Tuesday Fulham Stuff (05/09/17)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Newcastle United will regret missing out on Tom Cairney

Newcastle United were linked with the Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney during this summer's transfer window but the Magpies never quite managed to agree on a deal.

If reports are to be believed, Benitez tried to orchestrate a swap deal involving Cairney and Gayle on deadline day.

Newcastle have made some clever signings this summer but Benitez is likely to regret missing out on the Scotsman this season. The Magpies are crying out for a midfielder who can run the show from the midfield and they should have submitted a better offer for the player in time.

Cairney is one of the best players in the Championship and his intelligence at the heart of the midfield would have been a huge asset for Rafa Benitez. The likes of Merino and Shelvey are quite limited in their skill set and Cairney would have been a superb addition.

The Scot can play in an advanced position to link up with the forwards, he can score goals. Furthermore, he is equally good at dropping down and controlling the tempo of the game. Intricate passing, movement off the ball and his reading of the game would have certainly elevated Newcastle's standard of football.

The 26-year-old bagged 12 goals, registered 10 assists and created as many as 115 chances last season in the Championship and he seems ready to step up to the Premier League now. Furthermore, Benitez would have improved him tactically.

Newcastle's forwards have struggled due to the lack of creativity behind them and the Fulham star could have addressed that issue. Cairney could have formed an excellent midfield trio alongside Diame, Shelvey/Merino.



http://sportslens.com/newcastle-united-will-regret-missing-out-on-tom-cairney/216329/

[WhiteJC]

 
Northern Ireland has unfinished business from Euro finals: Norwood


Driving on: Oliver Norwood wants another bite at a finals. Photo: William Cherry/Presseye

Oliver Norwood believes unfinished business from the Euro 2016 finals is driving big time football and left them hungry for more.

The Brighton star, who is currently on loan at Championship side Fulham, adds that if this squad manage to make it all the way to the finals in Russia in 2018, they will go down as amongst the greatest the country has ever known.

"As a group, we met up in Austria ahead of the Czech Republic game in Prague, our first World Cup qualifier, and the Euros were over as such," said Norwood.

"I could genuinely tell when we met up again there was a feeling of unfinished business. We felt hard done by, the way we were put out of the Euros. We'd had a taste of it.

"We considered our World Cup group and after taking Germany out of it we looked at where we could pick points up and we're in the position Michael asked us to be in.

"In fact, we are maybe two or three points better off than the targets we set ourselves.

"We can't get carried away though, and as a group of players and staff we have never done that.

"We want to achieve things and we want to be remembered as players in years to come that were the best in the history of the country. If we can get to Russia, I'm sure that we'll be up there with the greats.

"We've got something really special at the moment, we have momentum and we are in a good place."

A draw versus the Czech Republic at Windsor Park tonight will ensure Northern Ireland finish in second spot in Group C and earn a probable play-off place.

Norwood suggests that drawing on the memory of previous big nights in Belfast during the Euros will be crucial.

"The experience of going through this high pressure before means we can draw on that," said Norwood.

Belfast Telegraph



http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/northern-ireland-has-unfinished-business-from-euro-finals-norwood-36096658.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Slavisa Jokanovic tips Fulham wonderkid Matt O'Riley to play an important role in the future of the club

The 16-year-old is already playing in the U23 side at Fulham and is highly regarded by the youth staff at Fulham

Slavisa Jokanovic believes Fulham starlet Matt O'Riley has a big future at the club after making his first two senior appearances in the Carabao Cup.

The 16-year-old has starred in Fulham's youth teams and is currently in Peter Grant's U23 side, despite his young age, while his made his first team debut in the 2-0 victory over Wycombe in August.

He didn't look too out of place in that game and did enough to earn him a second start against Bristol Rovers, and he continued to impress his boss despite the result.

The youngster has previously been linked with moves to some of the biggest clubs in the country in the past, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, but for the time being he's continuing to flourish in the Fulham youth teams under the guidance of Huw Jennings and Grant.


(Image: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

And after those two first team appearances, Jokanovic believes that O'Riley has shown his talents for his age and reckons he will be a big part of the club in future years.

"This player is in the process - he's very talented player and he makes his job good enough for his age.

"In general, the games were one of the first challenges for him in senior football, he played good against Wycombe and he moved and try to offer the quality against Bristol too.

"It's early and his first steps, but I used a lot of young players in these games and what I said before, they're in the process of learning and I expect he can be an important player for our club in the future."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/slavisa-jokanovic-tips-fulham-wonderkid-13568564

[WhiteJC]

 
Cardiff City Tickets

League football returns to Craven Cottage this weekend as Fulham host Cardiff City on Saturday 9th September (3pm) with tickets just £1 for juniors!

