Thursday Fulham Stuff (07/01/16)...

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Huge blow for Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham as Roma swoop for striker
SERIE A giants Roma have offered Fulham striker Moussa Dembele a pre-contract in order to beat potential Premier League suitors.


SWOOP: Roma have made a contract offer to Fulham starlet Moussa Dembele

Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton are all ready to swoop for the 19-year-old starlet.

Dembele has been offered a new four-year contract at Fulham but is likely to move in the summer with Roma now the favourites, according to The Sun.

European giants Bayern Munich are also keen on the French starlet.

Dembele has been in sensational form this season scoring nine goals in 23 Championship appearances.

On speculation surrounding Dembele, new Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic, said: "I am not thinking about selling my key players like McCormack or Moussa Dembele. I don't plan for it and that's it.

"This team need some fresh blood and we are thinking about some players who can help us in the future."

Fulham have been placed under a transfer embargo by the Football League for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations.

This has increased speculation on Dembele's future as the Championship club could look to cash in on the forward this month.

Fulham would be due compensation in the summer if Dembele signs a pre-contract at any club this January.


http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/485578/Man-United-Arsenal-Liverpool-Tottenham-beaten-by-Roma-for-striker

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Crystal Palace and Roma join race to sign Fulham's teenage striker Moussa Dembele
Fulham's young striker Moussa Dembele is out of contract in the summer
The 19-year-old forward is being chased by a host of clubs across Europe
Crystal Palace and Roma are latest teams to join the race for Frenchman
Palace are chasing Wolves' Benik Afobe and Fiorentina's Khouma Babacar

Crystal Palace and Roma are the latest clubs to show interest in Fulham's teenage forward Moussa Dembele.

The French striker is out of contract in the summer and has also attracted interest from Tottenham, Everton, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Juventus.

Though still raw, clubs recognise Dembele has potential to improve and he has notched 10 goals in 25 appearances for the Championship club this season.


Crystal Palace and Roma are the latest clubs to show interest in Fulham forward Moussa Dembele (centre)


The French striker is out of contract in the summer and has also attracted interest from Manchester United

Dembele joined Fulham as a 16-year-old from PSG and was part of their Under 18 team that won the Premier Academy League in 2013.

Meanwhile, Premier League club Palace are also interested in Wolves striker Benik Afobe and have asked about Fiorentina forward Khouma Babacar.

A product of Arsenal's youth academy, Afobe has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing in the second tier over the years.

The 22-year-old has 10 goals for Wolves this season and could arrive at Selhurst Park to bolster their attacking ranks following Patrick Bamford's return to Chelsea.

Babacar, also 22, is another forward who is being considered by the south London club as they bid to strengthen their Europa League prospects.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3386187/Crystal-Palace-Roma-join-race-sign-Fulham-s-teenage-striker-Moussa-Dembele.html#ixzz3wXmJlpJH
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Report: Crystal Palace want Fulham's Moussa Dembele, despite competition from major rivals

Crystal Palace are reportedly hoping to beat major Premier League clubs to the signature of Fulham teenager Moussa Dembele.

According to The Mirror, Crystal Palace are preparing a move to sign Fulham's teenage sensation Moussa Dembele - and aim to beat Manchester United and Tottenham to his signature.

Palace's strikers have struggled in front of goal this season, with Connor Wickham, Dwight Gayle, Fraizer Campbell and Patrick Bamford - now returned to Chelsea - combining to score just once in Premier League this term.

Manager Alan Pardew needs a new striker if he is to achieve qualification for Europe this season, and it seems that he has set his sights on one.

The Mirror report that Palace are preparing a move to sign Fulham's teenage sensation Moussa Dembele, who has taken the Championship by storm this season.

Dembele, 19, has hit ten goals in just 23 Championship games this season, and looks destined to be making the step up to the Premier League in the near future.

