The gaffer wants us to play the exact same way," says McDonald. "He got us here playing that way and that is not going to change."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-spent-a-packet-on-transfers-but-main-aim-is-still-survival-says-kevin-mcdonald-a3908346.html

 
Revealed: Why Fulham's move for Southampton full-back Matt Targett broke down

The Cottagers had wanted to bring their former loanee back to west London this summer but a deal was never agreed

Fulham had a successful transfer window - but one move that didn't happen was the return of Matt Targett from Southampton.

The 22-year-old spent half of last season on loan at Craven Cottage and helped the side gain promotion from the Championship via the play-offs and was wanted back in west London by the recruitment team this summer.

The club bid for him at the start of the window, a bid that was rejected, but football.london understands that Fulham bid a further £15million for Targett the day before the deadline, which was also rejected by Southampton, who said they wanted £20million for the left back.

It was at that stage the club decided to go for Joe Bryan, making a bid for the Bristol City man that was accepted at the last minute, with the 24-year-old already having gone for his medical at Aston Villa.

However, it's football.london's understanding that the Saints then came back to Fulham on deadline day over Targett and said that a £15million bid would now be accepted, but the Cottagers would not do business having been presented with no reasonable negotiations on a move for Targett during their pursuit, while Bryan's move was also close to completion.

(https://i2-prod.getwestlondon.co.uk/incoming/article15012659.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_GettyImages-992222952.jpg)
Matt Targett (Image: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

That Bryan deal was announced just before the 5pm deadline, while Fulham added a further four signings by the end of the day to give Slavisa Jokanovic 12 new players for his squad ahead of the Premier League campaign.

That gets underway on Saturday at the Cottage when Crystal Palace visit for the first top flight game at the stadium for four years, although it's unlikely that all of the new recruits will be ready to take part in the game.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/revealed-fulhams-move-southampton-full-15012648

 
fulhamfctv Update

Ahead of the Club's first fixture back in the Premier League this Saturday against Crystal Palace, fulhamfctv packages for this season are confirmed below.

Due to broadcast restrictions in the Premier League competition, the Club's popular live matchday video streams for overseas supporters will unfortunately no longer be available.

As a result of this change, the dedicated international subscription packages will not be available to buy.

Instead, all supporters based in the United Kingdom and overseas will be able to access the Club's live matchday audio commentary for all 38 Premier League matches, as well as cup competitions where permitted, via two fulhamfctv packages – the existing monthly £4.49 and £45 annual offering.

Fans currently subscribed to the 17/18 International Annual Package are advised that in order to continue watching or listening to fulhamfctv, when this package expires they will need to re-subscribe to one of the available subscriptions.

In addition to live audio commentary with Gentleman Jim and Jamie Reid, subscribers will also continue to enjoy match highlights and full match replays, as well as exclusive interviews and live streams from selected PL2 and U18s matches, starting this evening with enhanced coverage of Fulham's PL2 clash with Manchester United. Join Gentleman Jim and watch the action unfold at Motspur Park, kick-off 7pm.

fulhamfctv will continue to bring fans closer to the Club, as you enjoy exclusive behind-the-scenes access, player features, selected live PL2 matches from Motspur Park and Craven Cottage and much more.

*All existing £4.49 monthly and £45 annual subscriptions will automatically renew as appropriate.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/10/fulhamfctv-update

 
Fulham's Potential Starting XI Is Incredible

Ahh the fresh smell of a new Premier League season, you simply can't beat it. Despite it only being the start it's inevitable that we think what could be the end and unlike most years you won't find most people thinking last season's play-off winners, Fulham, will be going down.

Predictions are difficult, especially when it comes to season long ones, or at least they usually are. There won't be many people predicting anything other than Manchester City winning the Premier League this season and we'll all be surprised if they don't.

Most people expect Liverpool to finish second but after that the top four seems pretty open with questions about Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Down near the bottom though it's more intriguing than usual. Often the newly promoted sides are quickly pencilled in as relegation fodder but outside of Cardiff City that's not the case this season.

Wolves, powered by Jorge Mendes, have continued to buy impressively this summer, after shocking the world with their move for Ruben Neves last year, and are expected to be safe.

Last season's play-off winners Fulham are in a similar position too. Usually the team coming up through the play-offs are thought to be at a disadvantage but their transfer dealings have been so impressive it's left them with a hell of a potential team:


Last season Ryan Sessegnon was so good in the Championship for the Cottagers that people were genuinely calling for him to be included in Gareth Southgate's side for the World Cup.

Aleksandar Mitrovic's arrival on loan from Newcastle last January spurred the side on to get into the play-offs and then beat Aston Villa in the final and he' now joined permanently.

The defence is potentially completely new with Joe Bryan joining from Bristol City, Alfie Mawson coming from relegated Swansea City, Maxime Le Marchand arriving from Nice and Callum Chambers and Timothy Fosu-Mensah making loan moves from Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.


Jean-Michael Seri was wanted by Barcelona and plenty of Europe's footballing elite last summer so his signing is a coup of the highest order.

There's quality in pretty much every position and it's not a stretch to imagine Slaviša Jokanović taking his side into the top 10!




http://www.sportbible.com/football/transfers-best-xi-fulhams-potential-starting-xi-is-incredible-20180810

 
Fulham Break Spending Records To Arrive In The Premier League In Style

(https://www.thesportsman.com/media/images/admin/football/Fulham_Winners.jpg)
Fulham haven't rested on their laurels since earning promotion

Fulham's return to the Premier League has been backed by the spending power of Shahid Khan and the Cottager's deadline day spending took their total outlay in the window over the £100M threshold, a record-breaking effort.

Having already made a bold statement by bringing in the highly-rated Ivorian midfielder Jean Michaël Seri - once a target for Barcelona - and the World Cup winner Andre Schurrle on a loan deal from Borussia Dortmund, they kept Jim White busy on the final day of the newly-restricted English transfer window.

Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico, another loan signing, along with a lend of Timothy Fosu-Mensah from Manchester United and the Argentine striker Luciano Vietto from Atletico Madrid were forced through just in time to get the requisite paperwork done.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, a £22.3M buy from Marseille, came in alongside the left-back Joe Bryan from Bristol City in a £6M deal and drove their spending past the levels of any newly-promoted team in the history of the league.

That took the total number of players added to Slaviša Jokanović's squad to a total of twelve as a remarkable campaign of squad-strengthening, potted out by Khan's son Tony, has been undertaken by last season's Championship play-off winners.

In doing so the Craven Cottage hierarchy have, in effect, taken an unprecedented nine-figure punt on the club maintaining their top-flight status.

Fellow Premier League newcomers Wolves made a significant splash themselves, bringing in 13 players at a reported cost of £66M, as both try to take a running jump at the moneyed upper tier of the emglish football pyramid.




https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/fulham-break-spending-records-to-arrive-in-the-premier-league-in-style

 
Hammers miss out on late deal to sign Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa

West Ham failed in a late move to beat Fulham to the signing of midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

According to the London Evening Standard, the Hammers had been hoping to beat the Premier League new boys to his signature, but he opted for Craven Cottage in the final hours of the transfer window.

Anguissa's move to Fulham was one of the biggest deals on transfer deadline day, with Slavisa Jokanovic's men sealing a £30 million deal for the player.

The midfielder is highly-rated back in France is expected to now form a key part of Fulham's midfield, alongside Jean-Michael Seri.

West Ham themselves were very busy on the final day of the transfer window, signing Lucas Perez and Carlos Sanchez from Arsenal and Fiorentina respectively.

The arrivals of the aforementioned Sanchez and Jack Wilshere, who also joined from Arsenal earlier in the window mean that Manuel Pellegrini has added depth to his midfield options this season.



https://readwestham.com/2018/08/10/hammers-miss-out-on-late-deal-to-sign-andre-frank-zambo-anguissa/

 
Man United fans share their feelings after Fosu-Mensah joins Fulham for the season


Jose Mourinho will not be happy with how the summer transfer window went.

The Portuguese manager was chasing a centre-back throughout but he could not persuade any of his targets to join the club.

It was reported that Mourinho made a last ditch effort to buy a centre-back on transfer deadline day, with Diego Godin, Harry Maguire and Toby Alderweireld all linked to the club.

But in the end there were no new arrivals, which would have frustrated Mourinho greatly.

While Mourinho was unable to add to his squad on deadline day, there was a notable departure.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah was allowed to leave on loan to Fulham.

But how do Manchester United fans feel about letting the youngster leave?

It turns out that they were not happy at all, and a large selection of supporters raised a very good point to Mourinho.

Many fans expressed their disappointment that one of their young stars had been allowed to leave the club.

And they could not believe that Mourinho had sanctioned the move, especially as Mourinho was unable to add to his options at centre-back.



https://www.givemesport.com/1370263-man-united-fans-share-their-feelings-after-fosumensah-joins-fulham-for-the-season?autoplay=off

 
Fulham v Crystal Palace
SAT 11 Aug 2018   Premier League
Venue: Craven Cottage


TEAM NEWS

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic has a host of summer signings to choose from, including record buy Jean Michael Seri and Andre Schurrle.

Alfie Mawson is out until September after knee surgery, while Dennis Odoi serves the final game of a suspension.

Crystal Palace new signings Cheikhou Kouyate, goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and Jordan Ayew are in contention to play.

Fellow new recruit Max Meyer is not yet match fit, while Scott Dann, Connor Wickham and Jonny Williams are all out.

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MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

@SteveBowercomm: A 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace back in May 2014 marked the end of Premier League football for Fulham but a repeat of that fixture begins life back in the top flight for the Whites.

Slavisa Jokanovic has realised the need for new faces, and heavy recruitment has only raised the level of anticipation.

Palace need only to go back to the opening day of last season, when they were well beaten by Huddersfield, to be warned of the potential momentum of a play-off winner.

Revered ex-Fulham boss Roy Hodgson returns to the club where he will always have a place in history, but determined to mark his 71st birthday on Thursday in positive fashion.

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VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT

Fulham head coach Slavisa Jokanovic: "It's important to show ambition and desire to stay up - that's our first target.

"We're building a team to be competitive at this level. We've made a great investment in the transfer market and I'm hoping we'll see an immediate benefit."

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson: "We know more than most (after Palace lost all seven of their opening fixtures last season) what a bad start can bring.

"We just need to make sure we are fully prepared for the first game and make a good game of it. We feel we're ready."

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LAWRO'S PREDICTION

It is sure to be a good atmosphere in Fulham's first game back in the top flight since 2014, and I am backing them to start with a win.

Prediction: 2-1


MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

    Crystal Palace's sole win in their last eight matches against Fulham was 2-0 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park in 2004.
    The Eagles have not won at Craven Cottage since a 3-2 triumph in the second tier in 1986.
    There have been 13 goals scored in the last three matches between the clubs.

Fulham

    Including the play-offs, Fulham won 20 and lost only two of their final 27 Championship matches.
    Fulham's last league defeat at Craven Cottage was 2-0 by Bristol City on 31 October 2017.
    The Whites have kept clean sheets in each of their past five Premier League opening fixtures.
    Fulham have not lost an opening day home fixture since a 2-1 third tier defeat by Tranmere in 1989.
    This game marks their 500th top-flight home match. The first was in 1949.

Crystal Palace

    Crystal Palace ended 2017-18 unbeaten in six games, including four wins.
    Both of Palace's opening day Premier League wins have been in away games: against Everton in 1997 and Norwich in 2015.
    The Eagles won only one of their eight London derbies last season.
    Roy Hodgson was Fulham's manager between 2007-10 and led them to the 2010 Europa League final, where they lost to Atletico Madrid.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45067373

 
Premier League promoted clubs: Wolves, Fulham show transfer ambition; Cardiff less so

From the good (Juninho, Edwin van der Sar, Bryan Roy) to the very, very bad (Corrado Grabbi), the Premier League has seen it all when it comes to the transfer activities of promoted clubs.

On the eve of the 2018-19 campaign, here's how the three latest additions to the division fared in the summer transfer window.

Wolves: Champions League quality gives them real bite
Wolves effectively began their Premier League preparations a year ago, with the £15.8 million acquisition of Ruben Neves from Porto -- a Championship record -- setting the tone for everything that followed.

A Premier League-quality squad operating in the second tier, Nuno Espirito Santo's men were Wolves in sheep's clothing in the Championship, storming to the title with 99 points, and this summer's transfer business leaves them well equipped for a tilt at the European places.

Several of the loanees who made important contributions to the promotion campaign have been given permanent contracts, among them French centre-back Willy Boly, Portuguese winger Diego Jota and Brazilian forward Leo Bonatini. Experienced Portugal internationals Rui Patricio (free) and Joao Moutinho (£5m) were the headline arrivals, the 30-year-old goalkeeper and 31-year-old midfielder bringing some Champions League smarts to the West Midlands and swelling the number of Jorge Mendes clients on the playing staff at Molineux to six.

Mexico striker Raul Jimenez, a loan signing from Benfica, and the jet-heeled Adama Traore, a £20m recruit from Middlesbrough, have added depth to Nuno's options in attack, while Belgium international Leander Dendoncker, who signed on loan from Anderlecht on transfer deadline day with an option to buy next season, can operate in defensive midfield or at centre-back.

Wolves' last Premier League experience, in 2011-12, ended with an abject 20th-place finish after a return of one win from their last 24 games. Six years on, they return to the top flight an entirely different beast.

Fulham: Cottagers will look up not down
Slavisa Jokanovic's Fulham won an army of admirers with their artful passing football in the Championship last season and they went about their transfer dealings with an audacity that will have unsettled many of the more established teams in the Premier League.

The Cottagers had landed some impressive recruits even before the deadline-day splurge that made them the first promoted club to have spent over £100m on new transfers in the summer transfer window. At around £25m, Jean Michael Seri was the stand-out acquisition, the gifted Ivorian midfield organiser brought in from Nice alongside versatile defender Maxime Le Marchand just a year after narrowly missing out on a move to Barcelona.

Centre-back Alfie Mawson, signed from Swansea for £15m, was another coup, while Calum Chambers joined on loan from Arsenal. Up front, Aleksandar Mitrovic returned from Newcastle on a permanent basis after contributing 12 goals to Fulham's promotion campaign, with former Chelsea forward Andre Schurrle coming back to west London in a loan switch from Borussia Dortmund.

So far, so good, but deadline day saw a further five new players arrive. There were permanent moves for Cameroonian holding midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, a £22m arrival from Marseille, and left-back Joe Bryan from Bristol City, as well as eye-catching loan deals for Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico, young Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Atletico Madrid striker Luciano Vietto.

Fulham achieved four top-half finishes during their previous 13-year stint in the Premier League and with the players that they have brought in during the close season, that feat looks well within their powers.

Cardiff: Warnock remains true to promotion blueprint
When Cardiff were last promoted to the Premier League, in 2013, their summer outlay said a lot about how they saw themselves as a club, with a recruitment drive that brought in such exotic names as Chile hard man Gary Medel, Denmark striker Andreas Cornelius and Uruguayan centre-back Maximiliano Amondarain. Cardiff went down at the end of the season and within two years, all of the eight players that they signed that summer had left the club.

Cardiff went back to basics under Neil Warnock last season, securing automatic promotion despite having the lowest pass completion figures in the Championship, and their summer transfer activity has been in keeping with that approach.

The club's first four signings all came from Championship sides -- goalkeeper Alex Smithies from QPR, left-back Greg Cunningham from Preston, winger Josh Murphy from Norwich and striker Bobby Reid from Bristol City -- and it was not until deadline day that they looked further afield, securing Spanish midfielder Victor Camarasa on a season-long loan from Real Betis and bringing in Harry Arter on loan from Bournemouth.

Reid, who is reported to have cost £10m, will be expected to ease the goal scoring burden on Kenneth Zohore, having found the net 19 times in the Championship last season after being converted from a midfielder into a striker by Robins manager Lee Johnson.

Arter will add some much-needed top-level know-how to Warnock's midfield, but for all their rough-edged durability, Cardiff's squad looks perilously low on quality. It could be a long season.



http://www.espn.co.uk/football/blog/soccer-transfers/3/post/3591180/premier-league-promoted-clubs-wolves-fulham-show-transfer-ambition-cardiff-less-so

 
Andre Schurrle: Dortmund, Germany fans' 'jealousy' comments misinterpreted

Fulham's new loan signing Andre Schurrle says he was misinterpreted when saying jealousy from fans drove him away from Germany.

Schurrle left Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer, joining Premier League side Fulham on an initial two-year loan deal. It ended a difficult spell in Germany, where he was criticised by sections of his own support.

