Wednesday Fulham Stuff (01/07/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham close in on former Tottenham man as QPR miss out on £2million striker to Leeds United

Fulham are closing in on the signing of former Spurs and Blackpool man Jamie O'Hara on a free transfer.

The Birmingham Mail claim O'Hara is on trial at Fulham and could seal a deal as soon as this week.

After impressing with relegated Blackpool last season, the experienced central midfielder is set to be handed another chance in the Championship and a number of clubs were reportedly interested.

However Fulham have made first move having already snapped up Tom Cairney from Blackburn earlier this month.

The Mail also claim Leeds United are set to sign Chris Wood from Leicester City.

Wood was a target of both QPR and Wolves but the New Zealand international appears to have chosen Leeds as each club filled £2million bids.

The former Millwall loanee needs to kick on with his career and Leeds finally have found Ross McCormack's replacement.



Read more at: http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/fulham_close_in_on_former_tottenham_man_as_qpr_miss_out_on_2million_striker_to_leeds_united_1_4131969
Copyright © LONDON24

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 5-a-side: Felix White

Ahead of the All Stars charity match last month, we caught up with The Maccabees guitarist and lifelong Fulham fan Felix White to see who would make it into his ultimate 5-a-side team.


Maik Taylor

Maik Taylor's standing right behind me so I think I'm going to have to put him in goal. I remember getting Maik and Andre Arendse's autograph every week in the Riverside Stand when I was 10-years-old, so for that and that alone he makes the cut. Funny story about Maik Taylor, I was on holiday a few years ago and I went whale spotting. We didn't see any whales but did see Maik go past in a boat. I got in an argument with my girlfriend because that was the most excited I got all holiday...


Simon Morgan

Morgs is an all-time Fulham hero. He's really versatile as well so he'd be in as he'd come in very handy at 5-a-side. Simon Morgan overhears this and chimes in with, "I can play anywhere badly..."


Matt Lawrence

Matty Lawrence is in for his knowledge of indie music. That and the fact that his poster was on my wall when I was little. He's also lending me some football boots so the least I can do is include him.


Mousa Dembélé

Mousa Dembélé is probably the best footballer I've ever seen play for Fulham. So it would be between him in midfield and Richard Carpenter, because I like his nickname; Jurgen.


Bobby Zamora

Bobby Zamora's up front. There's nobody better with their back to goal than Bobby Zamora. His hold-up play was excellent when he was at Fulham.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/june/30/fulham-5-a-side-white?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham stall over move for Swansea defender Jazz Richards

No move on Wales international from Whites


Stationary: Jazz Richards

Fulham are further from signing Jazz Richards than ever.

Getwestlondon understands things have reached an impasse over the signature of the right-back they had on loan last season.

Neither party is talking to the other at the moment, and far from a £500,000 done deal as reported, the Wales international is being courted by a number of clubs, including Premier League Aston Villa.


Tackle: Jazz Richards, on ground, during his time at Fulham

Although Whites boss Kit Symons made no secret of his admiration for a player he coached as Wales assistant boss, Richards pulled up no trees during his time at the Cottage, according to fans, and missed a couple of games through injury in his 14-match stay after arriving in the January transfer window.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-stall-over-move-swansea-9545846?

[WhiteJC]

 
Louis Saha reveals "fight" with Fulham in order to join Man Utd



Louis Saha has revealed that he had to fight with Fulham's staff in order to get his move to Manchester United back in 2004, as per the official website.

The Red Devils have boasted some of the finest strikers around over the years and whilst Saha is not held in the highest of esteem by the club's supporters, the former France international did enjoy four years in the North West.

Saha, who began his career with French side Metz back in 1995, first came to England on a loan spell with Newcastle United in 1999 and despite scoring just one league goal there, Fulham took a gamble on the deadly left-footed striker.

The Frenchman managed 63 goals in 142 games across all competitions in his four seasons there, and so Manchester United decided to come calling.

It did not happen easily though – Saha himself admitting the Cottagers played hard to get and tried to get the "best deal".