A former Paris Saint-German youth star, Dembele has just 18 months left on his contract at Craven Cottage, and The Mirror suggest that Fulham would be willing to sell him for £6m this month.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/01/06/report-crystal-palace-want-fulhams-moussa-dembele-despite-compet/?

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Fulham striker sees Ross McCormack as a frontman to learn from to develop his career

Woodrow keen to develop by working with and watching the Whites talisman


Job done: Cauley Woodrow of Fulham celebrates his second goal

Cauley Woodrow wants to learn as much as he can from Ross McCormack as the young striker looks to establish himself as a Fulham regular.

The 21-year-old has only made one start for the Whites this season, scoring twice in the win over Rotherham, with McCormack and Moussa Dembele selected as the main front two.

Woodrow, though, has not put his time on the bench to waste as he looks to learn as much as he can from Fulham's talisman.

He said: "Ross is a great player and has been in the Championship for years. Moussa has been great this season and scored a lot of goals.


Ross McCormack celebrates with team mates

"It's been hard to get games but when I get the opportunity I hope I can take it.

"Ross has been in the league a long time. When you're out on the pitch Ross helps you out and he talks to you off the pitch. To play with him is great and I want to learn as much as I can from him."

The talented young striker believes he will continue to improve by playing alongside the Scottish frontman.

He added: "I've played with Ross a few times. He's a great player. He's clever with his movement, he's good on the ball and his passes are good. If we keep playing together that partnership will get better and better."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-striker-sees-ross-mccormack-10692321?

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Ross McCormack: Middlesbrough FC dismiss talk of bid for Fulham striker

Boro have continued to monitor the former Leeds man but have decided not to try and bring him to Teesside


Ross McCormack

Boro chiefs have dismissed reports the club is poised to sign Ross McCormack.

Rumours have circulated for weeks that Boro were keen on the £11m Fulham striker.


The London club are under a transfer embargo and may be ready to cash in on a key asset to balance the books while the player himself may be keen to leave a side that has stagnated.

And some media outlets have suggested a signing for Aitor Karanka's table-toppers was imminent with a fee and terms agreed for a switch to Teesside.

But senior club sources have insisted that Boro are not in for the Scottish international and there have been no transfer talks.

The Gazette understands Boro are happy with their squad and would only add to it if a deal was handed on a plate with the right player at the right price.

Boro initially tried to sign McCormack for £2.5m in the summer of 2013 when he was at Leeds and Tony Mowbray was in charge at the Riverside Stadium.

After a month-long frustrating public saga in which the goalposts were moved several times, they withdrew from the chase and the player signed a new deal at Elland Road.

He later joined newly relegated Fulham for a Championship record fee of £11m.

Boro have continued to monitor the striker, the league's top scorer this term with 15 goals, since then but have not acted on the interest.

There has been a buzz on football's grapevine as the transfer window loomed and Boro, along with title rivals Derby and top flight strugglers Bournemouth and Norwich, have been repeatedly linked with him.


http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/ross-mccormack-middlesbrough-fc-dismiss-10692454?

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FA Cup Memories

Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday's Third Round FA Cup tie on Saturday represents their fifth meeting in the competition's history. We take a look back at the previous fixtures, with each side coming out on top twice.

1950/51

Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday first went head-to-head in the FA Cup at the Third Round stage of the competition in 1950/51, with the Whites running out 1-0 winners in front of a 29,200-strong crowd at Craven Cottage in an all-Division One encounter.

It was far from a classic 90 minutes, with Bobby Brennan – the Club's record signing following his £20,000 move from Birmingham City at the start of the season – notching the game's only goal, but the 'Inside the Cottage' notes in the subsequent home programme stressed that Fulham were deserved winners of the contest.

"It was a game in which every player in our side and several from Sheffield Wednesday distinguished themselves," it wrote. "Bobby Brennan's second goal in consecutive games was the highlight of a dour struggle so typical of the FA Cup competition, but we are not going to say this was the only goal which Bobby might have scored.