"It was not easy, the relationship between fans and players. It's a big jealousy thing in Germany that you have from fans -- not the hardcore fans, because they always stand behind their team," Schurrle was quoted as saying in an interview with The Sun this week.

Schurrle, 27, joined Borussia Dortmund from Wolfsburg in 2016. He only played 33 of a possible 68 Bundesliga matches, in which he scored three goals, before returning to England having played for Chelsea between 2013-15.

"You could read in English media that I criticised the jealousy in Germany as well as the fans of Borussia Dortmund," the 2014 World Cup winner wrote on Twitter.

"I did not make such statements. Instead, I made an objective statement that as a national team player and world champion you are met with high expectations and that also I was not able to fulfil them in Germany."

Sections of the Dortmund support were not pleased with Schurrle's signing, and later mocked the winger with ironic "Schuuuu" and "We'll drink until Schurrle scores" chants.

Quoting a kicker interview also released this week, Schurrle ended his message by writing: "Because of various reasons, it wasn't easy for me recently. In England, I am now only looking at what's ahead of me."



http://www.espn.co.uk/football/fulham/story/3591179/andre-schurrle-dortmund-germany-fans-jealousy-comments-misinterpreted

 
'We were 15 minutes too late' - how Aston Villa missed out on their top transfer target

Revealed: Steve Bruce explains the 'painful' story after missing out on Joe Bryan

Joe Bryan was just 15 minutes away from joining Aston Villa, boss Steve Bruce has revealed.

The 24-year-old left-back had completed his medical and was on the way back to Bodymoor Heath to sign a bumper new contract when Fulham called to register an interest.

In that short car journey from the hospital to the training ground, Bryan's mind was changed and he eventually moved to Craven Cottage for more money and the promise of Premier League football.

Still visibly frustrated by missing out on the defender, who at £6million, would have become the most expensive signing for 18 months, Bruce said:

"We were close and I'm totally disappointed.

"He was here but we were probably 15 minutes too late.

"I've never had it that close before (and then missed out).

"It was painful.

"But in my job, you get used to disappointments.

"I think he would have been a terrific acquisition for us because Neil Taylor is our only naturally left-footed player in a wide area.

"He (Bryan) could have played in a few areas for us but it was not to be.

"It has happened, it has gone."

Clearly, though, the feeling is still raw.

Bryan had been on Bruce's radar for the past three transfer windows but the money wasn't available to sign him.

Backed by new owner Nassef Sawiris, the boss thought he had finally got his man after the fee, personal terms and a medical were all wrapped up.

Signing the contract was all that remained until the call from Fulham arrived.

"He came up, had all the medical tests and came back to the training ground," Bruce continued.

"In that 15 minutes of coming back from the hospital to here, his agent had the phone call.

"Fulham didn't get their No.1 choice.

"And when the call comes from the Premier League, it's hard to compete.

"Financially, they blew us out of the water in terms of salary.

"To be fair he stayed in the Belfry for a couple of hours but the longer the day went on, the more the lure of the Premier League and financial package, made him decide to go to Fulham.

"It wasn't to be.

"It is frustrating and disappointing because he fits the remit of what we are looking for - young, energetic and a good player who has played two or three years in the Championship and done really well, but that's life."

So how did Bruce react and did it put a dampener on an otherwise-successful transfer window?

"When I was younger I would be chewing wasps and wanting to smash everything in sight, kick the cat and the rest of it!" he laughed.

"It is all the work you put in, hour after hour after hour.

"But if it is not meant to be, it is not meant to be."



https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/we-were-15-minutes-late-15013202

 
Chambers really is a top quality coup for ambitious Fulham


Fulham look well equipped to avoid relegation following an excellent summer transfer window.

The Cottagers have significantly strengthened their squad ahead of their first Premier League campaign in four years. Slavisa Jokanovic earned plenty of praise for the style of play he implemented at Craven Cottage, and their performances were rewarded following victory in the play-off final against Aston Villa. The Serb has made some astute signing as Fulham look to beat the drop next year.

They sealed a club-record deal for highly-regarded Ivorian midfielder Jean Michael-Seri as well as he permanent move for Aleksandar Mitrovic who impressed on loan last year. Fulham also won the race for Swansea's Alfie Mawson and sealed a superb loan deal for Borussia Dortmund's Andre Schurrle. Still, it's another of their signings who could be seen as the best transfer into Craven Cottage yet.

The Cottagers have agreed a season-long loan move for Arsenal defender, Calum Chambers, despite his signing a new deal in north London Valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, the Englishman will prove to be an excellent addition to the squad and the fact he's been trusted with a new contract indicates just how valued he is.

Chambers made just 12 appearances in the Premier League last season but staked a claim for a starting role with some impressive performances towards the end of the campaign. However, his route to the first-team was blocked by the arrival of Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund.

The 23-year-old will provide Fulham with some much-needed cover at centre-back as well as right-back where he has frequently featured throughout his career. With Mawson set to miss the first four league games, Chambers will have the opportunity to grab a place in the first-team.

A long-term centre-back partnership of Mawson and Chambers would be fantastic for Fulham.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league/fulham/chambers-really-is-a-top-quality-coup-for-ambitious-fulham/

 
Kevin McDonald: 'Expectations are high for Fulham after new signings'

Fulham midfielder Kevin McDonald has said that the club have heightened "expectation levels" this season after their impressive transfer window.

The West London club have spent around £100m on 12 new players following their promotion back to the Premier League, bringing in the likes of Jean Michael Seri, Andre Schurrle and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

"We are going to give it a right old blast this season," said McDonald. "We are not here to make up the numbers. We are here to prove to everyone what we can do, prove that this is where the club belongs. The owners have invested money wisely and bought some really good players. That can only benefit the team.

"People are seeing all these big names coming in and the money we are spending so it is understandable that from the outside expectation levels have been raised. But we are a level-headed group of players and we know where we stand.

"We would be naive to start looking above to the top half of the table. First and foremost we have got to establish ourselves as a Premier League team. Of course we want to finish as high as we can but we know it is going to be a long, hard season."

Fulham face Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage in their opening league fixture on Saturday.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/news/mcdonald-expectations-are-high-for-fulham_333039.html

 
Squad Numbers Confirmed

Fulham's squad numbers for the 2018/19 Premier League season have now been confirmed.


The team members who won promotion for the Club have largely retained their jerseys from last term, although Aleksandar Mitrović has taken his preferred number nine.

Many associate the striker with 45, the number he has worn throughout his career at Partizan Belgrade, Anderlecht and Newcastle United, but he only took those digits because nine was not available.

A typical, bruising number nine, it's apt that Mitrović takes the famous shirt. "Nice number, isn't it?" he said with a smile at his photoshoot upon re-signing.

That has seen Rui Fonte change to 17. It's a nostalgic switch for the Portuguese, who wore it with such distinction during his time at Braga.

The number five shirt hasn't been occupied by a centre-back since Richard Stearman departed the Club, but that's changed now following Calum Chambers' loan switch from Arsenal.


The 23-year-old was beaten through the door by Alfie Mawson, but the former Swansea City man opted to take 26, following previous incumbent – and fellow centre-back – Tomas Kalas' return to his parent club.

André Schürrle has enjoyed success throughout his career wearing number 14, and we'll be hoping that continues during his stay at Craven Cottage. Schürrle was given the digits at first club Mainz when he announced himself on the world stage, and won the Premier League in them at Chelsea.

Summer arrivals Luciano Vietto, Maxime Le Marchand and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have taken 19, 20 and 21 respectively, while left-back Joe Bryan has taken the first available number featuring a three; 23.

We have seen Jean Michaël Seri don the 24 jersey during pre-season and he will continue with that in the competitive campaign, with the same true of Fabri at 31.

Fellow shot-stopper Sergio Rico has been assigned 25, half the figure given to another member of the goalkeeping union Luca Ashby-Hammond.

Finally, our last signing of the summer window has taken his Marseille squad number with him, which sees André-Frank Zambo Anguissa wear 29.

Full squad list:
1. Marcus Bettinelli

3. Ryan Sessegnon

4. Denis Odoi

5. Calum Chambers

6. Kevin McDonald

7. Neeskens Kebano

8. Stefan Johansen

9. Aleksandar Mitrović

10. Tom Cairney

11. Floyd Ayité

13. Tim Ream

14. André Schürrle

17. Rui Fonte

19. Luciano Vietto

20. Maxime Le Marchand

21. Timothy Fosu-Mensah

22. Cyrus Christie

23. Joe Bryan

24. Jean Michaël Seri

25. Sergio Rico

26. Alfie Mawson

29. André-Frank Zambo Anguissa

31. Fabri

36. Luca de la Torre

43. Steven Sessegnon

44. Ibrahima Cisse

47. Aboubakar Kamara

50. Luca Ashby-Hammond



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/10/squad-numbers-confirmed

 
Fulham's £120million summer splurge marks dawn of a new era for the Cottagers - but the hard work starts here

The Cottagers landed no fewer than 12 players in this summer's transfer window - five on Deadline Day

It's normally the Premier League's big boys who bring the Deadline Day fireworks.

But it was little old Fulham with the cottage by the river who made all the noise on Thursday, bringing an end to this summer's transfer window with one hell of a bang.

After landing Jean Michael Seri earlier in the window - previously on Barcelona and Manchester United's radar - alongside a number of others, including Arsenal's Calum Chambers, £15million Alfie Mawson, World Cup winner Andre Schurrle and the returning Aleksandr Mitrovic, the Cottagers went for broke.

Europa League-winning goalkeeper Sergio Rico was the first man through the door, joining on loan from Sevilla.

He was quickly followed by left-back Joe Bryan, who snubbed Aston Villa to join permanently, before Luciano Vietto from Atletico Madrid also signed on a temporary basis.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article13059490.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Reading-v-Fulham-Pre-Season-Friendly.jpg)
Fulham signed 12 new players in this summer's transfer window (Image: Getty Images Europe)

Next to sign on loan was Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah, announced a whole two hours after the window had slammed shut at 5pm.

And then came the piece de resistance.

Shattering the club's transfer record, Fulham signed Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, the highly-rated midfielder from Marseille, for £30million, taking the total spend to £118million.

It's safe to say days like this don't come around too often for Fulham.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article13056985.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Fulham-v-Celta-Vigo-Pre-Season-Friendly.jpg)
Jean Michael Seri joined the south-west London club from Nice (Image: Getty Images Europe)

In the past transfer windows have been hell, and Deadline Days torturous.

Youth prospects - Chris Smalling, Patrick Roberts, Moussa Dembele and Emerson Hyndman - have been snatched before they've had a chance to spread their wings in a Fulham shirt.

Fan favourites - Louis Saha, Steed Malbranque, Sean Davis and Clint Dempsey - have signed for the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham.

And all the while underwhelming names have joined the ranks.

This summer's transfer window was Fulham's first back in the Premier League since relegation back on that fateful day at Stoke in 2014, under the (supposed) leadership of Felix Magath.

But crucially it was the first that has been overseen by the new chairman, Shahid Khan, led by his son, Tony.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article13057850.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Cameroon-v-Chile-2017-FIFA-Confederations-Cup-Group-B-Spartak-Stadium.jpg)
Fulham broke their club transfer record to sign Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Image: EMPICS Sport)

Cottagers' director Tony showed just how passionate and ambitious he and his family are about turning Fulham into a Premier League power house and that they're more than willing to fund the journey.

It's all very positive, and extremely foreign to a Fulham fan, despite getting a taste of what a few quid can do when Mohamed Al Fayed rescued the club from oblivion many moons ago.

But the hard work starts here.

Of course supporters are entitled to get excited and revel in the fact that the club has had the best transfer window in the league - not least for keeping hold of boy wonder Ryan Sessegnon - but it's time now to make it count.

When the season gets underway against Crystal Palace on the weekend there could be a whole new back-four, and a new keeper between the sticks.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article12831854.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/Aston-Villa-v-Fulham-Sky-Bet-Championship-Play-Off-Final.jpg)
The Cottagers managed to keep hold of boy wonder Ryan Sessegnon this month (Image: Getty)

In midfield you might also see two new faces, while up front potentially another.

That's a possible eight of eleven tasked with gelling in a heartbeat and playing Slavisa Jokanovic's slick brand of football - with immediate results required.

It's a tall order for any team in any league - Everton proved this to be true last season - least a club new to the top flight.

Never expecting, always believing is a mantra thrown around by Fulham fans, and it's the reason an unspectacular group reached the Europa League final back in 2010.

It's important that this message is remembered more than ever now, even if top teams are starting to take notice of the Cottagers' business. Fulham mustn't lose sight of its identity.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article13005352.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Fulham-player-signing-Fulham-FC-Motspur-Park-Training-Ground-London-30-Jul-2018.jpg)
Aleksandar Mitrovic joined Fulham permanently following last season's loan spell (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

It's too soon for the club to consider itself to be a Premier League mainstay; a ball is yet to be kicked and signings need time to adapt.

Unnecessary pressure placed on teams rarely ends well, even if a £120million spend-up warrants it. We're still little old Fulham, you know? At least for now.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fulhams-120million-summer-splurge-marks-13059400

 
Fulham: Will their new signings help them survive this season?
The Cottagers have made plenty of additions to the squad but the jury is still out on whether they can survive this season.

(https://realsport101.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2018-08-04T145321Z_677828471_RC1738A7F3B0_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-FRIENDLY-FUL-CLV-1-768x538.jpg)
REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge

Fulham's stay in the Premier League might have been short, but it was sweet. 

From the languid Gallic charm of Sylvain Legwinski and Steed Malbranque to the waspish aegis of Roy Hodgson, Craven Cottage was always a pleasant distraction. Nice ground, nice football, no drama, until they suffered a shock relegation in 2014.

At the time, the club had lost their way and identity. Craven Cottage was a fortress for Fulham during their Premier League years but that close atmosphere worked against them during their final year in the top flight.

After four years in the Championship, the Londoners are returning, buffeted by a range of high-profile signings. The question is, will they be enough to guarantee the club's survival in the top flight?

Strengthened in all areas
On paper, the answer is a resounding 'Yes!'  Manager Slavisa Jokanovic has strengthened in all areas with each of the new arrivals expected to slot into the team immediately. 

Fabri, for example, is a solid goalkeeper with Champions League experience. Calum Chambers and Alfie Mawson, acquired from Arsenal and Swansea respectively, offer height and profile to a defence that was lacking in both.

(https://realsport101.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2018-08-01T182850Z_2113595807_RC16534697E0_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-FRIENDLY-FUL-SAM-1.jpg)
REUTERS/John Sibley

Maxime Le Marchand, meanwhile, offers versatility and technique on the left, whilst his former teammate Jean Michael Seri is expected to sew things together in midfield. 

Aleksandar Mitrovic, unwanted at Newcastle, is ready to kick and push his way towards redemption in the Premier League. Last season he was superb for Fulham in the Championship while on loan and he earned the right to help them survive this season.

He'll be reliant on regular service from World Cup winner and German international Andre Schurrle, who arrives from Dortmund on long-term loan. 

Homegrown and boisterously talented
With the possible exception of Liverpool, Fulham have done the most impressive business of the summer. The new arrivals are augmented, however, by a core that is homegrown and boisterously talented. 

Ryan Sessegnon, for example, scored fifteen goals in the Championship last term, despite only being allowed into nightclubs since March.

Tim Ream, meanwhile, was impressive all year as a diligent no-nonsense centre back, whilst Tom Cairney is a delicious passer who has grafted his way to the club captaincy.

(https://realsport101.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2018-07-21T181240Z_772917250_RC1F40EB3920_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-FRIENDLY-LYO-FUL.jpg)
REUTERS/John Sibley

Jokanovic, backed by the plummeting pockets of billionaire owner Shahid Khan, has taken a considerable gamble.  Teams are fragile things, and the sheer number of new arrivals could upset the balance in a squad which embarked on a 23-game-unbeaten streak last term. 

There was, however, a clear lack of Premier League experience that needed to be addressed. Rather than filling their squad with Championship players, as Cardiff have done, Fulham have decided to be brave. 

Schurrle, Chambers and Mitrovic are all acquainted with the demands of life at the highest level, whilst Fabri has won titles in Turkey with Besiktas. 

That Fulham were able to capture Seri and Schurrle in the first place speaks of the duo's relative downturn in form and output, but both are possessed of enough talent to help the club stave off a relegation battle.

Being better than the next guy
Fulham have done everything in their power to guarantee Premier League survival. Ultimately though, none of it will matter as long as there are three worse teams in the league, something that seems increasingly likely as a number of clubs wade through a frustrating transfer window.

