Saturday Fulham Stuff (30/06/18)...

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Report: Fulham want to sign teenage star Edis Smajic

Smajic remains a complete unknown in English football, but it is a different story in Bosnia and Fulham are said to be keen.

The Daily Mirror have claimed in their live transfer blog (Thursday, 20:38) that newly-promoted Premier League side Fulham are interested in signing teenage magician Edis Smajic after an excellent 2017-18 campaign.

Smajic, 18, is a complete unknown to English football but he has been making waves in his home country of Bosnia for top-tier outfit Sloboda Tuzla.

During the 2017-18 campaign, Smajic proved that age is just a number to score seven goals in 32 league and cup appearances for Sloboda, as the teen showed his versatility by playing in the number 10 role or out wide.

At just 18, Smajic has already earned a Bosnia Under-21 cap and seems to be ready for a move to Europe in order to further his already burgeoning potential.

Fulham are looking to give Smajic that chance, with manager Slavisa Jokanovic likely to be well-versed in eastern European football - given that he is from Serbia, which borders Bosnia.

It is believed that Smajic is one of Fulham's main targets this summer, but it remains to be seen how much the west Londoners will have to pay to land the teenage prodigy with his contract set to run until January 2021.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/06/29/report-fulham-want-to-sign-teenage-star-edis-smajic/

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Fulham to step up Mitrovic pursuit



Fulham will step up their pursuit of Newcastle United striker Aleksandar Mitrovic after Serbia crashed out of the World Cup, according to The Times.

The newspaper report that Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic is keen to continue their association with the 23-year-old after he scored 12 goals in 20 games while on loan from the Magpies in 2017/18.

The Times claim that Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez is happy for the Serbia international to leave, with the club rating him at

Good move for Newcastle United?

Yes.

Mitrovic has been deemed surplus to requirements at St. James' Park by Benitez, and there is little chance of the Spaniard changing his mind.

Benitez does not believe that Mitrovic is adaptable enough to fit into his system and has issues with the Serbian's attitude, which does not look to be changing any time soon.

If Newcastle can indeed get a £20million bid from Fulham they should snap the Cottagers' hand off and run to the hills with that money, which will help Benitez bulk up his budget to bring in players of his liking.

Nothing but Newcastle rating: 9/10

Likely to happen?

This one does look likely to go through at some point.

Fulham's interest in bringing Mitrovic back is well known, and Newcastle are obviously keen to offload the striker.

That should help a deal go through quite quickly, should Fulham meet the £20million asking price.

The Cottagers will likely submit a lower initial bid, before inevitably being forced to increase it by Newcastle, who are unlikely to budge on their demands.

Nothing but Newcastle rating: 8/10



https://nothingbutnewcastle.com/2018/06/blogs/gallowgate-gossip/fulham-to-step-up-mitrovic-pursuit/

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Lyon Friendly Confirmed

Fulham will play Olympique Lyon in a pre-season friendly match during our time in France next month.

After our week in Evian-les-Bains, the boys will make the journey to Bourgoin-Jallieu for the game before flying back to the UK.

The teams will meet on Saturday 21st July at the Stade Pierre Rajon, kicking off at 9pm local time.

The clash with the seven-time Ligue 1 champions is the fifth official friendly match announced, joining Crawley Town, Reading, Sampdoria and Celta Vigo in making up Fulham's pre-season preparations, in addition to the Cup of Traditions tournament in Germany.

Tickets are priced at €22 and can be purchased here.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/june/29/lyon-friendly-confirmed

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Revealed: Majority of West Bromwich Albion fans want Mitrovic to join attack

Falling into the Championship presents more challenges than just trying to achieve Premier League promotion.

A demoted club is more likely to struggle in the transfer market, and at the moment, West Bromwich Albion have not recruited any new players.

Darren Moore's club have been linked to numerous names, but there have been more rumours of outgoings than incomings.

Jonny Evans has already left, while Craig Dawson, James McClean, Jay Rodriguez , Salomon Rondon and Ben Foster are all being named among possible departures.