"Nevertheless, we always looked the better side, and opinion everywhere was that we thoroughly deserved to go into the next round."

There was also special praise for centre half back Bill Pavitt who impressed after coming in for our regular number five Jim Taylor, who was nursing a shoulder injury. After the game, the three Owls directors who travelled came into the boardroom and said: "Gentleman, we wish you the best of luck right through to Wembley."

The Whites saw off the challenges of London rivals Millwall and Chelsea in Rounds Four and Five, but were beaten 1-0 by eventual runners-up Blackpool at the Quarter-Final stage.

1972/73

More than two decades passed before the sides met again in the competition, with Wednesday this time coming out on top with a 2-0 win at Hillsborough. Brian Joicey gave the home side the lead going into half-time, with Mick Prendergast confirming the victory when he netted after the restart.

The Whites had gone into the game in good form, having won three and drawn three of their previous six outings, and there were some who blamed the cup defeat on the kit we were wearing that day.

It was the first time Fulham had donned their new 'change of colours'; yellow shirts with blue collars and cuffs, blue shorts, and yellow socks with blue tops. After considering going back to the traditional red away strip for the next game away to Preston North End, the Club decided in the end that the yellow and blue ensemble was in fact not 'bogey' and the players wore it again at Deepdale.

That game ended in a 3-0 win for Alec Stock's side, and when Club Photographer Ken Coton went into the dressing room after the game, coach Bill Taylor gave him centre-half Paul Went's shorts and said: "Here you are, Ken, take a picture of these. They've got [Preston forward] Hugh McIlmoyle in the pocket."

1984/85

The Owls arrived at Craven Cottage on 5th January 1985 riding high in the top flight, while Fulham occupied a mid-table spot in Division Two. In a match that was televised live in Scandinavia, Ray Houghton netted in either half as the Whites put in a positive display against their illustrious opponents, but a Lee Chapman brace and Mel Sterland effort saw the visitors progress with a 3-2 win.

Renowned football commentator Brian Moore had given his assessment of the match the following day, and Manager Ray Harford was pleased with what he had to say.

"I was interested to hear Brian Moore's comments on Sunday," he said. "While he clearly thought both teams had performed well, he chose to congratulate Wednesday on winning the tie.

"As Wednesday are lying fifth in the First Division, while we currently occupy eleventh in the Second, I regard this as a compliment to us. We are obviously not regarded as a pushover by anyone."

Harford himself was pleased with his side's efforts during the match, stating: "For the first twenty-five minutes we gave Wednesday more problems than most teams they have met in the First Division. Ray Houghton had a magnificent game and he scored two goals of very high quality.

"In many ways it was a typical cup tie and the Scandinavian viewers may well now think that English football is always as attractive as this. If you should happen to meet any Scandinavian who saw the game, don't disillusion him too much; just tell him that it often is – when Fulham are involved."

2008/09

Two Andrew Johnson goals earned Fulham a first away win of the season and FA Cup progression the last time the two clubs met in the famous old tournament.

He fired his side in front with just 12 minutes played after latching onto an excellent Danny Murphy through ball, although Wednesday were level soon after when Tommy Spurr rifled one in from long range.

But Johnson had the final say two minutes from time when he converted substitute Erik Nevland's cross. It was a victory that brought a lot of relief to Manager Roy Hodgson, who still had memories of going out to League One Bristol Rovers the previous year.

"I didn't enjoy that," he admitted in his post-match press conference. "Bristol were like Sheffield Wednesday, hardworking and well-organised, and we lost on penalties.

"It was important for us to show we had made some strides forward in a year and that we are a better and stronger club than we were then. This result proves my point."

The Whites defeated Kettering and Swansea City in the subsequent rounds, but Manchester United proved too strong in the Quarter-Final at Craven Cottage, leaving with a 4-0 win.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/january/06/fa-cup-memories?

