Wednesday Fulham Stuff (03/10/18)...

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Alex McLeish: Scotland are vulnerable to England approach for Fulham star Tom Cairney


Tom Cairney has two caps for Scotland, but is still eligible to play for England.

ALEX MCLEISH is ready to look Tom Cairney in the eye in order to gauge whether the Fulham player is committed to Scotland, after admitting the national side are vulnerable over any approach made to him by England.

Cairney was yesterday left out of the Scotland squad to face Israel and Portugal, with his club making him unavailable for selection as he continues his recovery from injury.

The Nottingham-born midfielder has two caps for Scotland to his name, but as they came in friendlies, he isn't yet tied down to playing for the country of his father's birth.

England manager Gareth Southgate has been reported as having an interest in persuading Cairney to switch allegiance to the Three Lions, and McLeish – as he did with Manchester United star Scott McTominay – wants to make sure that the 27-year-old is committed to the Scotland cause.

"Tom Cairney is not there because we had dialogue with Fulham at the beginning of the week and we were told he was not able to make it," McLeish said.

"[In regards to] the England thing, I guess we are vulnerable in that situation but I didn't see any indication Tom had a hankering to play for England.

"I guess you would want people to be totally committed to the cause and I think Tom Cairney is.

"I looked Scott McTominay in the eye and asked if he was committed to us. I would do the same with Tom if it came to it."



https://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/16953746.alex-mcleish-scotland-are-vulnerable-to-england-approach-for-fulham-star-tom-cairney/

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Transfer gossip: Chelsea and Man City's interest in Whites youngster

Harvey Elliot's senior debut aged just 15 has led to speculation about the highly-rated Fulham youngster's future.

West London Sport revealed almost a year ago that Eliott, then 14, was being tracked by Chelsea and Manchester City.

He has since become the youngest-ever Fulham player, coming on as a substitute in the recent Carabao Cup win at Millwall.

And London Football News reports that Chelsea and City are showing a strong interest in Elliot.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/chelsea/football-chelsea-man-city-harvey-elliot-interest-02102018

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Local Derby For FFC Women

Fulham FC Women v QPR Girls Development

Sunday 14th October sees Fulham FC Women host QPR FC Girls Development at Motspur Park in the London & South East Regional Women's League Cup.

Come down during the international break to see Fulham FC Women take on their local rivals in the opening league cup fixture of the season.

The LSERWL Cup is designed to replicate the Champions League format and this fixture is the first of the league stages of the competition. The other teams in Fulham's group are AFC Phoenix & Whyteleafe FC, who played each other last week, with Phoenix winning the game 3-0.

Details

Date: Sunday 14th October 2018

Kick-off: 2.30pm

Gates open: 1.30pm

Teams: Fulham FC Women v QPR Girls Development

Competition: London & South East Regional Women's League (LSERWL) Cup

Venue: Motspur Park

Ticket Price: £2 general admission, free for Season Ticket Holders and Under-16s

Fulham FC Foundation, the charity arm of Fulham FC, will be hosting a number of participation-based events throughout the day to engage with the local community, and in particular budding young females who are interested in getting involved in football. Further to this, local business Blossom & Brew, based in Motspur Park, will be onsite providing refreshments for the match.

Please see below for a list of the events on the day:

• Wildcats Fun Day – 12.30pm-1.30pm

Come and enjoy a fun-filled day with our Wildcats coaching team. This session is for girls only between the ages of 5-11, with our dedicated coaching staff able to cater for all ages and abilities. Everyone is welcome and the focus is on fun! Once you've signed up you will be entered into a prize draw to WIN a signed England Lionesses shirt! Click here to find out more information and to book.

• Two FFCF partner clubs, Broomwood FC & Richmond Park Girls, will be playing their league and cup fixtures respectively before the FFC Women's match.

