Saturday Fulham Stuff (22/07/17)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Turkish giants hijack Fulham's attempt to re-sign Chelsea centre back

Besiktas are set to seal a loan deal for Chelsea defender Tomas Kalas "in the coming days" according to Sabah.

The Turkish newspaper says the Super Lig champions turned their attentions to the Czech international after losing out on his team mate Kurt Zouma. The Frenchman is poised to join Stoke City on a season long loan from the Blues.

Kalas spent the whole of last season out on loan at Championship play-off semi-finalists Fulham. Goal.com reported on Wednesday that both the Cottagers and Hull City were interested in the 24 year old.

To ensure a loan move could go ahead, Chelsea were preparing to offer the centre back a contract extension as the player is in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.

Kalas was said to be favouring a move back to Fulham, instead of Hull, with Goal stating a loan switch to Craven Cottage was "close" but it seems the lure of playing Champions League football with Besiktas could have turned the defender's head.



https://theshedender.com/2017/07/tabloid-talk/turkish-giants-hijack-fulhams-attempt-to-re-sign-chelsea-centre-back/

[WhiteJC]

 
Why Fulham Over Hull City Would Be The Ideal Destination For This 24-year Old

Fulham or Hull City– Which Is The Ideal Destination For Tomas Kalas?

Czech Republic international defender Tomas Kalas has flown off with Chelsea for their pre-season tour of China and Singapore amid uncertainty over his future in England.

Fulham, where he spent last season on loan, are thought to want him back but face a battle with Championship newcomers Hull City for the 24-year-old, after they lost influential centre-back Curtis Davies to Derby County as well as Harry Maguire to Leicester City.

Kalas has just one year left on his contract with the Blues and is highly unlikely to be involved much at first team level, with his immediate future seemingly lying in the second tier, one way or the other. It may be that Kalas is asked to sign a new deal at Stamford Bridge before once again heading out on loan. However, it remains a mystery as to which team he might be heading out. Which of the Championship promotion chasers is best for Kalas for now?

In the case of the Tigers, Harry Maguire's defection is no surprise. Just 24 years old and with England ambitions, he simply had to remain in the Premier League and neither he nor the club can be blamed for that particular transfer.

Curtis Davies has swapped them for a Championship rival though and in recent days, midfielder Tom Huddlestone did the same thing, having hinted at some problems behind the scenes at the KCOM Stadium. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that they may lose more players, Sam Clucas for example, and the club have perhaps done precious little to cover these losses.



Fulham have lost left-back Scott Malone to Huddersfield Town, but other than that, their business has been excellent.  Stars Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney were widely expected to leave but instead, signed new deals at Craven Cottage.

As well as this, Ibrahima Cisse, Marcelo Djalo and Jozabed Sanchez have joined the club to complement the loan signing of Chelsea's Lucas Piazon. They really do look a club going places and it would be strange if Kalas did not choose a club just down the road from Chelsea, ahead of the Tigers.

I hate to kick a club when they are down, but if I were in Kalas' shoes I could not bring myself to sign for Hull right now. Conversely, Fulham seem to have proper title ambitions and have lost nothing like the amount of talent they will have feared, after their play-off semi-final loss in May.




http://soccersouls.com/2017/07/22/why-fulham-over-hull-city-would-be-the-ideal-destination-for-this-24-year-old/

[WhiteJC]

 
Why Fulham Should Go All Out To Sign This Birmingham Star After An Initial £5m Bid Was Rejected

Che Adams

Why Fulham Should Go All Out For Che Adams
Harry Redknapp is determined to keep hold of centre-forward Che Adams and has offered the former Sheffield United man a new deal having dismissed a £5million bid from Fulham for his services.

The West London outfit are thought to be keen on making the 21-year-old their main summer striking target, though their efforts so far to bring him to the club have been met with short shrift by Birmingham City.  The Blues manager is keen to keep hold of Adams, who scored 7 goals in his 40 Championship appearances last term.

Redknapp wants the Leicester-born striker to commit to St. Andrews, though his head may be turned by Fulham's advances and for their part, they see a proper striker as something they were missing last season when falling short of the required standard to gain promotion.

Adams, up to this point, hasn't been what you'd call prolific, as his best return is the 11 he managed for the Blades in 2015/16 at League One level. He scored 7 in 42 in all competitions last season, which does not catch the eye either, at first glance. However, as of yet, he has not played in a proper attack-minded team and had he been at Craven Cottage last season, he may well have fired 10-15 goals.

With that in mind, and the knowledge that he is raw and can only improve, it could be clever thinking outside the box from Fulham to attempt to get him in. Even though he comes with risks, he may yet prove to be an inspired signing if they can manage to get him over the line.

If he does sign, a lot of Adams' success (or otherwise) will depend on the supply line. It was excellent last season but a good deal of it was provided by the now departed full-back Scott Malone. Sone Aluko is also a target for rivals Reading, so him leaving would be a major negative.

That said, Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon are improving all the time and have now committed to the club, meaning a steady supply of key passes would be on the menu for Adams. His goal ratio at this level will improve naturally as the seasons go on and if I were a Fulham fan, I would not see the case of the Birmingham man as a bad thing at all.

Diego Rolan is stalling on a potential move so Fulham would do well not to wait for him and instead to go all out to get another target instead. Che Adams could be that man.




http://soccersouls.com/2017/07/22/why-fulham-should-go-all-out-to-sign-this-birmingham-star-after-an-initial-5m-bid-was-rejected/