If the likes of Rodriguez and Rondon move on, then the Baggies are in need of a new attacker.

Aleksandar Mitrovic is currently on the books of Newcastle United, but he was shipped out to Fulham by Rafael Benitez on a loan deal in January.

Rumours are rife that the Cottagers are keen to secure the forward's services on a permanent deal, but TeamTALK reported on Monday that they are not prepared to spend more than £20m.

Newcastle are said to be angling for around £30m, which would be a steep ask for West Brom to meet.

Last season, Mitrovic scored 14 goals in 27 appearances, which indicates that he could be a big threat for the Baggies.

We asked you whether the club should swoop for the Serbian, and the majority would welcome a transfer.



https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/west-bromwich-albion/revealed-majority-of-west-bromwich-albion-fans-want-mitrovic-to-join-attack

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Report: Fulham to push through £20m deal for Newcastle's Mitrovic

Fulham are reportedly looking to complete a deal for Aleksandar Mitrovic from Newcastle after Serbia's World Cup exit.

Fulham are ready to finalise a deal to sign Aleksandar Mitrovic from Newcastle United after the striker's involvement at the 2018 World Cup came to an end, reports the Times.

Mitrovic has been away in Russia representing Serbia, playing in all three group games and scoring against Switzerland as the nation were knocked out of the tournament.

With international duty now over for the 23-year-old this summer, the Whites can finally make his switch to Craven Cottage permanent after impressing on loan in latter half of last season.

12 goals in 20 Championship matches from Mitrovic helped fire Slavisa Jokanovic's men to promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.

Now the West Londoners are ready to make that move permanent, with the Magpies wanting around £20m for the forward.

Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez knows he must sell players in order to raise funds for new signings and is prepared to let Mitrovic be one of those exiting St James' Park.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/06/29/report-fulham-to-push-through-20m-deal-for-newcastles-mitrovic/

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Fulham join Crystal Palace in race to sign 39-cap Turkey international this summer



Newly promoted Premier League side Fulham have joined the race to sign Turkey international midfielder Ozan Tufan.

We recently reported that Crystal Palace were locked in a race with Celta Vigo for Tufan however, Fenerbahce put transfer talks on hold following the departure of manager Aykut Kocaman.



https://turkish-football.com/fulham-join-crystal-palace-in-race-to-sign-39-cap-turkey-international-this-summer/

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Fulham join Crystal Palace in the race to sign international midfielder - report

Newly-promoted Fulham target move for Turkish midfielder linked with Palace

Crystal Palace face fresh competition from Fulham in the race to sign Turkish international midfielder Ozan Tufan this summer.

That's according to reports in Turkey, with the newly-promoted Cottagers understood to also be keen to sign the 23-year-old as they look to strengthen their squad for the season ahead back in the top flight.

Palace were previously linked with Tufan in January, but he ended up staying at Fenerbahce as a proposed deal fell through late on in the window.

However, it was recently reported that they could revive their interest in the midfielder, although they faced competition from clubs in La Liga, with Celta Vigo and Girona also said to be interested in signing the Turkish international.

But now, it seems that they are not the only ones interested in signing the versatile former Bursaspor man, who can also play in defence and on the right side of midfield.

Crystal Palace face fresh competition from Fulham in the race to sign Turkish international midfielder Ozan Tufan this summer.

That's according to reports in Turkey, with the newly-promoted Cottagers understood to also be keen to sign the 23-year-old as they look to strengthen their squad for the season ahead back in the top flight.

Palace were previously linked with Tufan in January, but he ended up staying at Fenerbahce as a proposed deal fell through late on in the window.

However, it was recently reported that they could revive their interest in the midfielder, although they faced competition from clubs in La Liga, with Celta Vigo and Girona also said to be interested in signing the Turkish international.

But now, it seems that they are not the only ones interested in signing the versatile former Bursaspor man, who can also play in defence and on the right side of midfield.



https://www.football.london/crystal-palace-fc/transfer-news/fulham-join-palace-race-midfielder-14846699

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Fulham reportedly join race to sign Ozan Tufan

Fulham are reportedly keen on Ozan Tufan this summer.