• Fulham FC Women v QPR FC Girls Development – 2.30pm kick-off



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/02/local-derby-for-ffc-women

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Fulham's injury list and return dates in full as club face selection headache at full back

Fulham have a number of players in the treatment room at the moment - here's who is out injured

Fulham have suffered with injuries more than most at the start of their Premier League campaign - with a number of key players having spent time on the sidelines.

Slavisa Jokanovic's side went into the new season with last campaign's Player of the Year, Tim Ream, injured with a back problem, which proved to be a huge headache as the head coach had to field a completely new back four for the opening game of the season.

Since then, Ream has returned for one game only, the 3-0 defeat to Everton at the weekend, and with the side's defence still yet to gel, further injuries to Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Joe Bryan couldn't have come at a worse time.

Fulham have still only won just once in the top flight this season, beating Burnley 4-2 at the end of August, drawing two and losing two of their previous four games - something that has left them in 17th place, just three points off the drop zone.

After the Arsenal game on Sunday at Craven Cottage, the side have the international break to try and solve their defensive worries and attempt to get some of their injured players back to full fitness.

Here's a look at who is out injured and their possible return dates.

Neeskens Kebano

The 26-year-old had played a bit part to Fulham's Premier League start, but played in the League Cup second round against Exeter City and was impressing before suffering an ankle injury.

He was stretchered off and hasn't played since as he continues his recovery from that injury, which was similar to the one that Tom Cairney suffered just the game before against Burnley.


(Image: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

It looks unlikely that Kebano will return to action until after the October international break.

Alfie Mawson

Fulham's £15million signing missed the trip to Everton with a back problem, meaning Denis Odoi and Ream picked up their Championship promotion centre back pairing at Goodison Park.

He had come to the club from Swansea City in the summer still recovering from a knee-injury that he suffered at the back end of last season, but is now ruled out with a new injury.

Mawson was hauled off at half time in the 1-1 draw against Watford after enduring a nightmare first 45 minutes before missing the defeat at Everton.

The 24-year-old also looks likely to be out until after the international break.

Joe Bryan

The summer signing from Bristol City opened his Fulham account in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Millwall but limped off with a hamstring injury in the 3-0 defeat to Everton at the weekend.


(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

It was his first league start since the end of August in the win over Burnley, but he limped off with just over five minutes remaining at Goodison after tweaking his hamstring.

After the game, Jokanovic confirmed the injury and that Bryan would be outside the squad for a 'few weeks': "Joe Bryan has a hamstring problem and will be a few weeks outside of the squad".

Timothy Fosu-Mensah

The Manchester United loanee was stretchered off at Goodison Park after landing heavily on his shoulder in the opening exchanges.


(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Jokanovic was unable to give further updates on the full back after the game, but Fosu-Mensah was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated shoulder.

He faces a number of weeks out as he recovers, with November looking the most likely date at this moment in time.

Marlon Fossey

Fulham's youngster impressed in the pre-season friendlies prior to the start of the season but picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training that has seen him ruled out for the foreseeable future.


Fulham's Marlon Fossey during the pre-season friendly match against Sampdoria. (Image: Daniel Hambury/PA Wire)

He underwent surgery and has recently had his leg in a brace, but has been at Motspur Park working with Fulham's fitness coaches as he starts the long road to recovery.

Unfortunately, Fossey won't be back training with the first team until the New Year.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulhams-injury-list-return-dates-15225190

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Former Fulham loanee Stan Collymore tells Cottagers' fans and owners to 'settle down'

Fulham have experienced a slow start upon their Premier League return.

Stan Collymore has told Fulham's fans - and owners - to 'settle down' and 'be patient' over the Cottagers' start to life back in the Premier League.

Fulham are reported to have spent around £100 million on new recruits since their return to the top-flight via the Championship play-offs last season.

But Slavisa Jokanovic's side have won just one of their seven league matches this season, and sit fourth from bottom of the table - albeit with a three-point cushion on the relegation places.