With Slaviša Jokanović's side looking to build on their 2-0 win against Ipswich Town prior to the international break, join us for all the match action, with tickets priced at just £20 for adults and £1 for juniors and available to purchase now.

Get behind the boys and secure your seat today! Fans can purchase online, by phone on 0203 871 0810 (opt. 1) or in person from the Fulham Ticket Office.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/september/04/cardiff-tickets

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's recruitment team deserve praise for a successful summer transfer window

The club brought in eleven new faces while keeping key players, something that will be key as Fulham look to achieve automatic promotion

It seems like it lasted an age, but the 2017 summer transfer window is finally over, and Fulham have come out of it in a great position.

Eleven players came through the door at Motspur Park while the club's only big departures were Sone Aluko and Scott Malone, who joined Reading and Huddersfield respectively.

Tom Cairney, Ryan Sessegnon and Marcus Bettinelli were all signed to new long-term deals to stave off interested clubs, while other key members of the squad were also retained.

If someone told you the day after that Play-off defeat to Reading that most of the key players would still be at Fulham come September 1 and the club would have added strength in depth, you'd have bitten their hand off.

Okay, so Jota and Dwight Gayle didn't come off in the end, while the search for a striker took a little longer than first hoped - these things happen, but big names don't mean they'll be better players than ones you may have to Google.


(Image: Paul Burgman/Press-Photos.com)

Let's have a look at Fulham's loan moves firstly, where six players were brought in, including Tomas Kalas and Lucas Piazon, Oliver Norwood, Jordan Graham, Sheyi Ojo and Rafa Soares.

That isn't a bad haul in itself and it contains some quality footballers, all of whom were signed without the club having to fork out tens of millions of pounds, which would've been the case if Piazon and Kalas were signed permanently.

From a business sense alone, this makes sense - why sign players for a large amount of money when you can get their services for a year for relatively very little, achieve whatever aim is set and then use the money received from that to strengthen the squad once they're in the Premier League?

It also means that you're getting quality players that may not have been available had the club looked in the permanent market - Norwood stands out as an example of this, teams in the Championship would kill for a player of his quality, yet Fulham secured his services for the year for next to nothing.

Fulham have played the loan market fantastically once again in my eyes, they secured Kalas and Piazon who were priorities, while signing players proven in the Championship (Norwood) as well as some of the brightest young players in the country in the case of Ojo.


On the attack: Rui Fonte (Image: Paul Burgman/Press-Photos.com)

Fans want players on permanent deals, but sometimes you need to look at it from a business sense, as Tony Khan and Craig Kline would have both done, and realise it's not always possible and sometimes a loan is the best option.

The club signed four players on a permanent deal, adding Rui Fonte, Aboubakar Kamara, Ibrahima Cisse and Marcelo Djalo to the squad.

That's two strikers, a defensive midfielder and a centre back.

Two of those areas Fulham were desperate for reinforcements - they were crying out for a striker while they needed depth in the centre back department.

Although Kamara, at present, is still getting to grips with English football, Fonte looks to have been an astute signing and could possibly be the man Fulham need up top to score goals and the recruitment team have done well to chase him all summer and close the deal.

Cisse adds depth to the midfield - if Kevin McDonald got injured last season Fulham were in trouble with no one to replace him, which was the case for most of the midfield.

However, now the club have the depth to replace him if things were to go wrong, as well as the ability to replace Tom Cairney and Stefan Johansen with the addition of Norwood.

Djalo signing again adds depth at centre back, however, having only played in two Carabao Cup games the jury is still out on him and I personally think Fulham could have done with adding another centre back before the window shut to make it five to choose from.

Now we get to the signing that annoyed a fair few people when he was announced on deadline day - Yohan Mollo.

After the links with Jota and Gayle, some fans saw this as the most Fulhamish thing to possibly happen, signing a free agent on a free deal.

But in actual fact, it's a good bit of business in my eyes.

First of all, he's not cost anything, so it's risk free.

Secondly, he had a very decent spell at Sovetov and has proved he can play at a high level.


Slavisa Jokanovic with Tony Khan (Image: Fulham FC)

Thirdly, this wasn't a panic buy - Khan and Kline will have known about him for a while now, and once his contract was torn up it became the perfect opportunity to buy him.

Again, an example of the business model being employed by the recruitment team.

I also can't stress how important Cairney, Sessegnon and Bettinelli signing new contracts is - the fact that the core of the team that so well last season has remained intact should be celebrated from the rafters and it will be of the key components of Fulham's promotion charge this season.

I asked people on Twitter what they thought of the window and I got a range of responses, from delighted to unhappy - I think Fulham have done very well this summer, and although they weren't necessarily big names, they're going to add strength to the side, something they need to challenge for promotion.