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Shrewsbury re-sign Jack Grimmer and extend Larnell Cole's loan

Jack Grimmer has returned to Shrewsbury from Fulham

Shrewsbury have brought Jack Grimmer back from Fulham and have extended Larnell Cole's loan from the London club as well.

Cole has scored twice for the Shrews in 19 appearances since joining on loan at the start of September.

"I'm delighted that we've been able to keep him until the end of the season and I'm sure everyone will be pleased about that," Shrewsbury manager Micky Mellon told the club's website.

"He's an exciting player and he has that pace and trickery and League One quality that we are looking for.

"He should be scoring more goals, we have spoken about that today, and hopefully he can start to add more goals to his game.

Larnell Cole has extended his loan spell with the Shrews

"He's done well during his time here and he's a player I wanted to keep and he wanted to stay."

Cole's Cottagers team-mate Grimmer is also back at the Greenhous Meadow until the end of the campaign.

Grimmer made seven appearances for the Shrews during a previous loan spell.


http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11761/10120594/shrewsbury-re-sign-jack-grimmer-and-extend-larnell-coles-loan?

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Sparkasse Cup Preview

A Fulham Under-19 squad is currently in Göttingen, Germany, preparing to compete in the Sparkasse-VGH Cup which kicks off on Thursday. We caught up with Head Coach Steve Wigley to find out more about the competition.


What can you tell us about the Sparkasse-VGH Cup, Steve?

It's a real competitive tournament, there's normally around 3,000 people there each day, and the top teams from Germany turn up; clubs like Schalke, Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach. There's been some great players there over the years, the likes of Manuel Neuer and Mesut Özil, and it's a prestigious tournament out in Germany. To win it you've normally got to come through a penalty shoot-out, so I think that's why the German teams have been very good over the years! That's across the board at young ages, they're used to these competitions in front of crowds. If you don't have a go and play at a good tempo, the crowd starts booing you! I enjoy it. It's character building and you learn who can adjust and who can think quickly.

What's the format of the tournament?

It's 5-a-side, but it can be strange. Austria Vienna have won it a couple of times, and they play with an outfield player in goal. We got beat by them in the Quarter-Finals two years ago, and we played with Emerson Hyndman in goal and he came out and played, and when we lost the ball he had to dive over the boards and the goalie dived on! It's to outnumber people, it's a strategic game, and it's to be enjoyed. We go and we take it seriously, train during the day, and then we play in the tournament on Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Then Sunday depends where you ended up. So we go out there and we work very hard for a few days to follow on what we've done at Motspur. It's enjoyable and it's something different for the lads, it's a different challenge altogether.

And this is our seventh consecutive year that we've competed?

It's great that we keep getting invited. Obviously not being in the Premier League we wonder whether we'll get invited, but I think we've always represented the country well when we've gone. They like us out there in terms of how the lads have done and how they behave. When you're outside of the Premier League you don't tend to get invited to as many tournaments, so it's important that we go there and do our best.


Last year our squad had an average age of 16. Is the travelling party a bit older this season?

Yeah, but we'll still be young. It is an Under-19 tournament, and we tend to go with the youth team. There's actually two tournaments on at the same time; we've got five or six of our squad going to [the Under-17 tournament in] Paderborn with Kevin Betsy because we felt that would give everybody the opportunity to play over the weekend, so that's good. You tend to name 12 players for the day and you rotate the boys on and off.

And fans can watch from home via live streams this year?

Yes, and it is worth watching, it's quite exciting. The goals are quite big in what's a small pitch, so it is pretty much shoot on sight. Quite a lot of the local teams play as well so that really fills the arena. I think it's sold out every evening, there's a band playing, and it's marketed so well. I really do think it's one of the reasons that the German teams are so good in competitions. This goes right through to about Under-9s with different tournaments all around the country, so they get used to playing in competitive tournaments in front of crowds and having to go through penalty shoot-outs. It helps down the line as you get a bit older as you get used to the tense situations, so we'll go and do our best and, like I say, I'm looking forward to it.