Writing in his Daily Mirror column on Tuesday however (October 2nd, page 51), Collymore, the one-time Fulham loanee, said: "Those Fulham fans starting to panic need to settle down a bit - the club was right to spend £100 million on new players in the summer and in Slavisa Jokanovic you have a cracking young manager.

"It will come good and your team will go on a proper run soon, so be patient.

"And the same goes for the ownership at Craven Cottage as well."

Fulham host Arsenal on Sunday, before a two-week break for internationals - after which the Cottagers have favourable fixtures against the Premier League's bottom three clubs (Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United) and fellow strugglers Southampton in the space of nine weeks.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/10/02/former-fulham-loanee-stan-collymore-tells-cottagers-fans-and-own/

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Why Fulham should give Harvey Elliott a start in the League Cup

On Sunday, Fulham were given an unenviable assignment when they were drawn away at Manchester City in the final 16 of the Carabao Cup.

Although on face value an away match at the Etihad comes as a massive blow for the Whites' Cup hopes, it presents a superb opportunity to favour a young squad and hand 15-year-old teenage sensation Harvey Elliott his first start.

Elliott became the first player born in 2003 to make his professional debut in English football when he played the closing stages of Fulham's 3-0 win over Millwall in the previous round of the competition.

The highly-rated teenager is well-regarded by manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who has praised Elliott's confidence and skill in past weeks.

Jokanovic has a proven track record of ushering young academy talent into the first team fray, having successfully handed the Sessegnon twins, Luca de la Torre, Tayo Edun, and more their professional debuts when at the club.

And with a seemingly unwinnable match away at City on 30 October, the Serbian can afford to grant his youngsters a chance to impress in the League Cup in a pressure-free environment with no expectations.

The away tie at the Etihad would be quite the occasion for 15-year-old attacker Harvey Elliott to truly announce himself in English football, and Fulham would do well to unleash the phenom from the start later this month.



https://tbrfootball.com/why-fulham-should-give-harvey-elliott-a-start-in-the-league-cup/

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Referee named for Fulham vs Arsenal - and it's excellent news for Unai Emery's side

Arsenal have won their last seven games in all competitions

Arsenal will be looking to extend their fantastic run of form this weekend when they travel to Fulham in the Premier League.

Currently on a run of seven successive wins, you would be confident of Unai Emery's side going into the game at Craven Cottage on the back of eight victories as they travel to Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Sitting in fifth at present, three points in west London could see the Gunners move into the top four come Sunday evening providing results go their way.

In fact, they could even go one point behind Man City or Liverpool given that both clubs play each other at Anfield later on that day.

Arsenal do have a excellent record against Fulham in the Premier League, losing just three of their 26 fixtures since September 2001.

The fact that Paul Tierney is in charge of the game will also be very good news for the Gunners.

The Lancashire official has only refereed Arsenal once and that resulted in a 4-0 victory over Notthingham Forest in the Carabao Cup back in September 2016.

With Arsenal winning their only game with Tierney as the man in the middle, Fulham, on the other hand, have a mixed record with him in charge.

The Cottagers have only won three of their eight games when Tierney has officiated, with one draw and four defeats since February 2012.

Adrian Holmes and Mick McDonough will assist Tierney in the capital, while Mike Dean will be the fourth official in SW6.



https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/fixtures-results/fulham-vs-arsenal-referee-teams-15227040#comments-section

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Fulham confident of keeping youngster Elliot

Fulham are confident they will be able to keep Harvey Elliot as big clubs continue to monitor the 15-year-old.

West London Sport revealed almost a year ago that Chelsea and Manchester City were showing an interest in the youngster.

The likes of Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund have since been linked with him.

Elliot, who became Fulham's youngest-ever player last week, is not eligible for scholarship terms until next July and cannot sign a professional contract until 2020.

But Fulham believe their strong relationship with the player and his family, and a clear pathway laid out to the first team, mean they are in a strong position.