Khan, Kline, the statisticians and the scouts, you did well - now it's time to get to work ahead of January.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulhams-recruitment-team-deserve-praise-13569001

[WhiteJC]

 
Report: Fulham will target Newcastle United's Dwight Gayle in January

Fulham and Newcastle United are said to have agreed a £15 million fee on deadline day.

Fulham will target Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle in January, according to a report on page 46 of Monday's Daily Mirror newspaper.

It is claimed the two clubs agreed a £15 million deal on deadline day, and that Gayle wanted a return to London.

But the move is said to have fallen through after Newcastle failed to sign Arsenal striker Lucas Perez.

Gayle moved to St James' Park from Crystal Palace in a £10.8 million deal last summer (Transfermarkt), and scored 23 goals from 26 starts as the Magpies clinched the Championship title.

However, he has only played 126 minutes this campaign, and was omitted from Rafa Benitez's squad for last weekend's defeat of West Ham United.

Meanwhile, Fulham suffered defeat in the play-offs last time out, and have seen two of their top scoring players, Chris Martin and Sone Aluko, return to Derby County and sign for Reading respectively.

Portuguese forward Rui Fonte has since moved to Craven Cottage from Braga in an £8.2 million deal (Transfermarkt), but Gayle's arrival could give the London side the firepower they need to go one better this season.

Again though, much will likely depend on Newcastle's ability to find a replacement first.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/09/04/report-fulham-will-target-newcastle-uniteds-dwight-gayle-in-janu/

[WhiteJC]

 
Can the season-long loan signing of this man actually play a role in Fulham's campaign?

Deadline-day at Wolverhampton Wanderers proved to be a quiet affair, with new boss Nuno Espirito Santo failing to pull off any late business in the summer transfer window.

Fans had expected another striker through the doors at Molineux, but nothing materialised despite the Portuguese pursuing deals for multiple players, leaving some concerned following departures from the club in the days before the end of the month.

Striker Nouha Dicko, already a match-winner for the club at Hull this season, was allowed to depart for the Tigers, and David Edwards and Jordan Graham headed south, with the former securing a permanent switch to the Royals, and the latter joining Fulham in a season-long loan deal.

Graham appeared to have a bright future at Molineux, and his switch to Fulham is an interesting one.

The player is obviously not in Santo's plans at this stage, but where does he fit into the Fulham side?

Slavisa Jokanovic cashed in on Sone Aluko, selling the winger to Reading for a huge fee, and will perhaps see Graham as another option out wide.

The 22-year-old has 15 first team league appearances to his name in the Black Country, but was by no means a regular starter at the club, even prior to the big spending undertaken this summer.

Graham is a pacey wide man who will offer depth to the Fulham squad, and it appears a strange move by Santo to let the player move to a direct promotion rival.

If Graham's career really takes off under Jokanovic, Santo may live to rue his decision to allow the youngster to leave.

However, the player has a lot to achieve if he is to threaten Wolves' promotion push, and with only a single senior goal to his name in his entire career, he will have to add to this aspect of his game if he is to challenge for a starting spot at Craven Cottage.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/can-the-season-long-loan-signing-of-this-man-actually-play-a-role-in-fulhams-campaign/

[WhiteJC]

 
"Financially very interesting offers" – Fulham credited after Everton move collapsed

During the January transfer window, Ishak Belfodil was supposed to be moving to Everton. Even the forward's teammates joked about the potential transfer and it was considered all agreed by his then club Standard Liege.

The Everton transfer collapsed and the resultant blame game in Belgium turned into a farce. Everton were blamed, and then it started to look like an internal Standard issue, with various people in a war of words via the Belgian media.

Belfodil missed his dream transfer to Everton, but was set to get the chance to move to England again during the summer, this time with Championship club Fulham.

Over the weekend Het Belang van Limburg spoke to Belfodil, who has now moved to Werder Bremen initially on loan: "I had financially very interesting offers from England and some clubs from Moscow. But I decided not to go in and wait for better."

The Belgian newspaper says the England reference is about Fulham.

Belfodil was linked to Fulham during the summer transfer window, but a whole string of forwards were. Het Belang van Limburg credit the comment as being about Fulham with some certainty, and it would be an odd one for them to pluck from thin air.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/financially-interesting-offers-fulham-credited-everton-move-collapsed/

[WhiteJC]

 
Ragnar Sigurdsson admits Fulham woes were entirely his own fault after successful Euro 2016 with Iceland

The 31-year-old signed for the Cottagers on the back of a successful Euro 2016 championship but things didn't work out for him

Ragnar Sigurdsson admits it was his own fault that he struggled to hold down a regular starting spot at Fulham after a successful Euro 2016 with Iceland.