Southampton, for example, have spent most of their money on Manchester City goalkeeper Angus Gunn, despite not having a regular source of goals or any kind of leadership in midfield and defence.

Huddersfield Town can only defy gravity for so long, especially as other sides warm to the gregarious triumphs of manager David Wagner. Brighton, Bournemouth and Watford, too, are just one bad run away from being hurled into the relegation knife fight.

They have the money, the chairman, the proven talents and the hyped prospects.  All Fulham need to do is start winning. If they do, they might be in the Premier League for another decade and beyond.



https://realsport101.com/news/sports/football/fulham-will-their-new-signings-help-them-survive-this-season/

 
Premier League 2018-19 – Fulham vs Crystal Palace Preview

AT A GLANCE

When does Fulham vs Crystal Palace kick off? Saturday 11th August, 15:00 (UK)

Where is Fulham vs Crystal Palace being played? Craven Cottage

What television channel is Fulham vs Crystal Palace on? Fulham vs Crystal Palace will not be televised live in the UK

Where can I stream Fulham vs Crystal Palace? N/A

Are tickets still available for Fulham vs Crystal Palace?

Fulham – https://www.eticketing.co.uk/fulhamfc/Events/Index

Crystal Palace – https://tickets.cpfc.co.uk/events.aspx

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last six meetings: Fulham W4, D1, L1
All-time meetings: Fulham W17, D15, L11

THE TEAM NEWS
FULHAM

Predicted line-up (4-3-3): Fabri; Christie, Ream, Le Marchand, Sessegnon; Cairney, McDonald, Seri; Kamara, Mitrovic, Schurrle

Unavailable: Mawson (Injured), Odoi (Suspended)

Doubtful:

CRYSTAL PALACE

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Guaita; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, Van Aanholt; Milivojevic, McArthur; Townsend, Zaha, Schlupp; Benteke

Unavailable: Dann (Injured)

Doubtful:

THE PREDICTION

There is plenty of excitement around Fulham and their return to the Premier League but it may take their relatively new-look team some time to settle. Palace are well-drilled and have been in excellent form in pre-season and may hand a reality check to Jokanovic's side in this opener.



https://www.thestatszone.com/premier-league-2018-19-fulham-vs-crystal-palace-preview

 
Crystal Palace will have four absentees for opener against Fulham

Crystal Palace will be without four first team players for their Premier League opener against Fulham tomorrow.

Jonny Williams, Connor Wickham, Scott Dann and new signing Max Meyer will miss the trip to the newly promoted West Londoners.

Eagles boss Roy Hodgson said: "[Meyer] has had no pre-season at all and his last game [for previous club Schalke] came in April. In that respect his fitness is excellent. We're going to organise a game next week against suitable opponents so the likes of Meyer can play.

"[At Fulham] we'll be without him as well as Scott Dann who's had a long-term injury but is close to full fitness.

"Connor Wickham and Jonny Williams are also unavailable. Those two

picked up strains in the week so we're going to assess those."



https://www.londonnewsonline.co.uk/crystal-palace-will-have-four-absentees-for-opener-against-fulham/

 
U18s Host Swansea

The Under-18s host Swansea City on Saturday morning in their first fixture of the 2018/19 Premier League South. The Young Whites kick off at 1pm at Motspur Park.

Last year Fulham faced the Swans three times, drawing away from home and losing at Motspur Park in the league, however, beat them convincingly in difficult conditions in the FA Youth Cup last 16 round.

In the final match of the Young Whites' pre-season, they dispatched Nottingham Forest 8-0 after putting out their strongest team possible.

"We were comfortable winners against Nottingham Forest", commented Head of Academy Coaching Steve Wigley. "So they are in a good place mentally and physically.

"Friday and Saturday all three Club teams play at home, it would be nice if the First Team can get off to a winning start, which is the priority."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/10/u18s-host-swansea

 
These Fulham fans are excited about the signing of Joe Bryan

Fulham have officially announced the signing of Joe Bryan from Bristol City on a four-year deal, with an option for a one year extension.

Joe Bryan enjoyed a fine campaign with the Robins in the Championship last time out, and caught the eye with a succession of swashbuckling displays at left-back.

Despite having done some excellent business in other areas of the pitch – including the recruitment of Alfie Mawson, Calum Chambers, Jean Michael Seri, Andre Schurrle and Aleksandar Mitrovic – the squad looked light in the left-back department.

The late, deadline day signing of Bryan though brings quality and depth to the left full-back berth and also allows Ryan Sessegnon to be deployed in a more advanced role.

Many Fulham fans have been desperate for the Cottagers sign a left-back and will have been delighted to see Bryan announced.



https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/fulham/these-fulham-fans-are-excited-about-the-signing-of-joe-bryan

 
Fulham v Crystal Palace preview: Slavisa Jokanovic plays down expectations

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has tempered expectations at Craven Cottage, insisting his side's primary goal is to survive in the Premier League ahead of their season opener with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Cottagers, who returned to the top flight by beating Aston Villa in last season's Championship play-off final, have spent £100m over the summer in bringing 12 players to the club.

However, the Serb urged caution ahead of Saturday's home clash with Palace.

"We arrived last in the Premier League, so our principal target has to be to stay up," he said.

"I prefer walking step by step. It's better for us to think in this way and we will see at the end of the season what our level is."

Opposite number Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, says he is happy with his club's business in the summer transfer window.

"I think we have enough players now including a couple that have come back off loans, Jonny Williams and Sullay Kaikai, which further expands the squad and Scott Dann is making tremendous progress," said the Palace boss, who signed a new two-year deal on Friday.

"So we should have a more than big enough squad of players and most importantly of all, we have kept those players who did so well for us last season after such a bad start and helped us to such a decent finish in the league."

Team news

---

Fulham will be without both Tim Ream and new signing Alfie Mawson, with the centre-back sidelined until September after having a knee operation, while Dennis Odoi is suspended.

However, the Cottagers are likely to hand a number of summer signings their Premier League debuts, including club-record buy Jean Michael Seri and Germany winger Andre Schurrle.

Meanwhile, Palace are also set to field new boys Cheikhou Kouyate, Vicente Guaita and Jordan Ayew at the Cottage.

But Hodgson confirmed Max Meyer will not feature after having not played competitively since April, with the German "needing a bit more work" before he's ready. The midfielder is hoping to make his debut later this month, while defender Scott Dann is still a few weeks away from full fitness.

And both Jonny Williams and Connor Wickham miss out through injury.

Match stats

---

    This will be the fifth Premier League meeting between Fulham and Palace, with the Cottagers losing just the first of those games, 0-2 away in October 2004 (W2 D1)
    Overall in league meetings, Fulham have suffered just one defeat in their last eight games against the Eagles, winning five and drawing two
    Each of the last three meetings between Fulham and Palace at Craven Cottage has seen exactly four goals scored, with Fulham winning 3-1 in October 2000 and January 2005, before a 2-2 draw in May 2014
    Fulham have the lowest win rate in Premier League London derby matches, winning 25 of their 118 so far (21 per cent). Palace have the second lowest win rate in these games (19/86 - 22%)
    Fulham are unbeaten on the last 12 occasions they've started a league season at home (W8 D4), since a 1-2 loss against Tranmere in the third tier in 1989-90

Merson's prediction

---

It all depends on how Wilfried Zaha performs as he makes all the difference. I don't think they won a football game without him last year, so Palace will have done well to keep hold of him.

This is a real benchmark for Fulham early on, playing a team that struggled last season but are better than what they were.

I'm going to go for a draw, but if I had to pick a winner it would be Palace.

PAUL PREDICTS 1-1 (5/1 with Sky Bet)



http://www.skysports.com/football/fulham-vs-c-palace/preview/390759

 
Jokanovic manages expectations at Fulham

The promoted side have spent £100million over the summer and brought 12 players to the club.

Slavisa Jokanovic has tempered expectation at Fulham, insisting his side's primary goal is to survive in the Premier League.

The Cottagers, who returned to the top flight by beating Aston Villa in last season's Championship play-off final, have spent £100million over the summer and brought 12 players to the club.

However, the Serbian sounded a cautious tone ahead of Saturday's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.

"We arrived last in the Premier League, our principle objective and target must be to stay up," he said.

"We still haven't started the competition and I prefer walking step-by-step. We will have more information after the first game, it is better to think this way and we will see our level at the end of the season.

"Our first target must be to stay up. We are starting to build a team to try and be competitive at this level.

"We came third in the Championship, we arrived here last and at it's important and neccesary to show ambition and desire to be competitive and spend money to bring players who can help us."

Jokanovic brought in a dozen players over the summer – five during Thursday's deadline – as Jean Michael Seri, Maxime le Marchand, Fabri, Andre Schurrle, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Alfie Mawson, Calum Chambers, Sergio Rico, Joe Bryan, Luciano Vietto, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

The boss was happy to splash the cash and would have carried on going if he could.

"It's important to have investment, I always want more, more and more," he said.

"For my position it's normal to need players. The club needed we have made great investment and I expect it to benefit the club.

"It is normal, we arrived last in the Premier League and we need to adapt the team and make investments.

"We have made great investment and I expect this will help us to be more competitive in this division."

One potential problem of bringing so many players in is that Jokanovic must manage them all and keep them happy, not that he is worried about that.

"I am not Santa Claus, I don't need to make anyone happy," he said.

"I try to make hard and great competition between the players, this is the most competitive (league) in the world and they need to fight for their position in the training ground.

"My job is to pick a starting XI, this is my job."

He does have decisions to make in defence as Denis Odoi is suspended, Tim Ream is injured, as is new signing Mawson.



http://sport.bt.com/football/jokanovic-manages-expectations-at-fulham-S11364288570056

 
Fulham vs. Crystal Palace clash dependent on an African star - Paul Merson

Saturday's league opener at the Craven Cottage could see nine African stars in action including the new summer signings

Former England international Paul Merson believes the Premier League encounter between Fulham and Crystal Palace will be dependant on Wilfried Zaha's performance.

The newly promoted club and Roy Hodgson's side will battle each other in Saturday's league match at the Craven Cottage.

Pape Souare, Cheikhou Kouyate, Jeffrey Schlupp, Jordan Ayew and Zaha could feature for the South London side while Jean Michael Seri, Floyd Ayite, Neeskens Kebano, Andre-Zambo Anguissa could make their Premier League debuts for the Whites.



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/fulham-vs-crystal-palace-clash-dependent-on-an-african-star-paul-/wvt9o8bdsw191c3tiqe87xyhr

 
Key clashes: Fulham v Palace

Ahead of the new season, Hunter Young returns to break down the key player match-ups for Crystal Palace's upcoming game against Fulham.

It's the start of another exciting Premier League campaign and for the second year in a row Crystal Palace will be kicking things off against a newly-promoted side.

The Eagles will travel to Craven Cottage this weekend to face off against Fulham and will hope to start the season better than they did the last one (a 3-0 home defeat to Huddersfield).

The Cottagers were promoted after defeating Aston Villa in the Championship play-off last term and return to the top flight for the first time since 2014.

James Tomkins v Aleksandar Mitrovic
James Tomkins cemented his place among the top centre-backs outside of the top six by finally ditching the injury bug that plagued him during his first season at Palace. The Englishman will look to build upon last year's form but will not face an easy first week of action with the powerful striker Aleksandar Mitrovic looking to challenge Tomkins and fellow defender Mamadou Sakho.

A teammate of Luka Milivojevic at the international level, Mitrovic played a key role in getting Fulham back to the top division. The Serbian joined the Whites on loan from Newcastle in January, scoring 12 goals in 17 appearances before making the permanent switch this summer. Mitrovic is the prototypical target forward who uses his large frame to hold defenders and is known for being an aggressive player, bordering on dirty.

Luka Milivojevic v Jean Michael Seri
Luka Milivojevic was Palace's sole representative at the World Cup this summer, and while it may have ended in a somewhat disappointing group stage exit, Milivojevic performed well when called on by his country. The leading scorer for the Eagles last season, Milivojevic will be looking to continue his excellent form and add to his goal tally as well as limit the influence of midfield counterpart Jean Michael Seri.

Fulham pulled what many consider to be a transfer coup by landing the signature of talented young Frenchman Jean Michael Seri. Seri was a target of the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal and shocked many by choosing to take his talents to Craven Cottage. The club record signing is a defensive midfielder but also has well developed playmaking skills with his passing range making him dangerous from anywhere on the pitch.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka v Ryan Sessegnon
After bursting onto the first-team stage due to injuries last season, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has established himself as the clear first-choice right-back over the summer. The Academy product will be determined to show that last year's run was not a fluke but instead was just the beginning of a successful career in a Palace shirt. His first test will not be an easy one though as English wonderkid Ryan Sessegnon is coming off a Championship Player of the Year Award.

Sessegnon is a versatile player playing up and down the left side of the field capable of lining up as a left-back or a winger. Despite playing in the defence in recent friendlies manager Slavisa Jokanovic has acknowledged he is at his best further forward. Regardless of where he starts Sessegnon is sure to encounter Wan-Bissaka throughout the game and has the pace and trickery to put a scare into even the best outside backs.



https://www.holmesdale.net/page.php?id=82&story=7281

 
Fulham defenders unavailable for Palace game

Fulham have defensive concerns ahead of their Premier League return against Crystal Palace.

Denis Odoi is suspended for the game at Craven Cottage after his red card in the Championship play-off final, while Tim Ream and new arrival Alfie Mawson are not fit.

Slavisa Jokanovic believes it will be around a month before £15m signing Mawson is available.

There will be plenty of debuts for Fulham, who brought in 12 players during the summer. It leaves Whites boss Jokanovic with key decisions to make.

"I am not Santa Claus. I don't need to make anyone happy. My job is to pick a starting XI," Jokanovic said on the eve of the London derby.

"I try to make hard and great competition between the players. This is the most competitive league in the world and they need to fight for their position in the training ground."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/defensive-concerns-for-fulham-ahead-of-crystal-palace-clash

 
Head Coach press conference

As was his mantra in the Championship, Slaviša Jokanović is refusing to look further ahead than the next match.

In his first press conference of the season, the Fulham Head Coach was asked how high he thinks his side can finish.

"Our principal target is to stay up," he answered. "This is a famous question from the press, where are we going to finish, and we haven't even started yet.

"I prefer working step by step, all of us will have more information after the first game and it is better for us to think this way.


"At the end of the season we will see our level and where we can improve for the future.

"It is very exciting, a great experience for us, my first experience of coaching at this level. It's probably a dream for all coaches to have this opportunity, and I'm going to push to be successful."

A fine summer transfer window saw the Club add 12 players to the ranks, something Jokanović felt was necessary going into the impending campaign.

"We are trying to build a Premier League team," he explained. "We will try to be competitive at this level.

"We came third in the Championship, we were the last team to get promoted, and on our side it is important to show ambition and desire, to be competitive and spend the money to bring players who can help us.

"It is normal, the Club detected we needed to adapt the team, make investment. The Khan family made a great investment in this team, and I expect these additions to make us more competitive at this level."

The new arrivals have given Jokanović a welcome selection headache, and he assured fans that nobody will simply waltz into his starting XI.

"I am not Santa Claus, I don't need to make anybody happy," he stated. "I try to make it hard, with great competition between my players.

"This is one of the most competitive leagues in the world and presents don't exist, they need to fight in training.


"I will give them the chance to compete to play in the Premier League. My job stops at 11 [players] and the bench, this is my job, people pay me to make these decisions.

"Tomorrow first of all I cannot use Denis Odoi, he is suspended. Alfie Mawson still hasn't started working with us, and probably Tim Ream is injured too, so I can't use him either."

Our first Premier League match in over four years sees Crystal Palace journey across South London to the Cottage, and Jokanović is expecting a difficult test against Roy Hodgson's well organised team.

"I am excited," he said. "It is a chance to fight for three points, and at the end of the game our target is always the same – to try to win the games and we will see with the result whether I will be satisfied.

"Crystal Palace is a Premier League ready team, definitely with more experience than us at this level.

"They know they are dangerous in this offensive side, between [Christian] Benteke, [Wilfried] Zaha and [Andros] Townsend.

"On the other side, we must care about [Luka] Milivojević too, who is a good player. Many things depend on this guy, we did analysis of this team and I hope that we are ready.

"We must be clever and modify a few things, we are going to play against different qualities, different pace, different power.

"We don't need to change too much, but enough to know what we are going to find in this competition. It is always important that we grow, and we need to grow up from last season."

Final Tickets Remain: Secure your seat at Craven Cottage for Saturday's match as Fulham open their 18/19 Premier League campaign. Limited tickets are available online at fulhamfc.com/tickets. Buy yours now before the £5 matchday price increase!