Saha said: "I heard a few rumours when I was at Fulham about Sir Alex Ferguson trying to know more about me. I had a few good games against United and it took time maybe for me to give him the motivation to do the deal, but at the end he was really clear that he wanted me in his team.

"I had to fight a little bit with Fulham because they were trying to get the best deal, which I understood. At one point, I thought enough was enough so I got involved and made it happen."

The 36-year-old had a tough time at Old Trafford, with injuries getting the better of him for large parts of his four years under Sir Alex Ferguson. Was it worth the "fight"? Maybe, maybe not.



http://www.squawka.com/news/louis-saha-reveals-fight-with-fulham-in-order-to-join-man-utd/408390?

[WhiteJC]

 
Reports: Jazz's Fulham deal far from done with Norwich & Villa amongst clubs monitoring situation

New talk coming from the English capital has it that – far from as was previously suggested – Jazz Richards is some way from agreeing a move to Fulham, with the Cottagers unsure as to whether to bring the Welsh international into the fold.

Jazz has been the subject of lots of transfer talk already this summer. With first team football hard to come by he's been linked with a host of clubs – WBA, Villa, Crystal Palace & Norwich have all been touted as potential suitors – and after an excellent performance for Wales against Belgium a few weeks ago he's likely to be able to pick between a few offers if he does decide to move on.

Despite Fulham boss Kit Symons being a known admirer of Richards it appears any deal is far from done, and while it may not have been Jazz's preferred option if he is prepared to stick around in SA1 in six months time he may be close to usurping Angel Rangel as second-choice right-back behind Kyle Naughton – who is now surely our first-choice full-back on that side.

That said it does seem likely Richards will depart this summer. Whether that's to Fulham though is now far from certain.


http://theswanseaway.co.uk/2015/06/reports-jazzs-fulham-deal-far-from-done-with-norwich-villa-monitoring-situation/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Talks between Fulham and Swansea City defender break down

Talks between Championship side Fulham and Swansea Cy defender Jazz Richards are breaking down, according to Get West London.

The 24-year-old is a Swansea academy product and signed for Fulham on loan during their struggles last season, impressing them enough to make them want to sign him on a permanent basis.

They aren't the only ones however, as Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers and Derby County also see the £500,000 rated man as a potential asset to their side – Fulham are the only ones to have an offer accepted, however.

On top of that, Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Aston Villa have also registered and interest in his signature after impressing on international duty with Wales.

A deal had seemed to be struck between the two, but now it's understood that talks are breaking down between the two parties, neither of which are speaking to eachother at the moment.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/talks-between-fulham-and-swansea-city-defender-break-down/?#TLVQ4TI4AHRl8HIZ.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Further Fixture Changes

The Club can confirm amendments to the following 2015/16 Sky Bet Championship fixtures:

Hull City v Fulham

Will now take place on Wednesday 19th August (7.45pm), previously scheduled for Tuesday 18th August.

Fulham v Queens Park Rangers

Will now take place on Friday 25th September (7.45pm) after being selected for live broadcast by Sky Sports. Previously scheduled for Saturday 26th September.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Fulham

Will now take place on Friday 15th April (7.45pm), previously scheduled for Saturday 16th April.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/june/30/further-fixture-changes?

[WhiteJC]

 
Wigley Returns

The Club is delighted to announce the return of Steve Wigley to Fulham as Under-18s Manager.

Steve initially joined the Club in the summer of 2012 and enjoyed marvellous success during his first season in the role as Fulham U18s won both the Dallas Cup and the Barclays U18 Premier League titles.

The following campaign, he led a new group of youngsters to the Final of the FA Youth Cup for the first time in the Club's history, where we narrowly lost out to local rivals Chelsea 7-6 across two legs.

During his first spell as Under-18s Manager, Steve oversaw the development of the likes of Cauley Woodrow, George Williams, Emerson Hyndman, Moussa Dembélé and Patrick Roberts.