The 31-year-old signed for Fulham, the only over 28 player that Fulham's recruitment team have signed, having helped his country get to the quarter-finals of the competition, scoring against England in the last 16 as they knocked Roy Hodgson's side out of the Euros.

But it was a time to forget for the Icelandic international having made only 18 appearances in total with his last start coming in the Valentine's Day win over Nottingham Forest before falling out of favour completely with Slavisa Jokanovic .

Sigurdsson was then loaned out to Rubin Kazan in August, and it would be easy to blame the manager or other factors for his lack of game time, but the central defender blames no one but himself for his experiences at Craven Cottage.

Sigurdsson told Icelandic website visir.is: "I have had a great time to think about it. I have come to the conclusion that it was my own fault.

"I was not serious at all when I was in the club. At last, the coach lost faith in me. I can not blame him, I can only blame myself.

"You have to be realistic about something like that, because it does not help to walk around and lie to yourself."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ragnar-sigurdsson-admits-fulham-woes-13570721

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham set to reignite interest in 27-year-old striking hotshot in January

Championship side Fulham will reignite their interest in Newcastle United's Dwight Gayle in January after failing to get a deal done last month, reports today's print edition of The Daily Mirror (page 46).

The 27-year-old only moved to St James' Park last summer after falling out of favour at Premier League side Crystal Palace, yet he certainly did his bit in helping Rafa Benitez's side return to the top-flight at the first time of asking last term.

The Englishman bagged 23 goals in just 32 Championship games to inspire the Magpies to the title, yet his future at the North East giants was plunged into doubt last month when he was left out of their matchday squad for the visit of West Ham, a game Newcastle won 3-0.

And that led to speculation about a possible move away for the striker, and Slavisa Jokanovic's Fulham sought to take advantage by reportedly making an £18 million bid for the 27-year-old, although they were unable a strike a deal before Thursday's 11pm deadline.

However, recent reports suggest that the Cottagers will reignite their interest in Gayle when the window reopens in January, by which time Jokanovic will be hoping that his side are in a position to go on and secure a return to the Premier League.

They have made a solid start with one win and three draws from their first five matches, and will return to league action on Saturday against leaders Cardiff City hoping to secure back-to-back Championship victories.

The Verdict: Dwight Gayle would likely have won the Championship's Golden Boot last season in the black and white of Newcastle United, but injury restricted him to 32 league appearances, in which time he bagged 23 goals.

Yet, somewhat surprisingly, Magpies boss Rafa Benitez was willing to listen to offers for the 27-year-old over the summer, with that hamstring injury a possible cause for concern, and it was Fulham who were doing all the running in pursuit of Gayle, only for the 11pm deadline to thwart their progress.

However, the Cottagers are reportedly seeking to reignite their interest in January, and were the West London outfit to struggle for goals between now and then, and indeed Gayle struggle for first team football at Newcastle, it's a deal which could very well take place in the New Year



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-set-to-reignite-interest-in-27-year-old-striking-hotshot-in-january/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham loanee named in Liverpool's Champions League squad

Ojo is on a season-long loan at the west London club but has been named in their Champions League squad

Fulham loanee named in Liverpool's Champions League squad

Ojo is on a season-long loan at the west London club but has been named in their Champions League squad

He started his first game for his new side against Ipswich Town, helping them win 2-0 as he operated from the right side of the front three in the absence of Sone Aluko.

Liverpool submitted their squad list today for the Champions League group stages and Jurgen Klopp has included Ojo in the squad, as well as Ryan Kent who is also out on loan.

The 20-year-old is on the B list for the squad, which is reserved for those players under 21 who have been connected with the club for longer than two years.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-loanee-named-liverpools-champions-13571121

[WhiteJC]

 
"It was hard to leave everything behind" Player talks about tears over Fulham transfer

Rui Fonte's transfer to Fulham was not only a surprise for fans. The player himself didn't expect it to happen so fast, as revealed in an interview with Portuguese newspaper O Jogo this weekend.

The striker was living a great time at Braga, where he spent two seasons and scored 25 goals. With the armbrand and an important squad role, the player knew there were clubs from abroad interested in him, but thought it wouldn't be more than rumours.

"It was all very fast. They had barely told me of this possibility, but from one moment to the other the agreement was reached. One weekend I was playing for Braga, the next I was already representing Fulham," Fonte told O Jogo.

The newspaper heard something about tears in the dressing room the day he left the club, and asked the striker if it's true, and how hard the farewell was.