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/10/head-coach-press conference

 
'Appalling': Crystal Palace fans have a warning for Fulham about Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Fulham have signed Timothy Fosu-Mensah on loan from Manchester United after his 2017/18 Premier League spell at Crystal Palace.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah is heading back to London, about 10 miles south east of where he was plying his trade last season.

After a season-long loan at Crystal Palace, the Dutch defender has joined newly promoted Fulham, with Manchester United obviously feeling that he would benefit from another temporary move away from Old Trafford.

And Fulham fans seem to be very impressed with Fosu-Mensah's addition to a squad that looks capable of making a real splash in the top flight.

Although they should perhaps take a glance at the views of Crystal Palace supporters before getting carried away with the 20-year-old's arrival at Craven Cottage.

Fosu-Mensah certainly had his moments at Palace, particularly in that impressive goalless draw with Manchester City on New Year's Eve. But the three-time Dutch international ended the season as Roy Hodgon's third choice right-back, being overtaken by Joel Ward and the academy prospect Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The fact that Fosu-Mensah featured in just one Premier League match during the final three months of the season speaks volumes. So the United prospect will be hoping that he can leave a more positive impression on his new supporters in the white of Fulham.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/08/10/do-appalling-crystal-palace-fans-have-a-warning-for-fulham-about/

 
Fulham v Crystal Palace: match preview


Fulham welcome Crystal Palace for a derby match after a four-year absence from the Premier League. Slavisa Jokanovic will have to get to grips with management again, having seemingly done nothing other than splurge on new talent recently. Fulham's total signings stand at 12 after a hectic deadline day. Roy Hodgson has been sleeping in comparison. Promising signing Max Meyer is not be fit enough to play. Both teams will be looking for more than just survival this season. Mark Parry

Saturday 3pm

Venue Craven Cottage

Last season n/a

Referee Mike Dean

This season n/a cards/game

Odds H 6-4 A 11-5 D 5-2

FULHAM
Subs from Bettinelli, Rico, Kebano, Johansen, Ayité, Fonte, Vietto, Kamara, Le Marchand, Fosu-Mensah, Anguissa, Cissé

Doubtful None

Injured Mawson (knee, Sep)

Suspended Odoi (first of two)

Discipline n/a

Leading scorer n/a

CRYSTAL PALACE
Subs from Guaita, Speroni, Ward, Kelly, Souaré, Riedewald, Puncheon, Schlupp, Meyer, Sørloth, Kaikai, Ayew, Kouyaté,

Doubtful Ayew (match fitness)

Injured Wickham (thigh, 26 Aug), Williams (thigh, 26 Aug), Dann (knee, Oct)

Suspended None

Discipline n/a

Leading scorer n/a



https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/aug/10/fulham-crystal-palace-match-preview

 
Fulham have an injury crisis ahead of Crystal Palace clash before a ball has even been kicked

There are defensive concerns for boss Slavisa Jovanovic

Fulham have injury concerns in defence ahead of their season opener with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Slavisa Jokanovic will be without both Tim Ream and Alfie Mawson in defence, with the American missing the tie through injury, while Mawson won't be fit until September.

Denis Odoi is also suspended for two games after his sending off in the play-off final victory over Aston Villa last season, meaning Fulham are short of options at the back.

New signing Joe Bryan has only had a day's training with his new club, as has Timothy Fosu-Mensah at right back, meaning it looks likely that Maxime Le Marchand and Calum Chambers will start in the centre back positions against Palace.

That leaves problems at left back, with it looking unlikely that Bryan will start the game having only signed on deadline day from Bristol City, while Le Marchand, who can also fill in at left back, looks like he'll start in the heart of defence.

That could mean that Ryan Sessegnon is used at left back once again, something Jokanovic did against Celta Vigo in their final pre-season friendly.

However, the head coach wants to use the 18-year-old further forward, but injuries may force his hand in the opening game of the season.

Meanwhile, Fulham will also be without Floyd Ayite, who has missed the entirety of pre-season through injury, while it looks unlikely that that new signings Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Luciano Vietto will make the game.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-injury-crisis-ahead-crystal-15015084

 
Matchday Preview

Fulham v Crystal Palace - Craven Cottage - Saturday 11th August 2018 - 3pm

Fulham doubts

Tim Ream, Alfie Mawson, Floyd Ayité
Fulham suspensions

Denis Odoi
Crystal Palace doubts

Scott Dann, Jonny Williams, Connor Wickham, Max Meyer
Tickets

A very limited number of tickets remain available to buy. Book now to avoid disappointment! Prices increase by £5 on matchday.
Weather

It will be cloudy but should remain dry in SW6 for the game, with temperatures around 19 degrees.
Dafabet match odds

Fulham: 6/4

Draw: 12/5

Crystal Palace: 15/8

Follow this link to take advantage of Dafabet's special offer!

Live commentary

Tune into the App or the Match Centre for full live commentary of the game from Gentleman Jim and Jamie Reid.
He said...

"There were so many. The Juventus game, the Atletico Madrid final and the win at Portsmouth to keep the club up are all up there." – Roy Hodgson when asked for his favourite Fulham memory
Five who played for both

Andrew Johnson, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Gabor Kiraly, Brede Hangeland, Rui Fonte



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/10/matchday-preview

 
PREVIEW: Fulham vs Crystal Palace – 11/08/2018

Fulham vs Crystal Palace

Date: 11/08/2018

K/O: 15.00pm

Venue: Craven Cottage

Referee: Mike Dean

Ambitious, newly promoted Fulham will welcome Crystal Palace to Craven Cottage on the first day of the new Premier League season, with both clubs hoping to get off to a good start and avoid early fears of relegation.

After winning the Championship play-off final against Aston Villa back in May, Fulham have done anything but rest on their laurels in preparation for the new season back in the top English league.

In almost every position on the Fulham team-sheet the evidence of widespread buying is there to see – they have a new goalkeeper between the posts in Fabri, potentially have a brand new central defensive partnership in Alfie Mawson and Calum Chambers, and their front three is significantly bolstered by the return of Alexsander Mitrovic and the relative coup of André Schürrle from Borussia Dortmund.

However, the most eye-catching signing of all is undoubtedly the midfield addition of Jean Michaël Seri, a player who for years has been linked with the top clubs in Europe, including a transfer to Barcelona last summer that fell through in the last moments of negotiations. He, like Fulham as a whole, are one to keep a firm eye on as the season progresses.

Although Crystal Palace have had a comparatively frustrating transfer window, their eye for a major coup is also evident in their excellent acquisition of former Schalke wonder-kid Maximilian Meyer was well known as one of Schalke's most highly rated and exciting prospects, an exciting and unpredictable attacking midfielder whose career has been tarnished somewhat by his falling out with the German club's hierarchy.

This marquee signing stands out for Palace in what has been an otherwise disappointing window so far, with Cheikhou Kouyaté and Jordan Ayew from West Ham and Swansea respectively the only other arrivals at Selhurst Park.

Of course, Palace may regard the likely coup of keeping Wilfried Zaha for another season as the most important 'business' of the summer, but there is an uncertainty about the club's potential this term, with the club needing to immediately carry the momentum of the excellent form of last season's closing weeks in order to banish fears of relegation early this time around.

This will be a fascinating test for not only this exciting, new-look Fulham side but also for Crystal Palace, whose settled defence has remained the same from last season and have made perhaps more subtle, but maybe equally exciting signings to their midfield and attack as well. All eyes will be on Maximilian Meyer and Jean Michaël Seri but don't be surprised if it is the old favourites, such as the exhilarating Wilfried Zaha, who steal the headlines once again.

Team News:

Although straight after a transfer window it is difficult to predict which signings will play where, or if indeed they will play at all, Alfie Mawson can probably be ruled out for the first week at least as he continues to recover from a surgery he undertook when involved at Swansea.

Apart from that and perhaps also Calum Chambers, who may need easing into the squad having arrived only recently, Fulham got their business done early and should have additions such as Seri, Schürrle and Mitrovic begin their careers for the club immediately on Saturday.

Crystal Palace may show a more immediately familiar look to their starting line-up with the only instant addition possibly being Meyer playing on the left instead of Jeffrey Schlupp in what appears to be Roy Hodgson's favoured 4-4-2 formation.

It will be interesting to see if they adapt this for Meyer's arrival however; his expertise and experience in playing behind the striker could lead to a change to a formation that accommodates that, as well as accommodating any potential new signings that come in as well.

Predicted Starting XI's:

Fulham (4-3-3) – Fabri, Christie, Ream, Le Marchand, Sessegnon, Seri, McDonald, Cairney, Kamara, Schürrle, Mitrovic.

Crystal Palace (4-4-2) –  Guaita, Wan-Bissaka, Sakho, Tomkins, Van Aanholt, Meyer, Milivojevic, McArthur, Townsend, Zaha, Benteke.

Score Prediction: Fulham 2 – Crystal Palace 0

Fulham's terrific signings across the entirety of their team (with more to come rumoured at the time of writing) and with the home support turning up for their triumphant return to the Premier League, they should have just too much for a Crystal Palace side who, however solid they have been for the entirety of Hodgson's reign, have not matched their opponents in regards to transfers made.

Neither team should worry too much about the prospect of relegation but there will be indications in this game as to whether safety is the simple goal for both of these teams or whether one of them is aiming for a more impressive and more impressive league finish.



https://90maat.com/2018/08/10/preview-fulham-vs-crystal-palace-11-08-2018/

 
Inside Knowledge

Football can work in funny ways.

After being given a taste of the top flight with Manchester United, Timothy Fosu-Mensah's first prolonged run of football came on loan at Crystal Palace last year.

Now taking in a similar season-long loan spell at Fulham, the Netherlands international defender could make his debut against his former side in the campaign opener at Craven Cottage this weekend.


"I was there for one year so I know most of the players," Fosu-Mensah told fulhamfctv. "I still have a lot of friends there, I made a lot of friends, but I hope Saturday is going to be good for us.

"[Palace] was good for me. I think it helped me in my development. It was Premier League football so it was always going to be good.

"Roy Hodgson is a good manager. I think he wants his team to be aggressive, he wants the team to dominate the play."

Fosu-Mensah played a key role for the Eagles last term, playing 24 times as they recovered from a poor start to finish 11th in the Premier League.

And now having swapped South-East for South-West London, the Netherlands international is feeling optimistic ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

"I believe we can do very well," he said. "We have bought some good players and I have a very good feeling this season that we can finish high."

Final Tickets Remain: Secure your seat at Craven Cottage for Saturday's match as Fulham open their 18/19 Premier League campaign. Limited tickets are available online at fulhamfc.com/tickets. Buy yours now before the £5 matchday price increase!



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/10/timothy-fosu-mensah-inside-knowledge

 
Report: Celta Vigo reward Hugo Mallo with improved deal after snubbing £9m Fulham move

Fulham missed out on a deal for Hugo Mallo.

According to a report in AS, Celta Vigo have rewarded right-back Hugo Mallo with a new contract after the player opted against joining Premier League newcomers Fulham late in the transfer window.

With the Cottagers spending most of their summer focusing on bringing in a new left-back, it seemed they forgot about replacing Ryan Fredericks at right-back right up until the transfer deadline day.

Celta Vigo's talented full-back Mallo emerged as a reported target for the west London club, with Marca claiming on Wednesday that Fulham had launched a £9 million bid for the player.

But The Sun later reported how the 27-year-old opted against a move to Craven Cottage, with AS now confirming his loyalty to Celta has been rewarded to the tune of a new five-year contract on improved wages.

The former U21 international has spent his entire career at Celta and his new deal is a real bonus for the La Liga club as they seek to hold on to their better players ahead of the deadline day for the rest of Europe.

As for Fulham, they did manage to sign Timothy Fosu-Mensah on loan from Manchester United and it appears the youngster may become the club's number one right-back with Calum Chambers also an option.

It leaves question marks over the future of Cyrus Christie, with the Republic of Ireland international barely featuring last term following his January switch from Middlesbrough.

Slavisa Jokanovic will have wanted to sign the experienced Mallo ahead of the deadline but missing out on the Spaniard shouldn't detract from what has been an excellent summer for the newly-promoted club.

Fulham have spent over £70 million and have made some excellent additions, with Jean Seri, Andre Schurrle and Aleksandar Mitrovic arguably the most impressive and the most likely to help the club in their fight for Premier League survival.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/08/10/tt-report-celta-reward-hugo-mallo-with-improved-deal-after-snubb/

 
McDonald: 'We're going to give it a right old blast'

Kevin McDonald says Fulham are ready to 'give it a right old blast' in the Premier League this season after seeing the club supplement their promotion-winning squad with new signings during a busy summer transfer window.

The Scottish international insists that the Whites aren't just looking to survive but are determined to prove they belong in English football's top flight. Fulham spent around £120m on twelve new signings over the summer – including five arrivals during a busy transfer deadline day – and McDonald told the Evening Standard that reflects the ambition at Craven Cottage.

    We are going to give it a right old blast this season. We are not here to make up the numbers. We are here to prove to everyone what we can do, prove that this is where the club belongs. The owners have invested money wisely and bought some really good players. That can only benefit the team.

The former Wolves and Burnley midfielder was quick to insist that the squad themselves are remaining grounded ahead of the start of the new campaign, acutely aware of the big step up in quality from the Championship.

    People are seeing all these big names coming in and the money we are spending so it is understandable that from the outside expectation levels have been raised. But we are a level-headed group of players and we know where we stand. We would be naive to start looking above to the top half of the table. First and foremost we have got to establish ourselves as a Premier League team. Of course we want to finish as high as we can but we know it is going to be a long, hard season.

McDonald also reiterated that Slavisa Jokanovic has told his players to keep true to their footballing principles and that the Fulham squad don't feel under any extra pressure on the eve of the new season.

    We are a new team coming to the league so I do not think there is pressure on us. Outsiders always think the three promoted teams are favourites to get relegated. With the signings we have made maybe we are different. The gaffer wants us to play the exact same way. He got us here playing that way. That is not going to change.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/08/mcdonald-were-going-to-give-it-a-right-old-blast/

 
Wear Your Whites With Pride

Following on from last season's incredible White Wall, Fulham fans are encouraged to get behind the boys and wear their home colours on Saturday.

Get ready for the start of Fulham's Premier League campaign and pick up your 18/19 Home Kit from the Stadium Store before kick-off!

An original strip reborn, the Home Kit takes inspiration from the Club's strips from the late 1990s period, with a black perforated colour bar featured across the front of the shirt.

With junior and adults strips available to purchase online and instore now, why not complete the look and mark the Whites' return to the top flight, with Premier League patches also available to purchase for an additional £8.

Come On You Whites!



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/10/2018-19-home-kit

 
Ream to miss Fulham's Premier League return

Tim Ream will miss out on Fulham's first Premier League game for four years tomorrow after picking up an injury in training.

The absence of the American, who was voted the club's player of the season during last year's promotion-winning campaign, will be keenly felt at Craven Cottage with Denis Odoi, his regular central defensive partner in the second half of the season, suspended and new signing Alfie Mawson still recovering from injury. It could see England international Calum Chambers partnering French defender Maxime Le Marchand, a summer arrival from Nice, at the heart of Slavisa Jokanovic's defence.

Jokanovic revealed a number of his first-team squad will be unavailable for the opening game of the season against Crystal Palace during his press conference this afternoon:

    Tomorrow first of all I cannot use Denis Odoi, he is suspended. Alfie Mawson still hasn't started working with us, and probably Tim Ream is injured too, so I can't use him either. Floyd Ayite is injured as well.

The Serbian head coach insisted he is not expecting to have any problems when it comes to selecting his starting line-up given the number of options at his disposal. He has already made clear to his players that hard work at Motspur Park will be crucial in ensuring they force their way into his plans.

    I will give them the chance to compete to play in the Premier League. My job stops at 11 [players] and the bench, this is my job, people pay me to make these decisions. I am not Santa Claus, I don't need to make anybody happy. I try to make it hard, with great competition between my players. This is one of the most competitive leagues in the world and presents don't exist, they need to fight in training.

Jokanovic is certainly not underestimating the challenge that Fulham will face tomorrow from Crystal Palace, led by the former Whites' boss Roy Hodgson.

    Crystal Palace is a Premier League ready team, definitely with more experience than us at this level. They know they are dangerous in this offensive side, between [Christian] Benteke, [Wilfried] Zaha and [Andros] Townsend. On the other side, we must care about [Luka] Milivojevic too, who is a good player. Many things depend on this guy, we did analysis of this team and I hope that we are ready.