He departed the Club in May 2014 to take up an assistant manager role alongside Stuart Pearce at Nottingham Forest – his first professional club. He had previously worked alongside Pearce with England Under-21s, while the pair also took charge of the full national team in a friendly defeat against the Netherlands in February 2012.

Wigley's playing career saw him take in spells at Forest, Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Exeter City. Upon retiring from the game he has undertaken management roles with Aldershot Town and Southampton, as well as coaching positions at Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Hull City and Bristol City.

Earlier Steve Wigley said: "I am delighted to return to Fulham and look forward to the exciting challenges ahead with the Under-18s. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here previously and only left to take up an opportunity that was too exciting to turn down and which has proved to be been an incredibly valuable learning experience for me.

"Fulham is a great club with a fantastic crop of young talent who I'm really keen to work with, so I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends again and getting out on the training pitch with the young lads and hopefully replicating some of the successes we saw previously."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/june/30/wigley-returns?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham to lose out on Richards
   
You`d have thought it would be easy sitting down and getting a deal done when the two clubs involved were discussing a player that was one loan from one to the other last season.

But clearly it is not!

The transfer of Jazz Richardsfrom Swansea City to Fulham was, so we thought, a dead cert this summer.

After all Swansea were prepared to sell the player, we`d used him on loan and Jazzy quite fancied a permanent spell in West London.

But any hopes of getting a deal done are now said to be fading fast with it being reported that the clubs are not even talking to each other at the moment.

Furthermore the situation is getting further complicated by the suggestion that several other clubs are, seemingly, willing to cough up the £500,000 fee to take the player with the list including - Queens Park Rangers, Derby County, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa all included.

Are we about to see a golden opportunity pass us by?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=404116#ixzz3ecgGIM1e

[WhiteJC]

 
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder trains with Fulham

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Blackpool midfielder Jamie O'Hara is training with Fulham at the moment, according to Vital Fulham.

Blackpool's player of the season was released by the club at the end of season by the Tangerines and has been linked with a move to Championship sides Nottingham Forest and Fulham, after scoring twice and making seven assists last year.

The Pools offered him a new deal at the club, but he decided to reject a deal.

The 28-year-old is training with Kit Symons side and could sign a deal with them next year as part of a revolution to help them reach the Premier League once more.

Fulham have made central midfielder Tom Cairney their first signing of the summer in a £3 million deal, and he could be O'Hara's central midfield partner if he signs upon the dotted line.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/former-tottenham-hotspur-midfielder-trains-with-fulham/?#uv75DGWHsBJbTi2R.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Stall On Jazz - West Ham Enter Race

There were two twists in the Jazz Richards transfer story today with the London press reporting that Fulham were stalling on making a move or the defender while West Ham are rumoured to be watching the defender with his recent international performance having caught the eye of new Hammers boss Slaven Bilic.

The London media are reporting that neither Fulham or Swansea are currently talking over making last season's loan move a permanent one and with Premier League interest supposedly there as well it could well get to the stage that the deal never goes through.

Jazz still seems certain to leave Swansea this summer and maybe more so with the signing of Franck Tabanou as competition for Neil Taylor leaving the Swans with two full backs either side of the pitch who are ahead of Jazz in the queue for a starting berth.

Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, West Brom and Norwich are already rumoured to be watching Jazz and now West Ham appear to have joined the race although nothing has been widely reported on this interest as yet

Richards said at the end of last season that he would have to consider a move away from the Liberty to gain first team football and with Wales heading towards a first major finals since 1958 a spot with regular action would increase his chances of action in France next summer.

Plenty of mileage in this one still I feel


http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/39103/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Striker Kostas Mitroglou On Verge of Besiktas Switch

Fulham are in the final stages of talks with Besiktas over loaning striker Kostas Mitroglou to the Turkish club, according to Inside Futbol sources.

The Black Eagles, who are looking to replace Demba Ba following his switch to Shanghai Shenhua, have zeroed in on Mitroglou.

Fulham have agreed to a one-year loan for Mitroglou, for which Besiktas will pay the Cottagers a fee of £1m.