"It was difficult. How can I explain this... It happened very quickly and I did not have time to prepare. Although there were only two years in Braga, they were very intense. It was difficult to handle the farewell.

"The way I was welcomed, the Portuguese Cup, the difficult season that followed, to have been named captain... It was difficult for me to leave everything behind."

Quizzed about what makes a player change a big Portuguese club such as Braga for a Championship side like Fulham, he replied: "It's a club with excellent conditions, was recently bought by an American group and there is the expectation of going up directly to the Premier League.

"I can't be hypocritical and the financial aspect was also important, but being close to the Premier League was the great incentive."

On the chances to get to the national team whilst with Fulham, Fonte said: "I think it looks exactly the same. In fact, we still have the example of Nélson Oliveira. I just have to keep doing my job well."

Fonte has already madetwo appearances for Fulham. He made his debut on a 1-0 home loss against Sheffield Wednesday, and then played an away match against Ipswich Town, in which he scored in a 2-0 win.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/hard-leave-everything-behind-player-talks-tears-fulham-transfer/

[WhiteJC]

 
The Craven Corner: After a successful summer transfer window, the future is bright for Fulham.
Fulham Fan & Blogger, Adam Brons-Smith reflects on the summer transfer window at Fulham and has his say on the dealings at Craven Cottage.

As the summer draws to a close, Fulham can finally focus on matters on the pitch, rather than the rumour mill that forever spins during the summer months.

Upon reflection, it's been a successful summer for the club and despite the Twitter rumours climaxing this year, I think the business by the board has been top class.

Following the successes of last season, it was paramount to keep the foundation in place, and to build upon it this year. Therefore, signing Ryan Sessegnon, Tom Cairney and Marcus Bettinelli to new deals and bringing Tomas Kalas and Lucas Piazon back to the club, the spine of the side remained intact. Pricing the likes of Brighton and Nottingham Forest out of the market for Kevin McDonald also lowered any threat of losing the key trio in the centre of the park – the engine to our success last season.

By doing this, the club have managed to keep the star players together ahead of the upcoming campaign, despite losing Scott Malone & Sone Aluko in this window. Even though, Malone and Aluko departed this summer, the club have achieved a tremendous amount of money for the players – especially the £7.5m for Aluko. Although I was a big fan of Sone, £7.5m is crazy money for his services, and while he may be a gent off the pitch, and a fairly decent Championship player, he wasn't clinical enough in the final third for that sort of money. Not to mention, that both players were signed on a free transfer last year, so over £10m in sales from them two alone, nearly funded our entire summer spend. Not bad at all!

In fact, if you take the fees for Lasse, Burgess, Jozabed, Adeniran and Stearman too, Fulham probably broke even or marginally made a profit on this summer's dealings, which is outstanding considering our squad looks stronger in depth this year. Being able to demand the fees that we did for the departures, has been a relief as a Fulham fan, as time after time again I've felt we've rarely let a player go for an acceptable fee in the past, so seeing the board standing firm other valuations is a relief, and steers us away from another FFP embargo.

Even though, our best signings this summer were contracts for TC and Sess, it must also be noted that the board cancelled a deal to allow Denis Odoi leave the club in the early days of the window, and that's proved to be a master-stroke. Despite, a return to Belgium on the cards for Odoi, Fulham quickly pulled out of a deal with Genk, and Odoi has since gone from strength to strength, and now providing Jokanovic with another option in the heart of defence. While, some fans may have wanted another centre back to sign this summer, the emergence of Odoi as cover for right-back and centre back, fills any void we may be missing, and with Ream and Kalas forming a strong partnership, I'm not as worried as some others about our options. Lastly, Marcelo Djalo was arguably Man of the Match for his appearance in the cup game against Wycombe, so once he settles I'm sure he will be able to step up when called upon.

There were calls for the board to make a 'marquee signing' in the last few days of the window, but I don't necessarily think we needed much more in the final few days of the window. While there was talk of £15m move for Dwight Gayle, I couldn't have faith in that rumour especially as he is approaching 28 years of age. Although, Sky Sports ran the story, many other outlets reported that the club had denied any bid or interest – and with Matt Smith denying the rumours on the radio about a TC and Gayle swap deal, I doubt there was much to it anyway.

Although Gayle would have provided us with another option upfront, I don't think we needed him in all honesty. Fifteen million would have been a risk as he would have to have another twenty goal season for the club to get any profit the following summer should he be sold if we got promoted and I can't see anyone offering close to £20m for him, now or in 18 months time. Plus, we had already spent £15m on two strikers this summer in Rui Fonte, and Aboubakar Kamara. While, Fonte and Kamara provide two different options up front, signing Yohan Mollo and Jordan Graham gives us further options out wide, allowing Ayite and Kebano to play more centrally when required without weakening our wide options, so maybe a striker wasn't needed after all.