Elliot joined the Whites' academy in 2013. He has trained with the first team and was included on a pre-season trip to Spain.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/chelsea/fulham-confident-of-seeing-off-interest-from-chelsea-and-man-city-in-youngster-elliot

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The Brede Hangeland Column

Fulham have played seven games of the Premier League season. Five points, 16 goals conceded and 17th place is not the start we had hoped for. Some people are beginning to question whether Fulham will survive this season. Is it time to panic?

I base my answer on nine seasons of recent Premier League experience, and on having worked with numerous managers and hundreds of players. The answer to my own question is crystal clear: No. Now is not the time to panic.

After a bad start to a season, Roy Hodgson would refuse to get drawn into panic. He'd talk about a season of 38 games, and of the number of training weeks and sessions available to improve both individuals and the team. In football, chose process over panic every time. Work on improving your process for success, it's the only course of action that one might reasonably expect will deliver results. It might not be this week or next, but at some point you will have improved enough to win.

At Fratton Park in 2008 we didn't panic, even with 20 minutes to play. We all remember what happened then. And in 2014, when we panicked our way through the whole run-in of games, we ended up getting relegated.

Everton away on Saturday was a major disappointment, as has long been the case for Fulham at Goodison. I don't buy the psychological argument that players are aware of the stats in a certain fixture, and somehow that limits their performance. Why should the current squad in any way be affected by something previous generations of Fulham players have experienced? It is more a case of Everton playing a certain style, and having great support from their crowd. And that mix, for now, is just not a good fit for the Fulham way of playing.

There will be a chance to put that stat to bed next season, but for now it's best to take it on the chin and move on. My thoughts on process over panic are of course not unaffected by a result like the one at Goodison. When you get beaten like that, and when you have less points than you would like, there is a chance to take a good look at yourself and really make sure that you increase your contribution to the team. A bad experience should be used to increase your motivation to improve the process.

The best managers use any opportunity to put exactly the right amount of pressure on their players in order to push them to their highest level. That is what Slaviša Jokanović will do now. And that is why Arsenal at the Cottage on Sunday is the perfect fixture to kick-start Fulham's season.

Arsenal are the in-form team in the Premier League at the moment. After a slow start, they now have a run of five wins in a row, and are a formidable opponent with impressive strengths. However, they also have some clear weaknesses, and Fulham are more than capable of taking advantage.

I've seen much of Arsenal this season, and the way they play is ambitious, yet pretty clear. They are happy to play out from the back, pushing their full-backs high and wide so that the centre-backs and two holding midfielders circulate the ball while looking for the opening pass. Very often, their change of pace comes from the wide areas. Having pushed up high and wide, the receiving full-back looks for movement from either the front man or their three players congesting the area between Fulham's midfield and defence. Arsenal's full-backs will often release one of the four front players running from in to out.

Allowing Arsenal to get to this crossing position is very dangerous. The way they keep players close to each other in their final third allows for explosive movement and numbers into the box. This, often combined with intelligent cutbacks to the edge of the area, is a formidable attacking weapon.

So Fulham must find a way to avoid that situation as much as possible. Full-backs must work closely with wide-men in the press. And going the other way there will be plenty of opportunities. With Arsenal's full-backs high and wide, breaking their build-up play opens up the pitch for runners getting into the wide areas. On crosses into the Arsenal box, I would back Mitrović to cause them some big problems.

The tactics will need to be spot on, but the biggest challenge is frame of mind. Can you use this situation to become the best version of yourself? Can you use the occasion and the location to give absolutely everything? In lifting the players to be the best they can be, you – the Fulham faithful - have proved time and time again how valuable you are. Against so called stronger opposition Craven Cottage has often become a place of magic.

I remember my first goal for Fulham. It was against Arsenal in the first home game of 2008/09. We had lost the opener away to Hull, but on this day there was no stopping us. Jogging into their box to attack the corner from Jimmy Bullard I got this very clear feeling that I was going to score. Sometimes, when you are in exactly the right frame of mind, that happens. The ball hit the net, and from then on there was the Craven Cottage magic. That game inspired the best Premier League season to date for Fulham, a perfect unity of fans and players.