Supporters can watch live coverage of Fulham's matches, listed below (all times GMT), by following this link.

Thursday (7.30pm): Fulham v. JSG Hoher Hagen

Thursday (8.15pm): Fulham v. JFV West Gottingen

Friday (8.30pm): Fulham v. Borussia Monchengladbach

Friday (9pm): Fulham v. I.SC Göttingen 05

Saturday (3.45pm): Fulham v. Hamburger SV

Saturday (5pm): Fulham v. JSG Hardegsen

Fulham squad: Magnus Norman, Jake Soutter, Jerome Opoku, Aron Davies, Marlon Fossey, Elijah Adebayo, Anthony Dolan, Foday Nabay, Harrison Paton, Dennis Adeniran, Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson, Mattias Kait, Stephen Humphrys, Josh Walker


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/january/06/sparkasse-cup-preview?

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Juventus want Fulham striker

Italian giants Juventus want Fulham star Moussa Dembele, according to Sky Sports Transfer Centre.

Dembele has been mightily impressive in The Championship so far this season, with 10 goals for The Cottagers.

The 19 year old was signed to Fulhams academy from Paris Saint Germain and has attracted interest from a whole host of big clubs this season.

His contract at The Whites is up in the summer and he is yet to sign a new deal, which has only increased interest in his services.

The starlet has attracted interest from a wide range of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United.

Italian sides Roma and Napoli have also been credited as having an interest, but Sky are reporting that Juventus are now after the young Frenchman.

The European giants have an advantage over English clubs if they want to secure a deal, as they can approach the player directly before English clubs can.

Dembele has been the shining light in a poor season for Fulham, in which they have seen ex manager Kit Symons sacked.

They currently lie 19th in the table, after 25 games. The former Europa League finalists are just six points above the drop zone.


http://the72.co.uk/43987/juventus-want-fulham-striker/?

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How Fulham can work around their transfer embargo and recruit new players this January

Craven Cottage club have been hit with ban after breaching Football League rules


Man at the top: Fulham chairman Shahid Khan looks on

The January window is starting to heat up but Fulham supporters are still cursing a transfer embargo imposed on the club last month.

Fulham confirmed in a statement released at the end of the December that the club had made a loss greater than the £6million limit allowed by the Football League in the year following relegation.

But the transfer ban does not mean Craven Cottage is shut for business this winter and it could still be a busy few weeks for the west Londoners.

Ross McCormack and Moussa Dembele are both attracting attention as the Whites battle to keep hold of their star strikeforce.

Stoke City's Steve Sidwell is being lined up for a return to the Cottage on a loan move, just one of the ways the Whites can work around the embargo.

Let's take a closer look at the rules of the ban and how Fulham could still recruit fresh blood for the second half of the season...

Restrictions and loopholes

Boss: Head coach Slavisa Jokanovic looks on

Fulham have been prevented from registering new players, whether they are coming to the football club on a loan or permanent basis, under the rules of Financial Fair Play.

However, the club is allowed to add new names to their roster if they have 24 or fewer established players, who are defined as being aged 21 or older and have at least five starting appearances for the club under their belt, on the books and certain other criteria are met.

The Whites cannot pay, or commit to pay, any transfer or compensation fees for a player. They are permitted to sign an emergency goalkeeper, but only in line with existing regulations.

For incoming players, clubs can only pay Agents' Fees as a benefit in kind to the player in question (as long as they do not exceed the £600,000 employee costs limit).

Loans, like that of Sidwell's rumoured one , can be agreed but no fees can be paid to the parent club. Fulham can pay a contribution of a loanee's wage packet.

Replenishing the Fulham ranks

Transfer talk: Could Fulham's Ross McCormack leave in January?

If Fulham reach a stage where they have less than 24 established stars in their ranks, Slavisa Jokanovic will be able to start looking at replenishing his squad with signings.