There were Twitter rumours of a move for Fernando Forestieri and Jota, but both of those were quickly crushed and proved to be non-starters – and would we have really needed them for rumoured fees? It would have been close to 20m to sign both, and considering our squad depth this season, I think it's best to save any left-over funds for January to reinvest should we need to spend mid-season to cover any injuries we may pick up.

As for Deadline Day signings, Graham and Mollo, I'm quietly excited about their arrivals if I'm honest. Graham is incredibly highly rated by Wolves fans, and stats-wise, is an impressive performer at Championship level. While, Mollo is a bizarre character to say the least. Arguably tipped for big things during his time at Nancy and early days at Saint-Etienne, but has struggled to settle at any club since. Only 28, and on a deal which could see him here for the next two years, his versatility to play on either side of midfield, will provide Jokanovic with more options for the upcoming season. A player with a lot to prove and a chance to rejuvenate his career, and I hope he makes the most of his time at the club.

Finally, Fulham picked up a massive three points against Ipswich who had started the season strongly last weekend, and with Tom Cairney returning back to full fitness, I don't see why Fulham can't push for maximum points from their next five games. Yes, that's optimistic and very ambitious considering our slow start, but when we're at full strength, we are arguably the best team in this division; we proved that last season by beating Huddersfield 9-1 over the course of two games, and beating Newcastle home and away.

Also, in the next 5-6 weeks, we should see Rafa Soares make his debut for the club, which will allow Ryan Sessegnon to play further forward, like he did last season with Malone. This will prove to be vital for Jokanovic and the club this season, as it will provide Sessegnon with the platform to play in his preferred position, and should he notch up a few goals this term, don't be surprised if a few Premier League clubs look to spend £40m or more on his talent in January or next summer. By signing Rafa Soares to play left-back, and potentially allowing Sess more time further forward to shine, Sess' development could bankroll our transfer window next summer, and that's incredibly important – regardless of where we finish next season.

To conclude, I'm really pleased with the business this summer and it's another successful summer under this stat-dependent system, and while it's had its critics, the standard of player that has been signed under its implementation has been much higher than any one signed by Felix Magath or Kit Symons since we've been in this division – so onwards and upwards!

Let's get behind the club, and give it everything this season – COME ON YOU WHITES!




https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2017/9/4/16252042/the-craven-corner-after-a-successful-summer-transfer-window-the-future-is-bright-for-fulham

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 'agree' to sign Wolves and Leeds United target in January

Fulham have supposedly agreed on a deal in advance with Newcastle United that will bring striker Dwight Gayle to Craven Cottage in January according to the page 46 of the printed edition of Monday's Daily Mirror, as reported by HITC.

The striker had been rumoured to move to Fulham in the days leading up to Deadline Day but a move for the striker failed to materialise with Newcastle failing to sign a replacement for the striker.

Supposedly, the two clubs finally settled on a deal worth £15 million that will take Gayle back to London after he moved to St. James' Park in 2016 from Crystal Palace.

Gayle gained plenty of admirers in the Championship as he managed to score an impressive 23 goals in 32 games for the Magpies last season, following his £10.8 million move from London to Tyneside.

So far this season, Gayle has struggled to implement himself as a focal point of Newcastle United's squad with Rafael Benitez seemingly opting with Joselu, Ayoze Perez and now Alexander Mitrovic ahead of Gayle.

Fulham themselves managed to bring in Yohan Mollo and Jordan Graham on Deadline Day but if a deal has been agreed with Newcastle United, they will have replaced striker Sone Aluko who departed for Reading for a fee of around £7.5 million.

Gayle would be an excellent acquisition for Fulham and after a transfer saga that seems to have dragged on, Newcastle United should have the time to find a replacement in January if Gayle is to move to London and there should be no reason why a deal can't go ahead.

Gayle had been linked with a move to Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers during the transfer window, but with a move to Fulham looking like it could be on the cards, both teams are likely to look elsewhere should they still need a striker in January.



http://the72.co.uk/91325/fulham-agree-sign-premier-league-striker-january/

[WhiteJC]

 
The Stats Factory: Jordan Graham and Yohan Mollo

Transfer Deadline Day is always a frantic day, with rumours abound about what talent a club will be able to bring in at the final hour. Big names are always thrown around on the final day of the window, with this year's crop ranging from Fernando Forestieri to Dwight Gayle.

Instead, Fulham acquired two replacements for the now departed Sone Aluko: Jordan Graham and Yohan Mollo from Wolves and Zenit St Petersburg respectively. I decided to investigate whether Fulham's latest two imports would be able to fill Sone Aluko's void after he transferred to Reading.

