Friday Fulham New 01/07/2016

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KOMEAN TO SEAL FIRST EVERTON SIGNING WITH CAPTURE OF FORMER PLAYER – REPORT




Ronald Koeman will seal his first signing as Everton manager within 24 hours with the arrival of Maarten Stekelenburg, according to a report.

The Fulham goalkeeper is set to sign for the Toffees as Koeman's revolution at Everton officially begins.

The Daily Express claim Stekelenburg will join on an undisclosed fee and the deal with be finalised on either Friday or Saturday.

Stekelenburg has worked with Koeman at various clubs including spending last season on loan at Southmapton as cover for the injured Fraser Forster.

The Dutchman made 25 appearances for the Saints as Koeman looks to address the issue of goalkeepers at Everton.

Koeman is not convinced Joel Robles is up to the task of being Everton's No.1 stopper while veteran first-choice Tim Howard has returned to America to see out the remainder of his career.

Everton are said to be backing Koeman with a £100million transfer kitty and the Everton boss is believed to want to add another goalkeeper before the end of the summer, with Tim Krul of Newcastle also a target.

That could mean Robles' time at Goodison Park is coming to a close with the Spaniard a signing of former Everton manager Roberto Martinez.

[Friendsoffulham]

Ream: Good Test



Tim Ream says the Fulham squad are "buzzing" at the prospect of opening the 2016/17 Sky Bet Championship season against title favourites Newcastle United.

Rafa Benitez's men will provide the opposition under the Cottage floodlights on Friday 5th August, and our American defender is relishing the battle that awaits.

"I don't think you could have a more exciting fixture to start the season," he told fulhamfc.com. "They're just coming down on the back of a relegation, so a lot of the guys were buzzing about it once they saw it.

"It's a good match to kick the season off and it will be a good test to see where we're at."

There is, of course, still plenty of work to do in the month leading up to that game, with the team returning to Motspur Park this week to commence their pre-season schedule.

"It's been tough, but good, with a lot of fitness work," Ream explained. "They've split the group to get everyone in and get everything done in the first few days, and it's testing after testing after testing.

"It's not all fitness-related, but movement and physicality sessions too, and it's been good and enjoyable. It's one of the necessary evils to get guys ramped up after six or seven weeks off.

"Obviously everyone's been doing their own fitness work over the break but pre-season's there to make sure everyone's ready and that we go into the first match on a high."

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Jose Mourinho's Son Signs Two-Year Youth Deal With Fulham



Jose Mourinho's son has taken another step towards life as a football player after signing a two-year youth team deal with Fulham.

Jose Mario Jr joined the Craven Cottage side back in 2013 when his dad returned to England for his second stint as Chelsea manager.

The 14-year-old goalkeeper had previously played with one of Real Madrid's youth teams and must have arrived at Fulham with some decent experience.

But now the younger Jose has proven his quality and earned a two-year scholarship deal with the English Championship club.

He posted a picture of the moment he signed his contract alongside his mother on Instagram yesterday:

Imagine Jose Sr managing Jose Jr one day? Maybe for the Portuguese national team?

The 17-year-old should now join up with the Fulham Under-18 team for pre-season and prepare to stake his claim to be the club's future number one.

He would follow in the footsteps of Mourinho's father, who played as a goalkeeper for a number of Portuguese clubs and represented the national team once in 1972.

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Ayité Arrives



The Club is pleased to announce the arrival of our second summer signing, Togo international Floyd Ayité.

A 27-year-old versatile attacking player, Ayité arrives from Ligue 1 outfit SC Bastia for an undisclosed fee, on a three-year deal, with a Club option for a further 12 months.

French-born Ayité began his career at hometown club Bordeaux, during which time he took in loan spells at Angers and Nancy.

A permanent transfer to Reims came about in the summer of 2011, and his form led to a move to Bastia three years later.

In his two seasons at the club he scored 16 times in just over 60 appearances, prior to his switch to Craven Cottage.

Floyd will join up with the rest of the group as they head to Cork on Monday, so keep an eye on fulhamfc.com for his first interview.