Mitroglou himself will net €2.1m from the loan spell in Istanbul.

Talks to put the finishing touches to the deal are still ongoing in London, but Besiktas are hopeful the 27-year-old will be on his way to Turkey.

Fulham snapped Mitroglou up from Greek giants Olympiacos in the 2014 winter transfer window, but he struggled for fitness and failed to help the Cottagers avoid relegation to the Championship.

Mitroglou was loaned out to Olympiacos last season, featuring on a regular basis for the Greek outfit and helping his old club win the Super League title.

He now appears set to sample football in Turkey next term.


http://www.insidefutbol.com/2015/06/30/fulham-striker-kostas-mitroglou-on-verge-of-besiktas-switch/218263/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jazz Richards to have medical at Fulham tomorrow according to Sky Sources

Despite it coming out in recent days that a number of clubs have been fighting for his signature, it appears that Fulham are still in pole position to land full-back Jazz with the Welsh international reportedly undergoing a medical tomorrow.

After coming through the ranks in SA1, Jazz has been a victim of our own success and has failed to break into the first team on a regular basis.

He had a spell on loan at Fulham last season, making fourteen appearances, before being recalled to Swansea after injuries to Kyle Naughton and Angel Rangel.

The fee is believed to be in the region of £500,000 which, it could be argued, isn't quite what he's worth. However with him being an academy product, I think the club have taken Jazz's best interests into consideration and agreed to take a cut fee for him.

If Jazz does complete his move to Craven Cottage, I'm sure I can say on behalf of everyone at the club that we wish him every success in the future.


http://theswanseaway.co.uk/2015/06/jazz-richards-to-have-medical-at-fulham-tomorrow-according-to-sky-sources/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Transfer Targets: Championship Defenders
by CHRIS GILBERTSON on JUNE 30, 2015

Fulham have begun this summer transfer window by concluding three deals for players from within the Championship. In Tom Cairney, Ben Pringle and Andy Lonergan we have moved to strengthen the squad with players who are already proven in our division. It is a surprisingly sensible transfer strategy and looks to be going someway to rectifying the balance of the misshapen squad we ended last season with.



However, with the arrivals in the form of a goalkeeper and two midfielders (with a possible third to follow in Jamie O'Hara), one area we are yet to sign any players for is the defence. With up to an entirely new back four not out of the realms of possibility, it is safe to say Mike Rigg and co will be scouring the Championship for defensive options. So what follows is a list of potential defensive targets, should Fulham decided to continue the strategy of staying within the Championship.

Lewis Dunk – CB, Brighton & Hove Albion

Centre back Dunk is a player who's already been linked to Fulham this summer, with some reports stating we've already had offers for the 23 year old turned down. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, but it is certainly believable, and Dunk would be an intriguing signing. At 6"4' his size makes him stand out, but there is a danger with a player like Dunk that his goal scoring, 5 last season, makes him overly memorable relative to how good he actually is. However, he's a solid player with his prime years ahead of him so it would be a surprise if Brighton let him go.

James Tarkowski – CB, Brentford

22 year old centre back Tarkowski has had something of a meteoric rise in the 18 months since he joined Brentford from Oldham on transfer deadline day in January 2014. Arriving in west London as a 20 year old amidst Premier League interest, Tarkowski was the archetypal sign them cheap, sell them high transfer that suits the transfer system Brentford are in the midst of implementing. At 22, he still has some development to come and it would be a surprise if Brentford sold him to a rival before his value peaks. We've been linked with him already this summer with rumours suggesting we've unsurprisingly baulked at a reported £8m valuation placed on the player by Brentford.

Tom Lees – CB, Sheffield Wednesday

24 year old Lees is another whose name has briefly been mentioned as a potential target already this summer, with press reports suggesting a £1.2m bid was supposedly rejected earlier in June. The Sheffield Wednesday defender is popular at Hillsborough, even captaining the side at times last season and you'd be surprised if they let him go after only one full season at the club. At 6"2' he's another physically imposing centre back and, despite his age, would add both experience and leadership to a back line lacking an identity. Sheffield Wednesday kept an impressive 17 clean sheets last season and Lees was a big reason why. Fulham have also been linked to Wolves CB Richard Stearman, whilst it perhaps wouldn't be a surprise to see Michael Turner leave newly promoted Norwich for a return to South West London.