Jordan Graham

Jordan Graham has been a rumoured Fulham target for over a year now. Making his way up through the youth ranks at Aston Villa, Graham moved to Wolves initially on loan from the Villans where he failed to make an appearance but was signed for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2015 regardless. He featured about nine times in the 2015/16 season before suffering a horrible cruciate ligament injury that he only returned from in May of this year.

On basic evaluation of Graham, he's played very little, largely down to the ACL injury. However, when he has featured, Graham has created plenty of opportunities for his teammates. In the 900+ minutes that he played in 2015, he averaged a whopping 0.49 assists per 90, ranking in the top five percentile of assists created by players... in the entire world.

Even after his return from injury last year, Graham still managed to provide an assist for Wolves' final goal of the campaign with an in-swinging delivery on a corner for Danny Batth to head home.

The Tape
The mere sight of competency at corners should win Graham (if he features) the corner job and would finally relieve Stefan Johansen of a duty that he just hasn't been up to.

Admittedly, Fulham lack height at corners, so it may still be too early for us to expect us to become the West Brom of the Championship, but merely putting in good deliveries into a dangerous area is the least Slavisa Jokanovic and us fans can ask for, when we decide to not play it short.

The Stats

Gazing at Graham's 15/16 radar, the winger backs up these gaudy assists numbers with a lofty 2.65 key passes per 90, a figure very similar to our own Tom Cairney. Admittedly, this goes both ways: Cairney has the centre of the park to operate from while Graham has just the wings, but Graham has the smaller sample size on his side. Regardless, they're both impressive figures and a testament to how good Graham was pre-ACL injury.

Graham's work rate should lend himself very much to Slavisa Jokanovic's system as well. Averaging over 2.5 defensive actions (Ints + Tackles), he performed far better in this regard than Aluko did, although we all know that Aluko's positional play when the opposition had the ball was second to none and whether Graham can replicate this remains to be seen.

Worrying, however, is the dispossessed numbers: they rank in the bottom five percentile of attackers in the world. Compared to the now departed Sone Aluko, Graham lost the ball far more frequently than the Reading-bound Nigerian while also providing less successful dribbles. This is an area that you would imagine Graham and the coaching staff will focus improving on the training ground.

Graham's shooting numbers are also disappointing. While he took very few for a winger, he wasn't particularly good at them either, putting up a very Sone Aluko-esque 23.5% shooting percentage. However, it should also be noted that Kenny Jackett's final season at Wolves was very limited offensively: they averaged the third fewest shots and shots on target in the league that season.

Yohan Mollo

Fulham repeated their annual tradition of signing a player out of absolutely nowhere on the final day of the transfer window in Yohan Mollo this summer. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Lucas Piazon (Yay!) and Elsad Zverotic (Ugh), so allow me to congratulate Yohan on this feat and advise him that he follow in the path of our favourite Brazilian rather than Elsad "Fired halfway through the season" Zverotic.

To start, Mollo barely featured for Zenit under legendary Shakhtar Donetsk manager Mircea Lucescu. He was signed for squad depth on a free transfer in the January window after performing extremely well in Krylia Sovetov's counter-attacking system... but barely played over 100 minutes for Zenit. Lucescu was sacked and Roberto Mancini was quickly ushered in and we all know about Roberto's lovely man management skills (See: Tevez, Carlos).

As someone who's probably watched too much of the Russian League (RPL), my initial reaction to Mollo's signing was one of intrigue. Mollo was an absolute machine creatively for Sovetov, albeit in a system that didn't exactly favour possession (Sovetov averaged 48.5% possession) and in a league that is nowhere near as physical as the Championship.

Indeed, many of the "suggestions" that I heard involved the concept that the RPL was losing a very gifted player in Mollo, and how almost every team in Russia could've used a quick and pacey winger like him.

The Tape
There are a few issues here. Firstly, the time and space that Mollo is afforded to simply cut across two players before holding a challenge from the now-departed Axel Witsel just doesn't exist in the Championship, especially in the middle of the park.

Secondly, given Fulham's style of play under Jokanovic, there is no way in hell that Mollo would also be allowed to pick a pass that easily and under so little pressure after dribbling into the centre of the pitch.

What shouldn't be discounted though is Mollo's sheer physicality to shrug off Witsel's tackle and it'll be intriguing to see whether he can repeat such feats against similarly physical players in the Championship.

The Stats

Given Mollo's lack of playing time at Zenit, I chose to to use the data from his time at Sovetov last season. Like Jordan Graham, Mollo's creative numbers in terms of key passes and assists are impressive. What separates Mollo from Graham and Aluko is the shooting numbers: he averaged a 50% shot on target ratio last season, despite a vast majority of his shots coming from outside of the 18-yard box.