According to a report by Turkish Football, Fulham have joined Crystal Palace in the race to sign Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan this summer and have made an enquiry for the player.

The same report claims the Turkish side are willing to sell the 39-capped international, although it appears Fulham have heavy competition for his signature.

The Cottagers will be looking to seriously bolster their squad this summer after winning promotion to the Premier League via a 1-0 Championship play-off final victory over Aston Villa.

Fulham relied on several loan players to get them over the line last term, including Aleksandar Mitrovic, Matt Targett, Oliver Norwood and Lucas Piazon, therefore right now they look short on options.

The west London club will be hopeful of Premier League survival should they make the necessary additions this summer, and Tufan could make a big contribution in that midfield area.

The 23-year-old is predominantly a holding midfielder, but he is also versatile and can play further forward, offering a goal threat as he notched three goals and provided two assists in 14 starts last term.

He could come in and seriously bolster Fulham's midfield options, arguably improving on defensive midfielder Kevin McDonald while also competing with Tom Cairney and Norwegian ace Stefan Johansen.

Fulham need to make a move this summer in order to start pre-season with their squad very much in place, otherwise they are in danger of playing catch-up from the off with a tough start to the campaign.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/06/29/tt-fulham-reportedly-join-race-to-sign-ozan-tufan/

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'Kick start our window' – Reaction As Club Reportedly 'Closer' To Signing £20m Newcastle Frontman

Fulham are "closer" to signing Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to the Times journalist George Caulkin.

After Serbia exited the World Cup at the group stages, it seems the Cottagers will now step up their attempts to sign the player on a permanent basis.

We reportedly want £20m for the 23-year-old, and most fans on Twitter are happy with that amount:



https://newcastle.vitalfootball.co.uk/kick-start-our-window-reaction-as-club-reportedly-closer-to-signing-20m-newcastle-frontman/

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Why Fulham Should Go All Out To Sign This Southampton Star After An Initial £10m Bid Was Rejected

Why Fulham must permanently sign Matt Targett

According to reports, Southampton have rejected a £10m bid from newly-promoted Fulham for defender Matt Targett.

The left-back spent the second half of the 2017/18 campaign on loan at Fulham and played a significant role in Slavisa Jokanovic's side gaining promotion back to the top-flight.

Targett, 22, made 21 appearances for the Cottagers, who now want to sign him permanently as they return to the top-flight after a four-year absence. However, Southampton have rejected Fulham's £10m bid for Targett as Saints manager Mark Hughes sees the defender as an important part of his future plans.

But should Fulham come up with an improved offer for Targett?

Absolutely. Fulham need a left-back ahead of the new season as they struggled in that position at times last season until the January window. The London club signed Rafa Soares last summer but the Portuguese full-back didn't fit into the Jokanovic's style of play and it wasn't until the arrival of Targett in January that the problem was solved.

Now back in the Premier League, Jokanovic should go all out to make the necessary additions to his squad in the summer. So, the Serbian manager must try to bring Targett back to Craven Cottage after an impressive loan spell last term.

Targett came through the youth ranks at Southampton but struggled to break into the first-team due to Ryan Bertrand being the club's first-choice left-back. Lack of game time understandably saw the left-back leave the club on loan in January.

And Targett's addition proved to be very useful for the Cottagers as his presence at left-back pushed Ryan Sessegnon into a more attacking position from where he made valuable contributions in the final third. Targett's pragmatic approach allowed Sessegnon more freedom to express himself on the left side of midfield, thereby releasing him of the defensive duties.

Targett showcased many qualities in his short loan-spell with Fulham. He is defensively diligent but he is also good when it comes to putting crosses into the box. The 22-year-old seamlessly slotted into Jokanovic's style of play as he offered both defensive solidity and attacking flair.

The Southampton loanee's presence brought a sense of stability and balance to Fulham's defence, while his interchange with Sessegnon on the left caused problems to several Championship sides.