    We must be clever and modify a few things, we are going to play against different qualities, different pace, different power. We don't need to change too much, but enough to know what we are going to find in this competition. It is always important that we grow, and we need to grow up from last season.

The Fulham head coach also refused to be drawn into predicting where his side would finish – telling the press that his focus was on trying to take three points from the first game and doing everything possible to try and keep the club in the top flight.

    Our principal target is to stay up. This is a famous question from the press, where are we going to finish, and we haven't even started yet. I prefer working step by step, all of us will have more information after the first game and it is better for us to think this way. At the end of the season we will see our level and where we can improve for the future.

    It is very exciting, a great experience for us, my first experience of coaching at this level. It's probably a dream for all coaches to have this opportunity, and I'm going to push to be successful. We are trying to build a Premier League team. We are trying to be competitive at this level.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/08/ream-to-miss-fulhams-premier-league-return/

 
Jokanovic's Fulham conference: Four absentees, quote of the season
Fulham face Crystal Palace in their first game back in the top-flight.


Fulham are back in the Premier League and Slavisla Jokanovic has spent heavily this summer to prepare the side for their return to the top-flight.

The Cottagers have secured a host of impressive summer signings, which include World Cup winning winger Andre Schurrle, Ivory Coast midfielder Jean-Michel Seri and highly-coveted Swansea City defender Alfie Mawson.

Not everyone is set to make their debut for the club tomorrow though, as we identify three key takeaways from Jokanovic's press conference ahead of the game against Crystal Palace.

No easy ride for new additions

Having spent over £100m to land 12 new players, Jokanovic is set for regular selection headaches throughout the season if everyone is performing at their best – and he fired a warning that he is not going to let anyone slide.

(https://tbrfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-1011387502.jpg)

Already making what could be the best quote of the season, Jokanovic encouraged his squad to remain on their toes and to fight for places in the squad ahead of what is set to be a gruelling campaign back in the Premier League.

"I'm not Santa Claus – there are no presents. The players need to fight for their places. We've made a great investment in the transfer market and I'm hoping we'll see an immediate benefit."

Four absentees named
While there is new faces available in the squad, there is also a number of familiar names who are unavailable tomorrow as Jokanovic revealed that Denis Odoi, Tim Ream and Ayite Floyd are all injured and won't feature.

New signing Alfie Mawson also won't be making his debut following his switch from Swansea as he has not started working with the squad yet, meaning he must wait until at least next weekend's trip to Tottenham to make his Fulham debut.

    "I can't use Denis Odoi tomorrow, who's suspended. Alfie Mawson hasn't started working with us yet. Tim Ream and Ayite Floyd are injured."

Here to stay
If the £100m spending spree did not make it clear enough, Fulham are in the Premier League with the intention to stay and their wealth of summer signings suggest they could put the cat amongst the pigeons to cause a number of problems for established sides.

Jokanovic, understandably, is excited about the club's return to the top-flight but is taking it one game at a time as he looks to secure all three points in a London derby against Crystal Palace, who have plenty of players who could cause problems.

    "It's important to show ambition and desire to stay up – that's our first target. We're building a team to be competitive at this level. I'm excited. Our target remain the same – win all three points."



https://tbrfootball.com/jokanovics-fulham-conference/

 
Formerly linked with Real Madrid, have Fulham pulled off a coup with Vietto?

Premier League newcomers Fulham have signed Luciano Vietto on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Fulham have absolutely aced the transfer window. On paper, Andre Schurlle, Alfie Mawson, Sergio Rico, Jean Michel Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa are all players who should vastly improve their starting XI, with the latter duo potentially forming a midfield partnership of Champions League quality.

Luciano Vietto, however, could be Fulham's most intriguing signing of the summer.

The Argentine striker joins on loan from Atletico Madrid after scoring nine league goals in his last 59 appearances for Diego Simoene's side, including loan spells at Sevilla and Valencia. So Fulham fans would be wise to reserve judgement.

But, while Vietto flopped quite badly at Atletico after his £18 million move in 2015, it must be remembered that he was an absolute revelation at Villarreal.

In his debut season in Spanish football, Vietto scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Yellow Submarine and was labelled the new Sergio Aguero as a result.

Back in February 2014, in the midst of that prolific campaign in bright yellow, the Express reported that Liverpool were planning a move and it seemed they were not the only European giant interested.

"We know that many top clubs are following Vietto," said his agent, Jorge Cysterpiller. "There is a lot of competition to sign him. Liverpool we know like him and so do Real Madrid."

Aguero has scored 143 goals in 206 Premier League games for Manchester City and is surely now a genuine legend of the competition. So, regardless of Vietto's three seasons of struggle, comparisons with one of the greatest goal-scorers around should have Fulham fans hopeful that they have pulled off another coup.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/08/10/do-formerly-linked-with-real-madrid-have-fulham-pulled-off-a-cou/

 
Fulham's likely XI vs Crystal Palace: Seri, Bryan & Schurrle debuts

There are plenty of new faces at Craven Cottage.

Slavisa Jokanovic is going to face a number of selection dilemmas over the course of the coming season after some excellent summer recruitment by Fulham.

His owners have provided him with a squad that should compete in the Premier League and relegation now looks very unlikely, even before a ball has been kicked.

That is quite some achievement by a promoted club that has come through the play-offs and Tony Khan deserves praise for the business he has conducted.

Fulham have been ambitious and shown just how attractive they can be with Premier League status. The supporters are rightly excited ahead of the first game against Crystal Palace.

Here is how the Cottagers could line-up...

Goalkeeper – Fabri

The Spaniard was signed from Besiktas during the summer and he is likely to start the season in goal for Fulham. It could be that he is only keeping the shirt warm for Sergio Rico, but his compatriot only joined on deadline day and this weekend is likely to come too soon.

If Fabri wants to be the number one this season, it is important that he delivers on Saturday as he may not get too many more chances.

Defence – Christie, Chambers, Le Marchand, Bryan

There were a number of defensive signings made by Fulham over the summer as they prepare for life in the Premier League and three could be set for their debuts on Saturday.

Cyrus Christie is likely to start the season at right-back and he will be hoping to step his game up to replace Ryan Fredericks. The opposite full-back position could go to Joe Bryan. The deadline day signing played for Bristol City last weekend and he will be ready to go.

Calum Chambers will provide Premier League experience, while Maxime Le Marchand has had a pre-season with Fulham and could be given the start. Alfie Mawson will be missing for the opening fixture, but he is likely to take one of the spots on his return.

Midfield – McDonald, Seri, Cairney

Although there has been a lot of eye-catching signings made by Fulham over the summer, it is important that Jokanovic maintains a core from the promotion-winning team. Kevin McDonald has been crucial in their development in recent years and he will be given the chance to start the season.

He sits in front of the back four and allows the more talented players to thrive in the team. Tom Cairney has considered a Premier League player for a long time and he now has the opportunity to prove that. Last season, he contributed six goals and five assists. He will want a similar return in the Premier League.

The headline signing of Fulham's summer was Jean Michael Seri and he will be the player everyone is watching at Craven Cottage on Saturday. He will provide dynamism and technical ability to the midfield. The Ivorian will want to make an instant impact against Crystal Palace.

Attack – Schurrle, Mitrovic, Sessegnon

The Cottagers are a promoted club, but their forward line looks to be one of the best outside of the top six. Andre Schurrle will be given his debut on the first weekend of the season and he will have a point to prove in England after an underwhelming spell with Chelsea.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was excellent for Fulham last season and his permanent signing was a priority during the summer. They managed to get him back and he will be full of confidence as he attempts to prove himself in the top-flight. The system will get the best from him.

They will be joined in the attack by Ryan Sessegnon. The teenager will be hoping to have a good first season in the Premier League and his partnership with Bryan has huge potential. The academy graduate will be deployed in an advanced role, where he can do most damage.



https://tbrfootball.com/fulham-line-crystal-palace/

Just how good are Fulham's Five New Additions?
Sergio Rico, Joe Bryan, Luciano Vivetti, Timothy Fosu-Mensah & Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa have joined the club on the 11th hour of the latest Transfer Deadline.

You know how much of a Fulham fan by how much you were refreshing the club's social media account today. Because my word was today nothing short of ridiculous! Just when you thought bringing in over £70 million worth of talent was enough, Tony Kahn and the Fulham board decided to splash the cash just a bit more to satisfy Slavisa Jokanovic's needs. By the end of the day, five newcomers have joined the club to round off probably the most incredible transfer window in club history.

In short, the club previous transfer fee record was broken three times, a starting XI could be made on transfer signings alone, and Fulham ranked within the top five in the premier league in transfer money spent this summer. To even imagine that the club would pull off such a feat and have such pulling power in European football after being in the wilderness for four years is nothing short of mind-bending! But before we can even catch our breaths and be able to find out if this summer was genuinely a success for Fulham's long term future, let's take a look at the five latest signings the club have brought aboard.

Sergio Rico
Of all the additions to the club, the loan agreement to bring in Sevilla Number 1 Sergio Rico will surely be the most head scratching. There's no denying Rico brings a ton of pedigree over to Fulham. Before turning 25 in September, he has already made 169 appearances for the La Liga side and was in goal during the club's two Europa League Titles in 2015 and 2016.

But with regards to form and current standing, Rico is in a very dark place. He saw his starting job lost to David Soria last April and that was followed by Sevilla bringing in Czech Republic Number 1 Tomas Vaclik. While he wasn't entirely at fault for his old club shipping in a bottom half total of goals against (58, with 54.2 being expected according to Understat) in 2017/18, his 57.6% save percentage will be scrutinized. That said, Rico has always saved over 70% in his previous three campaigns and his long ball passing has always surpassed 36.2% accuracy during his senior career.

This will be discussed further, but Rico's addition brings assurance to Slavisa Jokanovic that a top flight European goalkeeper is playing at Craven Cottage on Saturdays. The real question will come down to whether or not this upsets the dressing room now that Fabri and last season's Number 1 Marcus Bettinelli aren't guaranteed game time.

Joe Bryan


Next to sign for Fulham was a permanent transfer for one of the more familiar names in the Championship. At 24, Joe Bryan has gone on to establish himself as an elite level left back and one of the more important faces for his boyhood club Bristol City. But with an offer from a Premier League club too good to refuse, Bryan took his chance and is now with Fulham until as late as 2022 with a one-year club option. Yours truly even predicted such an outcome would happen, but to have the club near the River Thames officially bring him to England's top flight was certainly unexpected.

Among all Championship fullbacks last season, only Millwall's James Meredith and Preston's Darnell Fisher had more than Bryan's 99 successful tackles and only Brentford's Yoann Barbet and Reading's Chris Gunter had more accurate long ball passes than Bryan's 102. Thus, there's no denying he's a well-rounded footballer that can fit with Jokanovic's system. The real question now will be whether his production in the Championship can translate well into the Premier League.

Luciano Vietto


Up front, Fulham then went ahead and signed a 24-year old Argentinian who has really struggled with his production in La Liga over the past three seasons. It seems like forever ago that Vietto was moved from his homeland to Villareal and turned up 12 league goals in after turning 21. But now he's a small fish in a big pond after moving to Atletico Madrid.

Now Vietto is on his third loan spells in as many seasons and I'm not certain how his arrival will be a complete success. Sure, he could go on and be very productive as Aleksander Mitrovic's back-up and be able to move on with his footballing career, but what about Rui Fonte and Aboubakar Kamara? And if we are just looking at a bench role for Vietto, is it that certain he will garner that many minutes while everyone else in the club would be wanting them? If it all works out, that is fantastic and I am more than happy to eat on my words! I'm just hard pressed to see how Vietto will truly be able to show his worth.

Timothy Fonsu-Mensah


Next up to sign on the dotted line is a utility defender that is one of the more intriguing prospects in Europe. At 20 years old, and with three Dutch National Team appearances while under Manchester United's watch, Timothy Fosu-Mensah has the world at his feet. This past season, he was on loan at Crystal Palace and went on to become a solid contributor under Roy Hodgson and helped stave the club from relegation. Now, he is in Fulham's care and the youngster will be hoping to receive more playing time at Craven Cottage.

Throughout his league career, Fosu-Mensah could be seen playing at center back, right back and in central midfield. But it is out wide where the prospect could be seen at his best. With most of his league minutes coming from his 2017/18 campaign, there is evidence that Fosu-Mensah was required to play a defense first role at Selhurst Park. Now that he will be moved over to Craven Cottage, the question will now be if his skillset can either adapt or be a good fit under Jokanovic's system. Because as of now, both Ryan Fredericks and Cyrus Christie have proven to be two completely different right backs in comparison to Fosu-Mensah.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa

All data from whoscored.com

Lastly, Fulham closed the summer transfer window with probably the most intriguing of all the additions. Even if Kevin McDonald wasn't struggling against top-tier competition in preseason, an apprentice was required. McDonald will be turning 30 this November and has played WAY too many minutes over the past two seasons on a midfield full of players that played WAY too many minutes over the past two seasons. For the exception of Oliver Norwood, Fulham have never had another midfielder that could come in and take playing time away from the stars in need of a breather or injury recovery for the grueling season. Ibrahima Cisse, bluntly, has not shown that he could be capable for that role at this time.

Enter Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who at 22, has gradually developed into a shoe-in starter in central midfield at Marseille. This past season, he went on to play over 2,000 league minutes while being part of a double pivot with Luis Gustavo in Rudi Garcia's 4-2-3-1 formation and played a pivotal part in the club's Europa League journey towards the Cup Final. However, Anguissa's playing time was only 12th among Marseille players and his radar indicates how raw of a talent he still is. Add in the £27 million price tag, and you wonder if Fulham might have wasted their bank account on him.

That said, his market value on transfermarket is as high as former Tottenham man Nabil Bentaleb and is higher than former Newcastle man Mikel Merino, so the potential and pedigree are there. The question will now be whether Anguissa usurps McDonald and develops into the holding midfielder the club expect him to become this season or if this will be a learning curve as Anguissa gets accustomed to Premier League competition. These are one of the questions that make 2018/19 among the most anticipated in the club's history.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/8/10/17671338/just-how-good-are-fulhams-five-new-additions

What Does Fulham's Senior Squad Look Like?
Yeah, these boys aren't in the Championship anymore!

Hello everyone. How's you're morning after that abnormal transfer deadline day? Are you even caught up with how the squad list even looks like? Have no fear because that is the sole purpose of presenting this piece over to you.

Previously, Slavisa Jokanovic was complaining as recently as preseason that the senior team needed cover at every position after his starting XI. While that sounded like an insult to Tony Kahn and the Fulham board, he wasn't wrong in stating that the club were in desperate need of senior players to fill in the Premier League's mandated 25-man squad list. Within the span of 24 hours, Fulham signed five new players that completed that total and more.

Surely though, this will make anyone wonder how the senior team shapes up after so much turnover. Fear not as this post is your lovely guide to just that.

Goakeeper
Fabri, Sergio Rico, Marcus Bettinelli

Welp, if you thought having Fabri and Marcus Bettinelli makes for a crowded goalkeeper room, get a load of what happens when Sergio Rico joins the fold. There's a real sense that Slavisa Jokanovic has differing opinions with Fabri due to his mediocre preseason performances, hence why he thought it was necessary to get another goalkeeper on loan. However, that leads to having a possible discord in the dressing room due to the well-acclaimed production with Marcus Bettinelli from the previous two campaigns. Regardless of the task at hand, you would have thought Bettinelli would join Ryan Sessegnon to go from academy products to Premier League veterans.

Instead, it feels likes he is being thrown at the curve for nothing that was of his control. I personally would have loved to seen him go on loan if this is genuinely how Jokanovic or the Fulham board feels about where things stand in goal. However, that hasn't materialized just yet and now we're stuck in a holding pattern as to who will be Fulham's first choice for all 38 league games.

Defenders
Cyrus Christie, Alfie Mawson, Calum Chambers, Tim Ream, Joe Bryan, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Marcelo Djalo, Denis Odoi, Maxime Le Marchand

Just when Jokanovic was ready to throw his toys in the pram following a 2-2 preseason draw with Celta Vigo, Tony Kahn went on to bring in two additional defenders to a backline that already looks dramatically different. In the end, only Tim Ream and Denis Odoi have been with the club since 2016 while Marcelo Djalo is the only other Fulham defender to come in the summer of 2017. Yeah, that's a lot of turnover right there.

As great as it is to see so many new faces to improve a supposed weakness, being accustomed to one another's playing style is the true key towards a successful back four and that is something that can only come with time. In the end, I won't be surprised to still see chinks the armor on this side of the pitch until the real improvement begins.