Who will spark the magic on Sunday? Always believe.

Come on Fulham!

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/02/the-brede-hangeland-column

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One Thing Jokanovic Has To Sort Out On An Urgent Basis

Seven games into the new season and things have not gone as we all expected back in the summer before the first ball of the 2018 / 2019 season was kicked.

From those seven games, Fulham have taken just five points and are currently sitting fourth from bottom in the Premier League.

But, more worryingly, the Cottagers have conceded 16 goals, the highest number in the Premier League but a total matched by both Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town.

If, as we all hope, Fulham are to make in-roads into making this more than just a survival season, then Slavisa Jokanovic has to sort the defence out.

Already, this season, Jokanovic has tried numerous combinations, utilising those he acquired in the summer transfer window and also those who were part of our promotion winning squad.

The boss, we feel, has to settle on a duo, at the heart of the defence and give the whole defensive unit time to gel.

Okay, we accept that matters have not been helped by an injury to Tim Ream that kept him out of the side until the last game and also to Alfie Mawson, who joined us in the summer from Swansea City.

My personal choice would be to go for Ream and Mawson, but what would be yours?

Do you see a place for Odoi, Le Marchand or Chambers, in the heart of the defence, on a regular basis?

Please feel free to drop your preferred centre-back pairings into the comments facility beneath this article.

COYW's



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/one-thing-jokanovic-has-to-sort-out-on-an-urgent-basis/

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Sigurdsson double extends Fulham's barren run

If you'd read the script beforehand, then this Fulham defeat might almost have appeared made to order. The Whites have never won in the league at Goodison Park – losing their last 23 league games at Everton in a row – and the Londoners haven't kept a top flight clean sheet in any of their last 22 away games, a miserable stat this is a Premier League record. It was all so depressingly predictable, but for at least 45 minutes Slavisa Jokanovic's hinted at being able to rewrite the record books.

It is clear that the Serbian's side remain very much a work in progress at this level. If the opening day defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace proved a lesson in the need to take your chances in the top flight, then this could have doubled as a timely refresher. Fulham produced a composed and patient display of possession football in a first half they gradually began to control, but had nothing to show for their endeavour having squandered the two best chances. A player of Andre Schurrle's quality should have done better than to laconically sidefoot over the bar from the edge of the box after Ryan Sessegnon and Joe Bryan had unlocked the Everton defence down the left, before the teenage left winger rattled the frame of the goal from closer range having latched onto Jean-Michael Seri's gloriously weighted through pass.

Jokanovic admitted his side had paid 'an expensive price' for failing to hit the target – the visitors didn't manage to test Jordan Pickford at all – but their inability to match Everton's energetic start after the half-time break will have been particularly disconcerting. They failed to heed the warning when Gylfi Siggurdson smacked the crossbar with a spot-kick, awarded after Dominic Calvert-Lewin took a tumble after a challenge from Denis Odoi, and eventually capitulated rather meekly as Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa faded from their starring first half roles.

Sigurdsson stroked home a gorgeous first goal from the edge of the box, arriving to curl a low effort into the bottom corner after Odoi had half-cleared Jonjoe Kenny's cross, although Icelandic international was only belatedly pressed by Luciano Vietto. The home side remained on the offensive – galvanised by taking a lead that appeared likely to restore order to this fixture – but it was Vietto's failure to profit from a swift Fulham break that left you with the feeling it just wasn't going to be their day. The Argentinian galloped onto a clever reverse ball from Schurrle, but his heavy touch as he bore down on goal allowed Pickford to pluck the ball from his toes. The England goalkeeper celebrated with a clenched first – and Fulham never truly threatened again.