Jokanovic must strive hard to keep the core of his last season's squad intact. Targett was an important cog in the Fulham side last term, and at 22, his best years are yet to come. A move to Craven Cottage would be the ideal step for his development, and therefore, Fulham must make an offer for the left-back which Southampton cannot rebuff.



https://soccersouls.com/2018/06/30/why-fulham-should-go-all-out-to-sign-this-southampton-star-after-an-initial-10m-bid-was-rejected/

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Sensational Bosnian Attacker Wanted By Fulham: Where Can He Fit Into Jokanovic's Plans?

After a hard-fought campaign in the Championship, Fulham are getting ready to showcase their quality in the top flight in England. Slavisa Jokanovic is desperate to add some star names to his lineup this summer, to help his side compete with the best in the country next season.

This has seen the London club linked with a number of exciting stars and one name they are now after is Edis Smajic.

Born and brought up in Tuzla, Bosnia, the 18-year old started his youth career with Sloboda Tuzla, a top-flight club in his home country. He broke into the first team in 2016 and made 16 league appearances for the side in his debut season.

He took his game to the next level last season, establishing himself in the first team, picking up seven goals in 32 appearances across all competitions. He has also broken into the U18 national side and has shown enough potential for some top clubs in Europe to scout for his services.

An attacking midfielder, who can play on the wing or as a striker, the 18-year old has shown great confidence and ability to take on even the best of stars in his country. He is yet to move out of Bosnia but has certainly shown enough promise to earn a move to England.

Reports claim that Jokanovic, who spent time in Serbia, has a keen understanding of Smajic's talent and has placed him at the top of his wish list. His contract runs down till 2021, so the player's parent club are in no real need to sell. But Smajic will be interested in taking the next step and playing in the English top flight is too much of an attractive proposition for him to ignore.

The Cottagers have a number of youngsters in their squad that made an impact on the first team last season. The manager is not afraid to give youth a chance in his side, which will also help Fulham in landing the youngster this summer.

Last season, Sheyi Ojo and Ryan Sessegnon were the preferred wingers for Jokanovic at Craven Cottage. Both players are relatively young and it is refreshing to see the manager try to add another youngster to his squad.

Smajic is an unknown entity to English football but has what it takes to make an impact at the highest stage. He might not walk into the first team but will definitely get his chances next season. But do you think he is the right man for this Fulham side?



http://the4thofficial.net/2018/06/sensational-bosnian-attacker-wanted-fulham-can-fit-jokanovics-plans/

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2018 Fulham Player Reviews: Aboubakar Kamara
Does the young but raw striker have what it takes to last in the Premier League?


Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images

Basic Stats: 32 appearances | 10 starts | 22 substitutions | 1,362 minutes | 7 goals | 1 assist

Economics: £5.4 million Transfer Fee | Signed: 2017 | Contract Ends in 2022 w/ a club option

Stats by Seven-Game sequences

WhoScored Rating Chart

Radar

All data from whoscored.com

Goals vs. Expected Goals

From experimental361.com

Transfermarket Value Chart

from transfermarket.co.uk

CC Thoughts: At the time of his transfers, supporters wanted to know if a little known central forward had the skillset for the Champions that would translate from guiding his previous club, Amiens, into Ligue 1. There are two thought processes to that answer.

The first is that he is just simply too raw and not good enough to start on a Championship club, and that might possibly be true. By the time Aleksander Mitrovic joined Fulham, Aboubakar Kamara's role with the club essentially became non-existent. Add in the fact that his performances were mostly poor throughout the course of the season and you could see why people would give up on the joint-11th most expensive signing in club history. The red card he had against Bristol City at home was the last straw for Slavisa Jokanovic to ever consider him a guaranteed member of his starting XI.