Midfielders
Jean-Michael Seri, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Tom Cairney, Stefan Johansen, Kevin McDonald, Ibrahima Cisse

If you thought the Tom Cairney-Stefan Johansen-Kevin McDonald axis was never going to be broken, this midfield might have a new feel to it. As great as it was to see that unit perform so well for so long, change is necessary as Fulham prepare for the Premier League. In come Jean-Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa who bring in so much experience in the upper echelons of Ligue 1. If anything, Fulham have much needed depth in this area of the pitch for the first time while Jokanovic has been in charge.

Meanwhile, Ibrahima Cisse has started to look better in preseason, according to multiple sources. And don't write off academy products Luca De La Torre, Matt O'Riley and even Jon Dugar Thorsteinsson or Mattias Kait making an appearance in the matchday XVIII this season.

Forwards
Andre Schürrle, Aleksander Mitrovic, Ryan Sessegnon, Floyd Ayite, Luciano Vietto, Neeskens Kebano, Rui Fonte, Aboubakar Kamara

In the first few months of the season, Fulham had everything in place, except who would be able to score consistently up front. But once Sessegnon became a permanent fixture in the attacking three and Aleksander Mitrovic was brought in on the January transfer window, the starting XI became whole and the rest was history. Now that another two new faces were added in, there's at least a front line that has the looks of a solid Premier League outfit.

Even if injuries were to occur, there are veterans from the previous two campaigns that can come in and do the job. Even Aboubakar Kamara is seen as a player that has improved massively this summer and can be seen as one that can produce in 2018/19.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/8/10/17672816/what-does-fulhams-senior-squad-look-like

 
U23s: Fulham 2 United 2

Premier League 2 | Motspur Park | Scorers: Davies, Atkinson | Gomes, Chong

Manchester United's Under-23s kicked off the Premier League 2 campaign with a 2-2 draw against Fulham at Motspur Park, with Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong on the scoresheet.

Both youngsters have moved up permanently from the Under-18s and were on the senior tour of the United States. The hosts twice forced equalisers, through defenders Aron Davies and Robert Atkinson, to secure a point.

United scored first on 28 minutes as George Tanner delivered a good cross and Gomes bulleted a header beyond Magnus Norman in the home goal. The lead lasted until four minutes before the interval, when George O'Riley's free-kick was powered past Kieran O'Hara by Davies.

Ricky Sbragia's men regained the lead when a neat move involving DJ Buffonge and Gomes ended with Chong providing a superb finish. O'Hara twice denied Cauley Woodrow, who looked dangerous in attack, with excellent saves, only for O'Riley to claim another assist when Atkinson nodded in an 80th minute equaliser.



https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/u23s-premier-league-2-fulham-v-man-utd-match-report

Three Players to Watch: Matchday 1 vs. Crystal Palace
What a fixture to be introduced back into the Premier League!

After being in English football's doldrums that is the Championship, Fulham will return to the Premier League with a brand new squad. By summer's end, the club have gone on to spend the extreme majority of their £170 million prize money from their promotion. Whether or not this makes Fulham a contender for European places is harder said than done, but there is no denying that this part of Southwest London has been buzzing at a level that hasn't been seen in a generation.

With that, they are rewarded with a visit by London rivals Crystal Palace. The opposition just so happened to be the last foes Fulham were up against the last time in the Premier League. On that fateful day, both sides went on to score twice with Cauley Woodrow and Chris David scoring their first ever goals in front of the home crowd. Yeah, I don't want to talk about it anymore. The point is, the past is the past and a new dawn is upon Fulham fans. With that brings so much optimism that anything short of three points tomorrow may not be taken so lightly.

But here's the thing about this Crystal Palace side that many Fulham supporters don't know: they actually were quite good last season! Despite the horrifying start to 2017/18 under Frank De Boer, ex-Fulham and England boss Roy Hodgson steared the ship back into mid-table by season's end. When it was all said and done, Palace sat ninth in goals scored and were the best Premier League club outside of "the Big Six" in expected goals. The defense was a bit more mediocre to Hodgson's liking just a 14th best total in expected goals, however plenty of that was due to the De Boer reign more than anything else. By season's end, this was a club outshooting their opponents 476-467. That's pretty good for a supposed bottom half team.

Oh, and Palace were able to do this while only having the ball 46.9% of the time. If that is not a true definition of counter-attacking football, I don't know what is. So it is very clear that Fulham will need to be patient with the ball at their feet and find a way to get past the midfield and defense in order to break them down with consistency. There is potential to do that, but with so many new faces in and around the matchday squad, don't be surprised if there are a few hiccups or ten.

While they may not have picked up as many signings as Fulham did, Crystal Palace can bank on another season under Hodgson, more experience in the Premier League, and better continuity throughout the squad. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if Fulham have a bit of a stumble in one of the more anticipated Saturday's in Craven Cottage history. But if for anything else, there will be another 18 more fixtures to get excited about. With that in mind, let's peak into the three main players for Fulham supporters to watch out for.

Wilfried Zaha

First one up is easily Crystal Palace's most irreplaceable player. While his radar will tell you that anyone would be out of their mind to spend over £70 million on Zaha as Crystal Palace's board was advertising him for, there's no denying that last season was a breakthrough season for him. By season's end, he posted career highs in goals (nine), shots (2.26 per 90 minutes), shooting accuracy (40.6% on target) and key passes (1.87 per 90 minutes).

However, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is gone and Jordan Ayew may not be the like-for-like replacement for him. Therefore, it will be up to Zaha to free up his teammates like Ayew, Andros Townsend and the human shrug emoji that was Christian Benteke's inexplicable 2017/18 campaign. If he can somehow maintain a high caliber of performances in while hitting 26 years-old by season's end, there is no denying where Zaha stands among the Premier League's best and most consistent attacking players.

Max Meyer

Next up, we go from an established footballer to one that is a massive head scratcher. But at 22-years old, and coming from Schalke on a free transfer, Max Meyer does have the ingredients to revive his career. It was just two seasons ago that the central midfielder was playering over 2,000 Bundesliga minutes and racking up five goals and six assists in the process. He was rewarded with three caps for Germany and seemed like a future member of the most recent World Cup squad. Instead, he is among the many of a long line of German youngsters that are struggling to fulfill their complete potential this past World Cup cycle. With that, Meyer really struggled under Domenico Tedesco's 3-4-3 formation where he was playing a more defensive role.

Fortunately at Palace, Luka Milivojevic is there to play that type of position instead so Meyer can express himself more in the number ten role. And if Meyer's not able to get the job done or if Hodgson preferes a more conservative midfield, than former West Ham man Cheikhou Kouyate is there for cover.

James Tomkins
All data from whoscored.com

Lastly, we round out this preview by looking into the career of James Tompkins. With well over 22,000 league minutes under his belt before turning 29, the center back is a true definition of a Premier League veteran. But before he moves on to the latter stages of his career, Tomkins had a career season in 2017/18 where he had his best passing season (81.8% accuracy) while also reaching marks in possession adjusted clearances (6.79 per 90 minutes) and headers won (4.37 per 90 minutes) that were the highest since 2014/15. He may not be strong everywhere else, but we're at the point where we know what to get out of him. If Fulham are to have any troubles scoring on Saturday, you will know who is most responsible for those troubles.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/8/10/17674370/three-players-to-watch-matchday-1-vs-crystal-palace

 
Fulham promotion heroes and 12 new boys warned NOBODY is guaranteed a place by hardline Slavisa Jokanovic

"I am not Santa Claus" says boss who won't let sentiment or price-tags sway him on Cottagers' Premier League return

Slavisa Jokanovic is ready to annoy Fulham's £120million posse of new signings just as much as their surviving promotion winners to make sure the club stay in the Premier League.

The Cottagers came up via the play-offs to end four years in the Championship, then began a massive process of squad strengthening by adding a dozen players — five of them on deadline day alone.

They obviously can't all be in the first XI every week, and every one boss Jokanovic does select could result in a player who got Fulham up in the first place getting the hump.

But before they begin life back in the top-flight with Saturday's home London derby against Crystal Palace, he said: "I am not Santa Claus – there are no presents.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article13064118.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Pre-Season-Friendly-Reading-v-Fulham.jpg)
So we're all clear — this is NOT Santa Claus (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

"I do not need to make anybody happy. This is not a sentimental man. It's about being professional. I have to make it a great competition for my players to play.

"I try to make it hard and great competition between my players. This is the most competitive league in the world. Presents don't exist. They must fight on the training ground and afterwards if I consider this is enough I will give them a chance to compete in the Premier League. But I will put some players on the bench.

"It will be hard for all the players to have an opportunity to be a Premier League player. I need them to compete daily and be ready for a still harder competition at the end of the week.

"It's not a question of who is a new player. In football, memory does not exist. We must always look forward.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article12602503.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Aston-Villa-v-Fulham-Sky-Bet-Championship-Play-Off-Final.jpg)
Jokanovic says nobody can rest on last season's success — it's now survival that matters (Image: Getty)

"After the game, people will tell us whether we played well or not against Palace. They will not be thinking about the Championship play-off final we won against Aston Villa. I am not sentimental. If I start to be sentimental we will have more space for making mistakes."

Despite making such a big splash in the transfer market, Fulham have problems at the back for their opener with Dennis Odoi suspended and both Tim Ream and summer buy Alfie Mawson injured. New arrivals Calum Chambers and Maxime Le Marchand look set to start at centre-back in what could be a completely new-look back four.

The line-up could actually include just four of the players who started that Wembley win over Aston Villa in May. But Jokanovic, who cut a very different figure from the man who spent months complaining about the west London club's transfer policy earlier in his career, insists he is NOT surprised by the sky high levels of spending.

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article13064139.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Fulham-v-Celta-Vigo-Pre-Season-Friendly.jpg)
Jean-Michael Seri was linked with Champions League clubs but chose promoted Fulham (Image: Getty)

He said: "For us. it's normal. We arrived last in the Premier League. We needed to adapt the team and make investment. In the end we made a great investment.

"I expect this is going to make us more competitive. It's not a question of whether I am surprised or not surprised. I always want more and more and more. This is my position. It's normal.

"All coaches need players. I need more players to have more options for the club. The club identified this question and tried to adapt the team to Premier League level. I hope we are going to see the benefit of spending this amount of money.

"I am excited. I am satisfied. But our first target has to be to stay up."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fulham-promotion-heroes-12-new-13063968

 
Fulham goalkeeper Fabri set to win the race to start season first choice as Slavisa Jokanovic selects his No 1

    Fabri is set to win the race to start the season as Slavisa Jokanovic's No 1 choice
    Jokanovic faces a huge dilemma in keeping his three senior goalkeepers happy
    Fulham made Fabri a summer signing from Turkish giants Besiktas
    Sergio Rico was expected to be No 1, but has trained just once with his new team

Fulham goalkeeper Fabri is set to win the race to start the season as Slavisa Jokanovic's No 1.

Cottagers boss Jokanovic is facing a huge dilemma in keeping his three senior goalkeepers happy over the coming weeks, but is ready to give Fabri — a summer signing from Besiktas — the nod for their return to the Premier League when they face Crystal Palace today.

Sergio Rico, who arrived from Sevilla on loan on deadline day, was expected to be the club's first-choice keeper, but the 24-year-old, who has been a regular in La Liga, will have to settle for a place on the sidelines having trained just once with his new team.

(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/08/10/21/4ED4A12B00000578-0-image-a-2_1533931548167.jpg)
Fulham goalkeeper Fabri is set to win the race to start the season as Slavisa Jokanovic's No 1

Sportsmail has learned Rico speaks little English which poses a major problem for Jokanovic with regard to communication.

The future of Marcus Bettinelli, who was expecting to be first choice this season after playing a key role in last season's promotion, is now in doubt.

Bettinelli is on England manager Gareth Southgate's radar, but a call-up depends on him playing regularly.

(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/08/10/21/4ED8497E00000578-0-image-a-4_1533931561399.jpg)
Fabri arrived from Besiktas as one of many of Fulham's new faces this summer

On his side's return to the Premier League, Jokanovic said: 'Our principal objective and target must be to stay up.

'We still haven't started the competition and I prefer walking step by step. We will have more information after the first game, it is better to think this way and we will see our level at the end of the season.

'Our first target must be to stay up. We are starting to build a team to try and be competitive at this level.'

(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/08/10/21/4EF7466100000578-0-image-m-13_1533932195330.jpg)
Sergio Rico, who arrived from Sevilla on loan on deadline day, has been yet to properly train



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6048797/Fulham-goalkeeper-Fabri-set-win-race-start-season-choice.html

 
Views From The SW6: Crystal Palace (H)

Fulham's return to the Premier League starts fittingly against the team they last played when they left it, Crystal Palace. Nick MacNee assesses the Palace camp ahead of a dawn of a new season.

The Manager
Does he need an introduction? No, not really. Ever since Sir Roy returned to Croydon, he has entered the hearts of Crystal Palace fans as he did with us and West Brom, steering them away from relegation after the Frank De Boer project was cancelled after four games. It's frankly appalling that Roy is thrown in with the same group as the likes of Redknapp, Allardyce, Pardew, all nasty creatures who bite and snap at anyone but themselves or whoever's paying them.

Yet, he rises above the relentless media criticism and works quietly and tirelessly, paying no attention to naysayers and delivers results. His extension to 2020 is well deserved and it may sadly be his last, although I have no doubt it will be a successful end to a monumental career.

The Players – Who to look out for?
Roy Hodgson has worked with a number of players throughout his career who were vastly talented that included the likes of Javier Zanetti, Paul Ince, Roberto Carlos and even the original Ronaldo for a small period of time. Wilfried Zaha certainly has the talent to reach the level of the aforementioned players and had his best season ever as a player (nine goals, five assists) in the Premier League under Roy, prompting rumours of a move to Tottenham or Chelsea.

He has stayed at Palace thankfully and we shall see whether or not he is able to replicate his form of last season. The "tidbit" (I refuse to call it a stat) that Palace failed to win a game last season when Zaha was out of the side shows just how vital he is to his side's success this year.

Christian Benteke, usually as reliable as reliable goalscorers come in the Premier League, endured a torrid time last season, scoring only two non-penalty goals and dramatically undershooting his expected goals tally (8.78, per Statsbomb).

His expected "improvement to the mean" is largely why a lot of people regard Palace as having a chance to go one better this year and push for a top half spot, despite limited investment in the summer. If Zaha keeps up last year's performances and Benteke returns to who he was, then Palace are certainly a prospect to be wary of.

James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho form a very Roy Hodgson centre back pairing, with the former personally recommended to Palace by Brede Hangeland as his successor. Tomkins in particular thrived under Roy, despite Sakho's injury absences. Aleksandar Mitrovic will be familiar with fellow compatriot, Luka Milivojevic, who has been named the new official captain of Palace after Damien Delaney's departure.

The Window
Palace and Roy were largely limited in the Summer Market of 2018, to the tune that they only "bought" one player from another club – Cheikhou Kouyate for approximately £9.8million from West Ham United. They were much more active in the Free Agent market however, bringing in Vicente Guaita to finally replace Wayne Hennessey in goal and Max Meyer, a prodigal German talent but who hasn't quite found his feet in top level football.

Formerly labelled as someone who would thrive in the number 10 role, Meyer flattered to deceive but began to progress much more after being move to the "Kevin McDonald Number 6" role by Schalke manager Domenico Tedesco. However, he fell out with Tedesco and Schalke hierarchy after a contract dispute and left the club on a Bosman after failing to play the final six games of the Bundesliga system.

Finally, Palace also brought in Fulham linkee Jordan Ayew from Swansea on a loan with an option to buy. Interestingly, Ayew lead the league in defensive actions (tackles + interceptions) for eligible strikers, something that may have attracted Roy to acquiring his signature and may present food for thought for Fulham.

In terms of departures, the only major players to have left Selhurst Park are Yohan Cabaye (who has departed to the Middle East), Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Timothy Fosu-Mensah. Other notable players who have left Palace that may be familiar to Fulham fans include Chung-Yong Lee, Bakary Sako and Damien Delaney, although they all sporadically featured under Roy.

The Lineup

(https://media.fulhamish.co.uk/2018/08/10211209/Screen-Shot-2018-08-10-at-17.58.20-279x360.jpg)

Even with players jumping ship constantly from club to club repeatedly, Roy's system never changes. A simple 4-4-2 is still in place, although he did change the starting players slightly towards the end of last season.

Due to Christian Benteke's striking woes, Hodgson took him out and stuck Zaha and Townsend up front, playing Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek and James McArthur, all central midfielders, in the midfield four. It is largely down to this rotational change that Palace went unbeaten in their final six game and rocketed up the table to finish 11th.