Instead, Everton made their winning margin much more comfortable. Cenk Tosun headed home his first Everton goal since April from close range after drifting away from Odoi to nod home Theo Walcott's lofted cross to double the Toffees' lead. With time ticking down, substitute Bernard made an immediate impact – dribbling into the box down the left flank, and pulling the ball break for Sigurdsson, left all alone on the edge of box again, to pick his spot in the last minute of normal time. Everton's first win since August was just the tonic for Marco Silva, whose delight on the touchline by the end stood in sharp contrast to frustration when Fulham had began so promisingly.

By the end, the visitors had been reduced to ten men as Joe Bryan headed straight down the tunnel having tweaked his hamstring after Jokanovic had already made his three substitutions. The first of those had seen Timothy Fosu-Mensah stretched off with a serious shoulder injury – and further defensive reorganisation, a consistent part of Fulham's season so far, will be required before the Whites' face Arsenal at Craven Cottage on Saturday. This defeat might count as a surprise, but it was particularly deflating.

EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Kenny, Digne, Keane, Zouma; Gueve, Davies; Richarlison (Bernard 88), Walcott, G. Sigurdsson (Schneiderlin 90+1); Calvert-Lewin (Tosun 55). Subs (not used): Stekelenburg, Holgate, Baines, Lookman.

GOALS: G. Sigurdsson (56, 89), Tosun (66).

FULHAM (4-5-1): Bettinelli; Fosu-Mensah (Christie 8), Bryan, Odoi, Ream; Anguissa, Seri (Ayite 81), Vietto (Cairney 64), R. Sessegnon, Schurrle; Mitrovic. Subs (not used): Rico, Le Marchand, McDonald, Johansen.

BOOKED: Fosu-Mensah, Christie, Odoi, Mitrovic.

REFEREE: Roger East (Wiltshire).

ATTENDANCE: 38,778



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/09/sigurdsson-double-extends-fulhams-barren-run/

[WhiteJC]

 
Has Stuart Gray's departure irrevocably harmed Fulham?

I only met Stuart Gray twice. One was in the Madjeski Stadium car park, when in a jovial mood, we celebrated the coolness of Lucas Piazon's measured finish that had rescued a point for Fulham's ten men at Reading at the start of last season. The other time was at Motspur Park where he spoke briefly about how he'd managed to make watching the Whites defend set plays a much less stressful experience. He was passionate, open to discussion with the fans and clearly a deep thinker about the game, who was enjoying his time at the club.

It came as something of a surprise therefore, considering the remarkable upturn in fortunes of Fulham during the two and a half years that Gray spent at the club, when he left during the summer. While all the focus was on the flowing football and attacking intent that had helped the Whites became something of an irresistible force in the Championship, Gray quietly got on with the job of turning a defence that had been shambolic into a miserly unit that complimented the way Jokanovic wanted his side to play.

It involved hard graft on the training ground, an emphasis on fitness and decision-making as well as communication across the back line. Kevin McDonald's arrival as a holding midfielder – playing a deeper role than he had at any point in his career – made a decisive difference, both as an organiser and as an outlet to receive the ball of the back four. McDonald's positioning was crucial, as was the recovery speed of the likes of Ryan Fredericks, Scott Malone and even Matt Targett, when the Southampton left back fitted so seamlessly into the back four after signing on loan last January.

The training ground drills weren't quite as repetitive as the ones that Roy Hodgson employed to drag his embattled side away from the Premier League drop zone, but practice, partnerships and positioning were a hallmark of the hard graft at Motspur Park. Gray's wealth of managerial and coaching experience throughout the Football League proved invaluable to a coaching staff that had largely cut their teeth on the continent, aside from Jokanovic's canter to promotion from the Championship with Watford. The remarkable renaissance of Tim Ream and the emergence of Denis Odoi as a ball-playing centre half owed much to the first team senior coach's tutelage and patient cajoling.