On the other side of the coin is the fact that Kamara still has room to grow at senior level. He just completed his age-22 season and the Frenchman still was able to generate 3.11 shots per 90 minutes and a 12.8% conversion rate while having a solid ratio of his strikes inside the penalty area (30 of his 47 to be exact). Only Mitrovic himself was able to match Kamara's scoring output of 0.40 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, so Kamara knows a thing or two on finishing his chances given to him. Add in the fact that he was able to show his solid dribbling ability while on the right wing during Fulham's playoff run and you could see a footballer that was starting to put things together at seasons end.

Let's also not forget that he was able to put in some important performances for the club to kick start their record 23-match unbeaten run. The first was his two-goal performance that salvaged a point at Hull City while the other was another two-goal output in that amazing 4-1 win over Ipswich at home. So it's not like Kamara is a slouch over here. But now that Fulham are in the Premier League, will the opportunities to see him further develop ever take place?

Key Stat: 37 right footed shots & 40 open play shots. Going back to Kamara's 47 total shots, no other Fulham attacking player had a higher ratio of shots that were made contact off of his dominant foot. Along with that, no other Fulham attacking player had a higher ratio of his shots take place in open play. Only six of his shots came off his left foot while four were headers. Along with that, Kamara was only involved in three set piece shots: the fewest of any attacking player on the club that played over 1,000 minutes in the Championship.

Your thoughts: So what are your thoughts on the man known as "AK 47" in Southwest London. Do you see Kamara as someone with great potential in England's top flight? Or will 2018/19 be another season where you will be seeing him come off the bench? Will he even get a chance to further develop as a footballer? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/6/29/17517646/2018-fulham-player-reviews-aboubakar-kamara

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Cottage Talk Podcast: Looking Forward To The New Fulham Season In The Premier League
Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

In this episode, we started to look forward to the new Fulham season in the Premier League. We started the show by discussing the Friendlies and the Fixtures.

After that, we talked about some transfer speculation as the silly season has begun. On top of that, we discussed the speculation of potential new deals for Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon.

We ended the show by talking about a Cottage Talk twitter poll, and a Facebook question that centered around the lack of new signings so far for Fulham.

Co-host for this episode was Yannis Tjanetis.

You can also listen to the show on Friends Of Fulham.

follow the link to listen to the podcast...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cottagetalk/2018/06/29/looking-forward-to-the-new-fulham-season-in-the-premier-league

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Fulham signing Leicester's Ahmed Musa could hamper Sessegnon's stellar progress

Fulham have been linked with Leicester City's Ahmed Musa.

According to a report from Turkish editorial Fotomac, Fulham and Huddersfield Town are interested in signing Leicester City forward Ahmed Musa this summer.

The Nigeria international joined Leicester from CSKA Moscow in the summer of 2016 for a fee believed to be in the region of £16 million, but he has struggled to make an impact at the King Power Stadium.

It wouldn't come as a surprise to see Musa seek regular first-team opportunities elsewhere, whereas his impressive World Cup performances will have alerted clubs to his current situation.

Musa netted two superb goals during Nigeria's 2-0 win over Iceland, while he also played well again in the 2-1 defeat to Argentina – a result which saw the Super Eagles unluckily crash out of the competition.

Fulham are in need of bolstering their squad this summer following their promotion to the Premier League and seeking established top-flight stars who are out of favour elsewhere isn't a bad idea.

But signing Foxes ace Musa would be a mistake, not only due to his expected hefty price-tag, but because the speedy forward plays in the same position and role as wonderkid Ryan Sessegnon.

Sessegnon, 18, established himself as one of the best youngsters in the country last season as he notched an incredible 16 goals and eight assists in 48 league matches – prompting calls for a World Cup spot.

Fulham will be desperate to hold on to him as long as possible and see him develop further, but that would be in danger if they signed Musa and played him in his preferred position as a wide-left forward.

Having them both in the same team wouldn't make much sense either, as one would have to be played out of position on the right side with Slavisa Jokanovic favouring three central midfielders.

It would be a bad move on Fulham's part, and they can't afford to make many mistakes in the transfer market this summer with funds seemingly limited to that of a club expected to battle against relegation.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/06/30/tt-fulham-signing-leicesters-ahmed-musa-could-hamper-sessegnons/