It's difficult to say whether this system will be replicated. On one hand, does Roy change a system that worked extremely well, albeit with a few different players now and largely against relegated teams or ones already on holiday? Or does he reintroduce his £35million pound striker in Benteke that surely can't be as bad in front of goal as he was last year?

I would imagine with news being reported that the likes of Meyer and Kouyate aren't yet fit enough to start, Roy will return to playing Benteke up top but with Zaha alongside him, given these fitness issues to their new central midfielders. That leaves me to imagine then that Jeffrey Schlupp of Leicester title winning fame will play in Zaha's normal left wing position.

Right back has also been a position of interest at Palace. The emergence of youth talent Aaron Wan-Bissaka under Roy has put Joel Ward's position in the starting XI under threat and it's thought likely that Bissaka will be starting over Ward in the XI on Saturday. He'll present much more of an attacking threat down Palace's right side than Ward and is certainly someone to look out for.

Fulham's View

(https://media.fulhamish.co.uk/2018/08/10211244/Screen-Shot-2018-08-10-at-17.12.34-278x360.jpg)

Despite Fulham's influx of deadline day signings, it's likely that we will only see one start: Joe Bryan straight into the fold at left back. With Slavisa's admission that Tim Ream is out and Alfie Mawson hasn't begun training yet, Maxime Le Marchand and Calum Chambers look to be the foreseeable defensive partnership for the foreseeable future... who have had about five days to get comfortable as a partnership and are coming up against Benteke and Zaha.

That's not exactly the most desirable of situations but one would hope that with Kevin McDonald's vocal leadership and organisation as vice-captain, he'll provide some much needed guidance for the pair throughout the game and assist with communication between Chambers and Le Marchand.

We know that Palace won't exactly demand possession (they averaged 46.8% possession last season) but their attacks will be direct and fast, as we've seen from Roy's teams over the years. With such a new back line, is it possible then that attack is Fulham's best form of defence in terms of keeping possession and retaining the ball away from the likes of Zaha and Townsend? Well, funnily enough, that has been Fulham's speciality under Slavisa for the past two years. It's now time to see whether Slavisa and the new signings have adapted to each other.

My Prediction: 2-2

Scorers: Mitrovic x2; Zaha, Benteke.



https://fulhamish.co.uk/post/2018-08-10-views-from-the-sw6-crystal-palace-h/

 
Hodgson hopes to follow in Fulham's footsteps by leading Palace into Europe

The current Crystal Palace manager was at the Fulham helm when the Cottagers made it to the Europa League final in 2010.

Roy Hodgson wants Crystal Palace to emulate Fulham by pursuing the same seventh-placed finish that took his former club into Europe.

The Palace manager memorably led Fulham to the 2010 Europa League final, having similarly been appointed to rescue them from a battle against relegation that they had once seemed destined to lose.

His team on Saturday begin their Premier League season at Craven Cottage, where Hodgson is still fondly remembered, and he recognises how similar the circumstances are to those he was working in 10 years ago.

Having successfully secured survival in 2008, Fulham proved themselves the finest outside of a powerful top-six group the following season and Hodgson believes Palace can do likewise this term.

In Wilfried Zaha he even believes he has a similar figure to his then-Fulham captain Danny Murphy, and he said: "There are definite parallels.

"Having done it once it would be foolish to say we can't do that because I saw Fulham do it and I'd love to see Crystal Palace do it.

"Our aim has to be a modest one, to make certain that of the classic 14 teams that everyone talks about, who are going to be fighting to get as high up the table as they can, I don't see any reason why we can't be at the top end of that 14.

"Wilf is our main figure, there's no doubt about that and hopefully that will continue for many, many years to come. Danny was an experienced figure, and it was easy to identify him as the leader on the field.

"Both groups of players (Fulham then and Palace today) share an important quality. They are good, serious professionals who take their preparations for games very seriously and engender a good atmosphere. The mood among themselves is positive."

New signings Vicente Guaita, Jordan Ayew and Cheikhou Kouyate are in contention to start for Palace, but Max Meyer is struggling for match fitness and Scott Dann remains absent with a long-term knee injury.

Hodgson's ambition — he turned 71 on Thursday — comes almost a year after his appointment at Palace was widely described as his "final job", but having agreed a contract extension until 2020, he said: "Thinking that would be depressing.

"I don't like to think that I won't be working. That's more than enough focus for me, the next two years.

"I don't need more than that. It will depend very much on how I and the club feel. But the next two years are exciting times for me, that's the most important thing."



http://sport.bt.com/football/hodgson-hopes-to-follow-in-fulhams-footsteps-by-leading-palace-into-europe-S11364288647353

 
Mitrovic and Schurrle to start – Strongest 4-3-3 Fulham XI to face Crystal Palace

Predicted Fulham line-up to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League

Fulham are back in the Premier League and face a rejuvenated Crystal Palace side on their opening day of the new season. Fulham signed 2 of the big names in Seri and Schurrle but have won just 2 of their pre-season friendlies and have struggled to get goals.

Alexander Mitrovic's arrival has given them some much-needed firepower as the Serb scored within a minute into his first game, against Celta Vigo and even assisted the second goal of the game as the Cottagers drew 2-2.

Palace, on the other hand, have been in scintillating form in their set of friendlies. The likes of Zaha, Patrick Van Anholt, Tomkins, Townsend have looked really sharp and dangerous.

Probable Fulham XI
Formation: 4-3-3
Manager: Slavisa Jokanovic
Fabri Agosto (GK)

The Spaniard joined Fulham this summer from Besiktas and started in the pre-season games. He should be the first choice for the Cottagers for this campaign.
Cyrus Christie (RB)

The Republic of Ireland international was one of the constants for Fulham in the Championship last season, after joining the club in January. He would love to raid down the right flank and provide service to the likes of Mitrovic and Kamara.
Tim Ream (CB)

Ream was a rock at the back for the Cottagers as he started all but two games in the Championship last season. But the Premier League will be a different test altogether for the American.
Maxime Le Marchand (CB)

The Frenchman joined Fulham from Nice and has instantly nailed down the centre-back spot in Jokanovic's starting XI.
Ryan Sessegnon (LB)

The young English prodigy had a fairytale of a 2017/18 season where he scored a whopping 15 goals. He can play both as a left-winger and as a left-back but due to injury concerns in the side, he should start at left-back. The young PFA player of the year nominee loves to bomb forward at every opportunity, so the fans shouldn't really be surprised to see him amongst the goals and assists this season.
Tom Cairney (CM)

The former Blackburn man played 30 games for the Lilywhites last campaign and scored 6 times, most importantly in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the playoff final. He will look to retain possession for his side and allow the attacking players ahead of him to do their creative stuff.
Kevin McDonald (CM)

The Scotsman was at the heart of Fulham's midfield last season when he played 42 times, scoring thrice and assisting once. He has an eye for a killer pass and with the likes of Schurrle and Mitrovic around him, he will become even more dangerous.
Jean Michael Seri (CM)

Seri joined Fulham from Nice and this deal turned a lot of heads. The Ivory Coast international has slotted right into the left-hand side of the central midfield trio for Fulham.
Aboubakar Kamara (LW)

Kamara was used as a squad player by Jokanovic but after impressing in the pre-season, he should get a chance. He showed in pre-season that his positioning and off the ball movement are quite good and with the right service, he can find the back of the net.
Andre Schurrle (RW)

The former Chelsea man has joined Fulham on loan from Borussia Dortmund. He had struggled badly for the entire year at the Westfalenstadion, starting only 12 games where he scored once. Coming back to London gives him a fresh start and a chance to revive his career at the Craven Cottage.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (ST)

The 23-year-old Serb found the back of the net 12 times in 17 starts for Fulham in the Championship last season. The Fulham board have got their talisman back from Newcastle, this time on a permanent transfer. If Fulham are to survive the relegation this season, a lot depends on Mitrovic.



https://soccersouls.com/2018/08/11/mitrovic-and-schurrle-to-start-strongest-4-3-3-fulham-xi-to-face-crystal-palace/

 
New Sleeve Sponsor: ICM

After signing five new players on transfer deadline day, Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce ICM.com as the new sleeve sponsor for the First Team this season.

To announce the new sponsorship, which coincides with Fulham's first season back in the Premier League, ICM and Fulham are asking their fans to #FollowFulham in the Premier League in a new video taking fans through a journey of London and culminating at Craven Cottage, which will be posted on Instagram on Saturday morning prior to the first game of the season.

The video is both a celebration of Fulham's fans and of London, revelling that Fulham is the oldest established professional football team in London participating, once again, in the Premier League, the most competitive football league in the world.

ICM.com, a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated FX, Commodity and CFD trading firm, is an existing partner of Fulham FC since 2017 but this enhanced partnership will ensure that ICM.com now benefit from brand presence on the playing shirts which will be visible for the first time when Fulham kick-off their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage.

The Premier League is broadcast in over 180 countries, providing an opportunity for worldwide exposure for the ICM.com brand.

The Club has made some significant investment to the playing squad during the summer transfer window, bringing in a total of 12 players, including the five deadline day signings of André-Frank Anguissa, Joe Bryan, Sergio Rico, Luciano Vietto and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.


Commenting on the partnership, Fulham FC captain, Tom Cairney, said:

"It's always encouraging to see the club bring in new sponsors and partnerships as it shows we're on an upward trend and all improving together as a club as we embark on our Premier League campaign."

Commenting on this partnership, Shoaib Abedi, Founder of ICM.com added:

"We recently announced our global rebrand to ICM.com and are excited to be renewing our sponsorship with Fulham FC to present our new brand identity and new logo on the team's shirts, resulting in global visibility. As a UK headquartered investment firm we place a lot of value on building long-lasting relationships and feel a strong connection towards British football. Both ICM.com and Fulham FC have seen remarkable success and growth in the past 12 months and we see this set to continue alongside each other."

Fulham FC Chief Revenue Officer, Casper Stylsvig, added:

"We have developed a good working with relationship with ICM since they joined in November and I'm delighted that they have chosen to expand their partnership with us as we commence an exciting Premier League campaign. This announcement is accompanied by some innovative creative content which I'm sure everyone associated with the Club, as well as our fans, will enjoy."

To watch the clip announcing the sleeve sponsorship, please visit Fulham FC's Instagram story @FulhamFC ahead of the match.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/11/icm-sleeve-sponsor

 
Big Match Build-Up

Get yourself in the mood for Saturday's London derby by taking a look at all the build-up from fulhamfc.com this week.

The Brede Hangeland Column
Fulham hero Brede Hangeland will have a regular column on the website this season, and if his first submission is anything to go by, the Whites faithful are going to love it: "In yet another strange twist of fate, my old mentor Roy Hodgson and the wonderful Ray Lewington are now in charge of Palace when they make the short trip to the Cottage on Saturday. Needless to say, this will be an emotional afternoon at the greatest football ground in the world, and when the Premier League fixture list came out, I made it my mission to make sure I would be there for the game. My boss at TV2 Norway needed little convincing, and so I will be doing commentary at Craven Cottage when Fulham take on Crystal Palace. Life does indeed work in mysterious ways. Perhaps Gentleman Jim will be able to make any sense of it when we have tea at half time!"

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One & Only

Premier League Productions caught up with Chris David, one of just four players to score on their only Premier League appearance, about his stunning strike against Saturday's opponents Crystal Palace four years ago.

Simon Davies Returns

Brede isn't the only legend returning to the Cottage on Saturday - Simon Davies will also be in there in his new role as a matchday host in our hospitality lounges: "I'm looking forward to it. I always enjoyed a good relationship with the Fulham fans so it's going to be nice to catch up and share some stories with them. I kind of left a bit under the radar and never came back really which was sad for me personally, but that was just the way it worked out. I was injured for the majority of the last season I was there, then retired and just sort of walked away from it. But the memories I have from my time at Fulham are really special to me and it's nice to be back involved now, it really is."

(http://ffcw001.azureedge.net/-/media/ex-players/640rexfeatures_8983803fx/rexfeatures_8547288r.jpg)



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/august/11/big-match-build-up

 
Fulham will need to be clever but won't change their attractive style in the Premier League

Slavisa Jokanovic thinks the side don't need to change much on the style front ahead of their season opener

Fulham will have to be clever in the Premier League but won't be adapting their style, according to Slavisa Jokanovic.

The Cottagers have gained plaudits over the past two seasons for their stylish brand of football - a brand that has seen them promoted to the top flight of English football for the first time in four years.

There are questions over the viability of Fulham's style when they will be facing the likes of Manchester City, United and Liverpool over the course of next season, with some suggesting that they'll have to change the way they play in order to survive.

But that's not something Jokanovic agrees with.

He is fully aware of the need to adapt their style and knows that, at times, his side won't see as much of the ball as they did last season, but he doesn't believe they need to change much - they just need to grow.

Jokanovic said: "We now must be clever and modify some things and play against different quality, different pace and power and we don't need to change so much.

"We must be intelligent enough and know what we are going to find in this competition.

"It's always important for the team to grow up and we need to grow up and be more competitive than last season."

With 14 arrivals coming in over the summer, including names like Jean-Michael Seri and Andre Scurrle, there is a certain feeling that expectations have been raised for Fulham for the coming season.

Questions were even asked at Jokanovic's first press conference of the season whether Fulham could 'do a Burnley' and finish in the European spots this season.

That may be taking what the Cottagers can do this season a bit too far, and Jokanovic himself is certainly not getting carried away, insisting the first target is staying in the Premier League.

He added: "Our first target must be to stay up, at the end we are talking about money and money is sometimes important and sometimes not.

"We can compare the situation with Spurs, they didn't make any investment but have done Premier League team.

"We start now to build one to be a Premier League and be competitive in level where we are right now.

"I will repeat, we came third from the Championship and we arrive here last and at the end for our side it's important and necessary to show ambition and desire to be competitive and spend the money and bring the players who can help us."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-need-clever-wont-change-15015807

 
12 new additions can see Fulham push for top 10 this season

12 new additions can see Fulham push for top 10 this season

Fulham make their return to the Premier League for the first time since 2014 on Saturday, and have wasted no time in overhauling their squad. Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic has signed no fewer than 12 players - with five of those joining on deadline day.

Andre Zambo Anguissa was the last player through the door, and fans of the west Londoners will be expecting big things from him. The defensive midfielder arrived from Marseille for £22.4 million.

Fuham have been tipped for a strong first season back amongst England's elite, and it's hard to argue that Jokanovic's side won't make a positive impression.

Admittidely, a sudden influx of new players can sometimes temporarily hinder a club's progress, but the Fulham jugganaught appears finely oiled and primed for the season ahead.

Prediction:

Jokanovic has added a lot of quality to his already impressive Fulham squad. The likes of Schurrle, Chambers and Mitrovic all have Premier League experience and that'll be vital to Fulham's successes.

Coupled with the exciting crop of talent they've signed across Europe, Fulham would be a safe bet to finish at least 10th this season and cement their place back in England's top flight.

Crystal Palace are the visitors on Saturday and will know how tough the game could potentially be.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/08/11/fulham-transfer-roundup-12-new-additions-including-five/

 
Fulham U23s draw opener with Manchester United

ulham's Under 23s began their Premier League 2 season with an encouraging display and an entertaining draw against Manchester United at Motspur Park last night.

Peter Grant's side commendable resilience to come from behind twice to claim a point against the Red Devils after conceding goals to  Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong. The young Whites were indebted to their centre back partnership with set piece equalisers arriving courtesy of Arron Davies and Rob Atkinson. The draw was the least the home side deserved for an enterprising display full of ambition and creativity, sparked by the energy and drive of Tyrese Francois in central midfield.

Cameron Thompson, deployed on the left wing in a fluid 4-3-3 that mirrored Slavisa Jokanovic's preferred system, had Fulham's first sight of goal but couldn't connect with Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson's dangerous cross before Cauley Woodrow, who endured a frustrating evening in front of goal, wasted a good opportunity after a fine through ball from Matt O'Riley. United had dominated possession and gradually began to create chances of their own with Magnus Norman saving stubbornly from George Tanner at his near post.

Thompson did saw a shot well blocked by united's Ro-Shaun Williams before the visitors broke swiftly, but James Wilson's low cross didn't find a team-mate. Estonian international midfielder Mathias Kait then drilled a shot fractionally wide of far post midway through the first period, but it was United who broke the deadlock. A neat passing move found Tanner out in space on the right flank and the full-back was afforded far too much time to cross. Angel Gomes drifted between Atkinson and Davies to direct a firm header past the helpless Norman.