Simon Francis – RB, Bournemouth

Ok, so Bournemouth aren't technically in the Championship anymore, but Francis was the best visiting full back to play at Craven Cottage last season. At 30 he is not in the age bracket we ideally want to be signing, but it is important that we garner some experience in the squad outside of those already at the club. If Jack Grimmer isn't to start the season as our principal right back, I'd want his replacement to be someone he can look up to and learn from. Francis led all Championship defenders in assists last season with 6 but I'd be surprised if Bournemouth wanted to let him go, or if he'd want to leave.

Charlie Daniels – LB, Bournemouth

Similarly to Francis above, Daniels is no spring chicken aged 29. However, with Bournemouth spending £8m on Tyrone Mings last week, Daniels has seen his potential role at the club nose dive. Daniels is a good all round full back and was part of a spectacularly solid Bournemouth back four last season, alongside the aforementioned Francis, Steve Cook and Tommy Elphick. He also chipped in with 4 assists and 43 key passes. With Sean Kavanagh the only left back in the first team squad (assuming Fernando Amorebieta has no future at the club) we could urgently do with a bit of experience.

Sam Byram – RB, Leeds

I should start the write up of Byram by saying there is very, very little chance we could sign Byram. The 21 year old right back has been catching scouts eyes from the Premier League for several seasons now, with latest reports linking him to Everton in the event Seamus Coleman leaves. However, taking Leeds' best player for the second summer in a row would be a real coup for Fulham. In reality though, it is likely that a more experienced right back arrives to challenge Grimmer for the place.  The most probable scenario is the arrival of former loanee Ashley Richards on a permanent transfer from Swansea, but we can dream.

James Husband – LB, Middlesbrough

Another 21-year old, Husband spent the last month of last season on loan at Fulham as part of the Amorebieta loan swap. In 2 league appearances, Husband managed to do what Kostas Stafylidis failed to do in 38 and resemble a competent defender. With George Friend cemented as the starter at Boro, Husband will need to leave the Riverside for regular minutes this season and I'm sure I'd not be alone in welcoming him back to Craven Cottage. Whether Boro would sell him is a different question.

Scott Malone – LB, Cardiff

Malone started last season at Millwall and caught the eye as the Lions beat us at the Cottage in August. However, with his contract running down, Millwall sold him to Cardiff in January where he proceeded to make 13 appearances. It's unlikely he'd move again, but the 24 year old is one of the Championships best under the radar full backs.

It's unlikely any of these players will arrive in SW6 this summer, but it is good to see Fulham looking at the talent available within the Championship as a means to strengthen the squad.

COYW


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2015/06/fulham-transfer-targets-championship-defenders/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jazz Richards is set to complete move to Fulham - Sky sources

Swansea's Jazz Richards will have a medical at Fulham on Wednesday ahead of a permanent move, according to Sky sources.

He is keen to move on in search of regular first-team football having found himself behind Kyle Naughton and Angel Rangel in the pecking order at the Liberty Stadium.

The full-back stood out in Wales' recent win over Belgium in Cardiff and has attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs.

Richards, who joined Swansea in 2008, was sent out on loan to Fulham in January before he was forced to return at the end of the campaign as injury cover.

The Wales international had also previously Crystal Palace and Huddersfield.

It is increasingly likely that his appearance for the Swans was his display against Crystal Palace in May, the last of 51 for his local team with the player now in the final year of his contract at the club.

Kit Symons has worked with the 24-year-old at Fulham last term and during his time as assistant boss of Wales.

He made 14 appearances for the Cottagers during his spell in West London.


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/9899532/jazz-richards-is-set-to-complete-move-to-fulham-sky-sources?

[WhiteJC]

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