But the Whites can only add a new addition, regardless of their age of playing experience, if the employee costs of a the signing are less than £600,000 per annum - or pro-rata if signed on a shorter contract.

It is also worth noting that the Championship club is allowed to register players under the age of 21 for non-first team matches.

Should there already be more than 24 players on the books, Fulham can still sign players on a 'one in, one out basis' this month.

There are restrictions on this though and the costs of bringing the player to west London cannot exceed either 75 per cent of the player heading out, or again, a maximum of £600,000 per annum - or pro-rata if signed on a shorter contract.

Club statement in full

Keeping the faith: A general view of Fulham fans before a match

Following the announcement made by the Football League, Fulham Football Club can confirm that it faces a transfer embargo during the January 2016 window.

The embargo arises as the club made an adjusted loss greater than the £6m limit allowed by the Football League in the year following relegation.

The Football League has since recognised this limit is low, especially for clubs recently relegated with Premier League overheads in place, and the limit has now increased to £13m per annum.

Unfortunately Fulham's embargo falls in the final year of the previous limit, but the club does not anticipate being in breach in future years.

The action imposed by the League has been anticipated since the summer, which saw a sustained period of investment in the team with that understanding.

The purchase of players such as Ross McCormack and Matt Smith (in summer 2014), to enable the club to compete effectively in the League, were the result of that investment.

The period of embargo will be imposed during January 2016 and the club will be able to fully trade again in the summer 2016 transfer window.

It will still be possible for the club to trade within the set FFP limits, and therefore the potential of recruiting players is still something that the club will look to do, if the right players are available.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/how-fulham-can-work-around-10694820?

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Roma offer talented Fulham striker Moussa Dembele a 'pre-contract' deal

Fulham's 21-year-old forward Moussa Dembele could be set to leave for Roma, amid Premier League competition for his signature, according to the Sun.

Having entered the last six months of his contract at Craven Cottage, he is in high demand from a multitude of English and European clubs.

According to the publication, the highly-sought after striker has been offered a pre-contract by Roma; who were also linked with him in the previous transfer window.

Other clubs believed to be in contention for his services are Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

The Fulham youngster has made 23 appearances this season, scoring nine goals and making two assists, which subsequently places him as one of the Championship's top scorers, just two goals behind third placed Nick Blackman.

The Cottagers are enduring a torrid 2015/16 campaign, and currently occupy 19th place in the Sky Bet Championship, having amassed 27 points from 25 league games.

Losing Dembele would be a major blow for Fulham's new manager Slavisa Jokanovic, and he would no doubt need to replace the striker if he departed Craven Cottage this month.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/roma-offer-talented-fulham-striker-moussa-dembele-a-pre-contract-deal/?#3IQPyVmz3VUtuOWZ.99

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Crystal Palace join race for £6m-rated Championship striker

Premier League side Crystal Palace have joined the race for Fulham wonderkid Moussa Dembele, according to the Mirror.

Eagles manager Alan Pardew has drawn up a January hit list of strikers to boost a so far strong Palace campaign, that has seen a distinct lack of goals from their front men, such as Conor Wickham and Dwight Gayle.

Dembele, 19, has scored 10 goals so far this season, impressing a number of top clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as German Champions Bayern Munich.

The promising French striker's contract is up this summer, and he's stalling over a new contract at the club, meaning he could leave the club for free over the summer.

He could be let go for £6 million this month, and with the number of suitors lining up for him, it could mean that Slavisa Jokanovic loses a key member of his squad, and a huge talent.

The Cottagers are seriously struggling in the Sky Bet Championship, having accumulated 27 points from 25 league games this season.

Fulham have only won one game in their last ten league fixtures, and Jokanovic will no doubt be keen to utilise the January window to his advantage to help revitalise his side.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/crystal-palace-join-race-for-6m-rated-championship-striker/?#HYsZyrFtJLKTCff4.99