Of course, there could be a variety of factors for this, the most likely of which may be the lack of pressure applied by defences to long shots in the Russian League. Or I could be totally wrong and Mollo might just be an all-time great at long range shooting, although the Gambler's Fallacy would strongly disagree with this.

Like Graham, however, his dispossessed numbers are concerning, losing the ball roughly 3.5 times per 90. This doesn't exactly bode well for Mollo given the Championship's physicality and he could find it difficult to adapt initially if he were to immediately be thrown into the fray.

Furthermore, Mollo's defensive actions in the RPL ranked very low for a winger and given the defensive demands of wingers in Slavisa Jokanovic's system, we shall see if he is up to the task of putting in the type of shift that likes of Aluko were able to consistently put in on a game-by-game basis.

Verdict
Fulham have acquired two interesting options in Mollo and Graham and they will no doubt provide further competition for the three forward spots, although I do feel that Rui Fonte has locked down the striker spot until further notice.

After Sheyi Ojo's redeeming performance against Ipswich Town, I personally feel that the on-loan Liverpool winger is the current favourite to hold down the right wing position, for now.

However, I could envisage Mollo, whose attacking strengths are clear to see, starting in games against relegation contenders where defensive work rate is not necessarily needed as much, like the Rotherham games from last year.

What I believe is clear to see however, is that that our winger corps are, together, more than capable of filling the void left by the departure of Sone Aluko and with these two latest additions, Fulham are in an ex ellent position in terms of depth and quality in the wide-men roles.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2017-09-05-the-stats-factory-jordan-graham-and-yohan-mollo/

[WhiteJC]

 
Slavisa Jokanovic could be perfect for West Ham after Fulham success

If Slaven Bilic is sacked by West Ham then there is every reason to believe Slavisa Jokanovic could be a real success if poached from Fulham.

Ahead of the 2016/17 Championship season Fulham were being tipped by some to be relegated, having only avoided the drop by two places the previous season after manager Slavisa Jokanovic took over in December.

They certainly weren't considered among the promotion favourites, yet a fast-paced and attacking style under Jokanovic (the Cottagers were joint topscorers in the division with champions Newcastle United and Norwich City with 85 goals) saw them finish sixth, eventually eliminated from the playoffs over two semi-final legs against Reading.

This impressive feat saw the Serb catch many an eye, particularly at West Ham United, who have been long-term admirers of the 49-year-old and according to the Express are considering him as a replacement for current boss Slaven Bilic - whose own position is under threat after losing all three of the Hammers' Premier League matches to date in 2017/18.

Jokanovic may not have managed in the English top flight as yet, but does have significant experience in the country having also guided Watford to promotion in 2015 and there is every reason to think he could be a success at the London Stadium.

Not least because the former Yugoslavia international would be backed by a board who according to the Telegraph were the tenth biggest spenders in the division this summer, just behind Leicester City on £48.7m worth of outgoings on the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and Joe Hart.

Quite a change from what Jokanovic has experienced at Craven Cottage in recent times, with him complaining in a press conference back in May that; "my role is completely ignored in recruitment this year." And this was before the West London club sold Sone Aluko to the Royals against his wishes, as reported by the Daily Mail.

It seems that every day is a battle for Jokanovic currently and while his side's start this term has been solid but unremarkable with six points from five league matches and just the one defeat, his achievements against the odds last campaign cannot be forgotten.

Bilic's position has been shaky for over a year now and if the West Ham board are to sack the Croatian, then perhaps Jokanovic finally deserves his chance in the big time where his attacking style could be facilitated by some real talent that look lost at the moment under the current regime.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/09/04/jokanovic-could-be-perfect-for-west-ham-after-fulham-success/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham set to make January approach for Newcastle man

Fulham are reportedly preparing a fresh approach to sign Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle.

It's claimed in the printed edition of the Mirror, as cited by HITC, today that the Cottagers will make another move for the former Crystal Palace man in the January transfer window.

Reports suggested that Fulham made a late swoop to land Gayle in the summer, but failed in their attempts to land him as Newcastle attempted to recruit a replacement before sanctioning the sale.

The Magpies were keen throughout the summer to sign Lucas Perez from Arsenal, but with the Spaniard having secured a move back to Deportivo, Rafa Benitez was unable to obtain his primary striking target on the final day of the window.

Gayle netted 23 goals in the Championship last season and was a pivotal part of their return to the Premier League. Despite this though, it looks as though the Magpies will still aim to offload him in January.



http://readnewcastle.com/2017/09/04/fulham-set-make-january-approach-newcastle-man/