There was a consistency to the Fulham back line that remained even once Odoi displaced the successful 2016/2017 partnership of Ream and Tomas Kalas. The Whites were comfortable holding a higher line than you might have expected given the centre halves' lack of pace – and the extraordinary unbeaten run that almost carried them to automatic promotion was built not just on possession football but defensive diligence. The fact that the jittery, panic-stricken defending of corners and free kicks gradually became a thing of the past certain helped too.

Now, linking Fulham's alarmingly leaky defence to Gray's departure might be a bit of a stretch. His meticulous organisation and attention to detail could well be sorely missed, but Jokanovic has had other factors to deal with. Even setting aside the obvious step in class when it comes to the opposition in the Premier League, Fulham have had to integrate a whole host of new players and seen several signings beset by injuries. The early-season goalkeeping situation couldn't have helped and the fact that Jokanovic has fielded six different back fours means the consistency that the best teams count upon hasn't been obtainable.

It's just a hunch, provoked by Fulham's shambolic second half collapse at Goodison Park, but Gray's surprising summer departure might have left a bigger hole than Jokanovic could have initially appreciated. Good defences make strong teams – and Fulham's gung-ho style leaves little margin for error at the highest level.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2018/10/has-stuart-grays-departure-irrevocably-harmed-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfer Battle: Jean-Michael Seri vs Lucas Torreira

Fulham take on Arsenal at Craven Cottage on Sunday in a London derby that will see a host of very interesting battles take place including in central midfield.

Both London clubs brought in reinforcements in that area of the pitch with Jean-Michael Seri and Lucas Torreira arriving in the capital during the summer.

So far at Fulham, Aleksandar Mitrovic has stolen all of the headlines due to his early-season goal-scoring exploits, while at Arsenal Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have made good starts to the new campaign.

But as well as the trio, Slavisa Jokanovic and Unai Emery will also be pleased with how Seri and Torreira have begun this season.

With that in mind, how do the two midfielders compare ahead of their potential encounter on Sunday?

Jean Michael-Seri
Having previously attracted interest from the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal (via Sky Sports), the signing of Seri can only be seen as an absolute coup for Fulham.

And from Seri's performances thus far, it is not hard to see why. With the attributes he possesses and has shown at Craven Cottage, he looks capable of playing for any team in the division.

The 27-year-old is great at creating chances from anywhere on the pitch thanks to his unique passing range, while his long-range shooting ability makes him a goal threat.

On top of that, Seri is also a hard worker in the middle of the park and is not afraid to put in a challenge.

The Ivory Coast international is well on his way to becoming the complete midfielder — if not already — and it would not be a surprise to see Chelsea or Arsenal resurrect their interest in him next summer.

TT Grade: A

Lucas Torreira
Most of Torreira's Premier League appearances have come off the bench but, when he has been called upon, the 22-year-old has made an impression and looks like the sort of player Arsenal have lacked in midfield for years now.

Speaking on Torreira after his cameo in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Newcastle United last month, Emery told the club's official website: "I want to give every player confidence.

"I am very happy with Matteo [Guendouzi] and also very happy with Lucas. But maybe in the second half we needed a little more balance on the pitch with the positioning. Lucas gives us this balance."

Too often in recent seasons, the Gunners have looked defensively vulnerable, a theme they have also carried into this one, or at last into their opening two games against Manchester City and Chelsea.

However, if Torreira's displays during this early part of the campaign are anything to go by, then he should be able to help the team out in that department.

TT Grade: B

TT Verdict:
Seri and Torreira are two different type of midfielders. While Seri is the creative hub of his team, Torreira is the destroyer in his.

Going forward, alongside Guendouzi, Torreira can offer Arsenal's back four some much needed protection.

However, the Uruguay international's influence on the Arsenal team has yet to match Seri's on Fulham.

And while he is younger and has every chance of becoming a better player in the future, Seri looks the more finished article in this moment of time.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/features/transfer-battles/transfer-battle-jean-michael-seri-vs-lucas-torreira/