The visitors, who despite their ample resources were surprisingly relegated last season, then had chances to double their lead before half-time. Former Fulham forward DJ Buffonge saw his effort bravely blocked by Atkinson and Davies then bravely threw himself in front of a Gomes effort to thwart further danger. United were to pay for those misses four minutes before the break when O'Riley's deep free kick was turned home at the far post by Davies.

The equaliser gave Fulham a boost at the start of the second half. United keeper Kieran O'Hara pulled off a brilliant save from Woodrow's improvised flick at his near post and Thornsteinsson then saw a strong penalty shout waved away by the referee. Instead, it was the Red Devils who went ahead again – hitting Fulham on the break. A lovely move involving Buffonge and Gomes finished with Belgian winger Chong drilling an excellent finish past Norman.

Defeat would have been harsh on the hosts and, to their credit, Fulham never gave up. They grabbed a deserved second equaliser from another O'Riley set play with Atkinson able to punish a poor clearance from Williams with a fine header. The Whites pushed hard for a third in the closing stages of an intriguing contest, but both sides ultimately had to be content with a point.

FULHAM U23s (4-3-3): Norman; Jenz, Mundle-Smith, Atkinson, Davies; Kait, Francois, O'Riley; Thornsteinsson, Thompson (Harris 73), Woodrow. Subs (not used): Stahl, Opoku, Drameh, Carvalho.

GOALS: Davies (41), Atkinson (80).

MANCHESTER UNITED U23s (4-2-3-1): O'Hara; Tanner, O'Connor, Williams, Garner; Poole, Hamilton; Chong, Gomes (Dearnley 88), Buffonge (Whelan 88); Wilson (Bohul 45). Subs (not used): Warren, Forstieck.

GOALS: Gomes (28), Chong (61).



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/08/fulham-u23s-draw-opener-with-manchester-united/

 
Fulham team news: Two defenders unavailable vs Palace, debutants ready

Fulham kick-off their first Premier League campaign in four years with a local derby on Saturday, as they welcome Crystal Palace to Craven Cottage.

The Championship play-off winners have brought in 12 new faces and spent over £100million, as they aim to avoid the drop and secure their top flight status.

Fulham's line-up will be littered with debuts, however they will be without two key defenders for their season opener.

Denis Odal is suspended for the opening two fixtures, while Alfie Mawson misses out with a knee injury which will sideline him until September.

According to a match preview from The Guardian, Aleksandar Mitrovic is set to lead the Fulham line after making a permanent move to the club.

Goalkeeper Fabri is touted to make his first start, while Callum Chambers will make his debut at the heart of the defence.

Deadline day signing Joe Bryan is expected to slot straight into the left-back position, with Jean Michael Seri also in line for a first Fulham outing in midfield.

Andre Schurrle has swapped Borussia Dortmund for Craven Cottage, and will likely be part of a three-pronged attack.

Fulham's last spell in the top flight ended in 2014, as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Saturday's opponents Palace.

Now, on their return to the Premier League, their new-look side will be aiming to get off the mark with a victory and lay a marker down for the rest of the season.



https://ninetyminutesonline.com/fulham-team-news-two-defenders-unavailable-vs-palace-debutants-ready/

 
'Stunning summer signings have got the Fulham fans excited ahead of Crystal Palace clash'

Our Fulham correspondent for football.london gives his thoughts on the Cottagers

Crystal Palace face newly-promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage in their opening game of the new Premier League season this afternoon (Saturday).

The Eagles will make the short trip to west London to take on the Cottagers, and ahead of the game, our football.london correspondent for Fulham, Ryan O'Donovan, gave us his views on Palace's opponents, below.

Fulham are back in the Premier League, but what is the mood like ahead of the new season among supporters?

It's one of excitement heading into the new season - Fulham are back in the Premier League for the first time in four years, and if you add that to the amount and calibre of signings the club are making, you can't blame the fans for looking forward to it.

The likes of Andre Schurrle, Jean-Michael Seri and Aleksandar Mitrovic has got fans believing they can challenge for more than just safety this season.

What has the summer recruitment been like and how do you see the new signings fitting in?

The summer recruitment was slow to get going, but the Fulham fans were rewarded for their patience with some stunning signings.

The previously mentioned Seri and Schurrle, as well as the likes of Alfie Mawson and Calum Chambers have all been signed and shows Fulham's statement of intent this season. Some of these players should be at top Premier League clubs, so the recruitment can only be described as stunning.

Fulham played an attractive style of football on their way to promotion last season, do you envisage much the same now, or will there be changes?

I think it will be pretty much the same.

Slavisa Jokanovic built the style built on the players they have and the signings they've added fit in with that mould, so they'll continue that attractive style of football. I do think, however, that they'll be more compact off the ball than they have been previously as they won't see as much possession as they did in the Championship in a fair few games.

What are the realistic ambitions for the season ahead?

Fans are optimistic, but I think the priority still has to be safety. Once they reach that magic 40 points target they can go for further targets, but it's vital they stay up this season.

Who are the key men to look out for?

As always, Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney will be players to keep an eye out for, but Seri looks a class above in pre-season and will be one for Palace fans to watch (and fear) while Schurrle is obviously a World Cup winner.

Mitrovic has the ability to be a focal point for Fulham's attacks and will cause problems for the Palace defenders.

What are the key strengths and weaknesses of this Fulham side?

Their strengths are their attractive style of football, which not only dominates opponents but also means they attack at will. That attack is their strength - they look frightening going forward and can make things happen all over the pitch. However, defence remains a concern and the side look suspect to crosses into the box.

What sort of game are you expecting on Saturday?

I'm expecting Fulham to come out all guns blazing in their first game back at Craven Cottage in the Premier League, while I expect Palace to sit back and try to soak up some of the Cottagers' pressure.

I do think there will be some nerves in the Fulham camp, especially with the lack of experience in places.

What is your score prediction?

I'm going to sit on the fence here and go for a 1-1 draw - I think Fulham will take the lead but nerves and frailties at the back will see them concede in the second half.



https://www.football.london/crystal-palace-fc/fixtures-results/stunning-summer-signings-fulham-fans-15010442

 
Crystal Palace team news: Hodgson could be without five for Fulham meeting

Crystal Palace will kick their 2018/2019 Premier League campaign off with a London derby against Fulham on Saturday.

The Eagles make the short journey across the capital and head to Craven Cottage where they meet one of the league's new-boys.

Roy Hodgson will be looking to get their season started off quickly, as they look to improve on last year's impressive showing, following the disastrous start the club had.

However, it appears that Crystal Palace could be without five of players for their clash with Fulham, per the club's official website.

Hodgson, who just recently signed a contract extension to remain with the Selhurst Park outfit, has confirmed that Scott Dann will remain unavailable for the clash as he continues to recover from a knee injury he picked up on New Year's Eve.

Connor Wickham and Jonny Williams are also out of the match with slight strains, leaving Palace short of options.

It is also believed that two of their newest additions will unlikely make an appearance for the club, with Max Meyer and Jordan Ayew not considered to travel.

The Germany international midfielder, who is considered a real coup for the club following his arrival from Schalke on a free transfer, last played a competitive match in April and will be working hard on his fitness.

Ayew completed a last-minute switch from Swansea City on deadline-day, so it is unlikely he will be ready to take to the field and could make an appearance for the club in their next match, which is a home clash against Liverpool.



https://ninetyminutesonline.com/crystal-palace-team-news-hodgson-could-be-without-five-for-fulham-meeting/

 
Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Fulham's opening day clash with Crystal Palace

Former Liverpool defender has his say on Craven Cottage clash

Mark Lawrenson reckons it will be a good atmosphere at Craven Cottage for Fulham's return to the Premier League, as they entertain Crystal Palace this afternoon (Saturday).

But the former Liverpool defender says it is hard to know what to expect from the newly-promoted Cottagers, who have signed 12 players this summer.

However, he thinks Fulham will get off to a winning start against the Eagles.

Writing in his weekly predictions feature for the BBC website, Lawrenson says that keeping hold of Wilfried Zaha in the summer was "massive" for Palace, because he makes such a difference to the Eagles.

And he says it will also be interesting to see how new Palace midfielder Max Meyer gets on in the Premier League, although he is unlikely to feature at Craven Cottage as he continues to build up his fitness.

But Lawrenson has predicted a 2-1 win for Fulham on the opening day, adding that he is backing the Cottagers to win their first top flight game since 2014.

His opponent for the weekly predictions feature, The Inbetweeners actor Joe Thomas, says the London derby is hard to call, and has gone for a 1-1 draw.



https://www.football.london/crystal-palace-fc/fixtures-results/mark-lawrenson-prediction-fulham-palace-15015131

 
Wolves, Fulham and Cardiff: the best-prepared trio of promoted clubs ever?
The three teams to come up from the Championship are all on different paths, but all look capable of staying up and maybe doing a lot more besides

(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d378b3916721a50011df78b60cd9d95c1e43d3ab/0_0_2560_1536/master/2560.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=20526a58e9ea800b7c490a205e5a7f54)
Wolves, Fulham and Cardiff City celebrate promotion. Composite: Getty Images, Action Images

The summer is ending, the new season is here, and three fresh clubs are joining the Premier League, charged with the innocent hope that they can be the latest to establish themselves in the glitziest division of them all. In August, it is easy to feel that way without any logic, the cynicism from last season washed away.

But this time, might the good vibes from Wolves, Fulham and Cardiff be genuinely justified? Is this the best-prepared trio to ever join the Premier League? Usually the sole aim of new clubs arriving in the top flight is survival, but you could make a pretty convincing case that at least two of the new class could not only stay up, but finish in the top 10. Wolves have augmented a squad that was probably already Premier League standard, Fulham have had arguably the most eye-catching transfer window in the whole division, and Cardiff are managed by Neil Warnock, so anything could happen.

Sights are certainly set high. "We're looking at doing more than surviving," Wolves' managing director, Laurie Dalrymple, said this summer. "I think the strategy we've had has been about building a squad and a structure we think is going to be viable to take us further, beyond promotion." No "we'll take each game as it comes, we're just aiming for 40 points" here.

The money helps. It is not a startling revelation that there is more cash in the Premier League than the rest of European football. But occasionally a reminder of just how much is handy: when the English transfer window closed on Thursday, the 10 clubs promoted to the top divisions of Germany, France, Italy and Spain had spent around £40m put together this summer. Cardiff, Fulham and Wolves spent close to £200m.

That money has allowed Fulham to sign Jean Michaël Seri, who last summer nearly joined Barcelona. Wolves have made a few of their high-value loan signings from last term their own as well as attracting Rui Patrício and João Moutinho and breaking their transfer record (again) for Adama Traoré. Even the relatively parsimonious Cardiff have made their second and third most expensive signings (Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid), but they have some longer-term plans for the Premier League windfall.

"The club don't want do the same as they did last time [they were in the Premier League], when they threw so much money at it and had a lot of debt," Warnock says of Cardiff's 2013-14 season in the top flight, when they spent lavishly on players such as Gary Medel and Andreas Cornelius. "We're looking to build the club far more than last time. There are plans for a new training ground, for example.

"When Burnley went up a few years ago they went down again straight away. But they built a new training complex and it gave them the building blocks to come back up again, and they've never looked back. Although we don't want to go down, we've got to make sure the club is in a better place."

Burnley are the model for a team like Cardiff but they are also an example of why all three clubs should be optimistic. Without wishing to diminish the fine work of Sean Dyche, that Burnley came seventh while going two months in the middle of the season without winning a game perhaps says more about the mediocrity in the rest of the division than about how brilliant they were. Burnley finished 21 points behind Liverpool in fourth place. They also finished 21 points ahead of Swansea, who were relegated.

The morass of teams between the top six and the drop zone was, last season, a largely indistinguishable mush. Was there a huge difference between the teams that went down and those that finished in "comfortable" mid-table? A bit, but not much. Were West Ham appreciably better than Swansea? Were Southampton, who survived by three points, significantly worse than mid-table Bournemouth? Not really.

On paper some of those teams have improved: West Ham have reacted to the dithering of last summer and spent decisively, Brighton have made some exciting moves and Southampton will be better for having Mark Hughes from pre-season. But the point is that none of the promoted three, particularly Wolves and Fulham, should be scared by any of their competitors.

Those two already have terrific sets of players: for Wolves, the brilliant Rúben Neves sometimes looked like he was playing a different sport to most of his Championship peers, while the forward Diogo Jota and the frequently overlooked defender Conor Coady complete their strong spine.

Fulham have Tom Cairney and the player everyone should be extremely excited about seeing this season, Ryan Sessegnon. They also have a manager unwilling to compromise on his approach. "We are not going to change the style," Slavisa Jokanovic told Marca. "We are not going to hit balls or park the bus. It would not be a good plan. The Premier League is very demanding, we need to change things. But we're not going to give up our style."

Those strong bases have been added to nicely. In addition to Seri, Fulham have brought back the bulldozing Aleksandar Mitrovic, taken Calum Chambers, André Schürrle and Leander Dendoncker on loan from Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Anderlecht respectively and picked up Alfie Mawson from Swansea. Patrício and Moutinho are high-class additions to an already high-class Wolves side, the former arriving as one of nine Sporting players who rescinded their contracts following a turbulent season that culminated in around 50 masked intruders breaking into the club's training ground and assaulting players and staff. Portugal's goalkeeper at the World Cup was thus signed for nothing, although Sporting still say they are seeking compensation.

As for Cardiff, Reid is a good purchase from Bristol City, and at £3.5m goalkeeper Alex Smithies could be a bargain. But despite the riches of the Premier League, they know how quickly a club in their position can get blown away by more established buyers.

"At the end of last season, we had a look at [Colombia midfielder] Jefferson Lerma, and we were told he would cost about £8m," says Warnock. "Now Bournemouth are paying £25m for him."

But Warnock recognises that whoever they buy, the season is likely to be a struggle. "We realise it's going to be a hell of a difficult job," he says. "When every bookie in the country has you down to finish bottom ..." – he breaks off to laugh heartily – "... not many give us hope! We will enjoy it, because we shouldn't really be here. Instead of fearing it, we've got to enjoy every minute."

These are three very different clubs approaching life back in the top flight in very different ways. But it is interesting that they all seem to be looking beyond mere survival. Wolves want a status befitting their ambition. Fulham want substance without compromising on style. Cardiff are trying to build something for the long term.

Last season all three promoted sides avoided relegation, only the second time that has happened in the last 15 years. Don't bet against this trio repeating the feat, and perhaps achieving even more besides.



https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/aug/11/wolves-fulham-cardiff-premier-league-prospects

 
Crystal Palace defender warns to expect the unexpected from Fulham on the opening day

Palace defender outlines his hopes for the season and discusses opening day clash at Fulham

Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins says it is difficult to know what to expect from Fulham on the opening day.

The Eagles travel to west London this afternoon (Saturday) to face the newly-promoted Cottagers in the hosts' first game back in the Premier League for four years.

The Cottagers have invested heavily over the summer, with 12 players signing for the club since they won promotion via the Championship play-offs in May.

Among them are World Cup winner Andre Schurrle, highly-rated Frenchman Jean-Michael Seri and Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who was on loan at Palace last season and will now spend the coming season on loan at Fulham.

Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins says it is difficult to know what to expect from Fulham on the opening day.

The Eagles travel to west London this afternoon (Saturday) to face the newly-promoted Cottagers in the hosts' first game back in the Premier League for four years.

The Cottagers have invested heavily over the summer, with 12 players signing for the club since they won promotion via the Championship play-offs in May.

Among them are World Cup winner Andre Schurrle, highly-rated Frenchman Jean-Michael Seri and Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who was on loan at Palace last season and will now spend the coming season on loan at Fulham.

(https://i2-prod.getwestlondon.co.uk/incoming/article15012511.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_fulham-signings.jpg)
Some of Fulham's new signings this summer.

"We expect a tough game, they will be up for it. Fulham are back where I feel they belong, especially when I was growing up."

However, Tomkins says he feels Palace are in a good place to build on last season, when they finished in 11th position.

And the former West Ham man says it is imperative that Palace start this season better than the last, having not picked up a single point in their opening seven games last season.

"We need to have a stronger start, for starters," he said.

"For sure, we do not want a situation like last season with no goals or points after seven games.

"What happened last season is obviously something we never want to see again.

"We want to start strongly. The lads are more together than they were last year. Players have gone, players have come in and hopefully they can blend in straight away."

So does Tomkins believe a top half finish is achievable for the Eagles this season?

"It is a goal you need to aim for. We want to build on last year," he said.

"If top half is realistic by the time Christmas comes, then that is what we will aim for."



https://www.football.london/crystal-palace-fc/fixtures-results/palace-defender-expect-unexpected-fulham-15014765