Friday Fulham Stuff (12/10/18)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Shahid Khan will show the FA a thing or two about how to make Wembley into a cash machine... he's going to be laughing all the way to the bank

    Shahid Khan is on the verge of securing the purchase of Wembley for £600m
    The Fulham owner is already planning how to be efficient and shrewd with cash
    He will work tirelessly to eke every ounce of revenue and commercial gain
    Khan will get Wembley Stadium at a snip and turn it into a fully-fledged cash cow

Shahid Khan is not letting the grass grow under his feet. Even before the FA Council's 127 members discuss selling Wembley Stadium to him on Thursday, the Fulham owner's staff are examining how to limit the tax he will pay in the UK when bringing his Jacksonville Jaguars to what until now has been the home of English football.

Sportsmail understands that Khan would be is looking to continue basing his team in Florida, regardless of staging their home games at what he anticipates would be the new jewel in his London property portfolio.

Tax liabilities are already complicated enough for NFL players who, under Internal Revenue Service rules in the US, must pay a percentage of their income to each state they play in during the NFL season. It's why Khan's staff are keen to avoid dealing with the UK's Inland Revenue.


Shahid Khan is on the verge of securing the purchase of Wembley Stadium for £600m

By flying into London for games, perhaps on a Thursday, and leaving immediately afterwards, the team will also avoid exhausting journeys from London to the US west coast for 'away' games and the Florida climate will be conducive to players.

The point is that Khan has fierce financial focus. He's turned the Jaguars' stadium into a commercial goldmine by attending to the small details of how to sweat the asset.

Doing that is a financial necessity in the NFL, where TV and sponsorship revenues are shared out equally between franchises and the only way of extracting commercial advantage is by working the bricks and mortar to death all year round.

Those who have worked with him say he will do precisely the same at Wembley. England might be negotiating to ensure 'major fixtures' are still played at the stadium but the national stadium will, in every sense, be lost.

And for what gain? Khan's offer to the FA is £600m, a figure very substantially less than the £860m the FA has spent buying and rebuilding it since 1999.


He will base his NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars in Florida – with home games in London

The Economist newspaper observed this week that house prices in London have trebled in the 19 years since the FA bought the stadium and that is what makes the value look poor. It's what happens when you're selling your house and have only one potential buyer.

The FA counters that the money will go to the grassroots game, though how long will it last and how far will it reach with the 29,000 clubs out there is questionable. The £61m of lottery and government money have stumped up to assist the FA's development of Wembley must be repaid. Then it will be a race against time to achieve the 'transformation' of the game that the FA is promising before the money runs out.

By the time it does, expect Khan to have shown the governing body a thing or two about how to make a stadium like Wembley into a cash machine. Ask those who have worked with him and it keeps coming back to commercial rigour.

'It's the American fan experience idea for him,' one tells Sportsmail. 'He makes the experience for visitors so good that they keep coming back and he is constantly looking for reasons to bring them back. Events, events, events. That's what he's about.

'He is much better at that than the British. You have to feel the FA will look back on a sale and wonder why they couldn't install the kind of people he employs and make it work financially for them.'

There is evidence at Fulham of what this one-time Khan executive means. The £100m he has invested in the new Craven Cottage Riverside Stand, overlooking the Thames, is expected to become a bigger non-match-day earner as on the 19 days a year that Fulham play at home. For just six times that cost, Khan gets to own Wembley. He'll be laughing all the way to the bank.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6263997/Shahid-Khan-FA-make-Wembley-cash-machine.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfer battle: Wolves vs Fulham

Both newly promoted Wolves and Fulham had very busy summer transfer windows indeed.

With a net spend of over £150m from both clubs, neither were intent on simply surviving in the Premier League, they wanted to take the division by storm, and very often money is the way to do that.

Both broke club records in many ways over the summer with their signings, so let's compare how both of these clubs did...

Wolves
After dominating the Championship last season, Wolves joined the Premier League with high hopes. They had some brilliant young players, and a fantastic manager in Nuno Espírito Santo. Nonetheless, there was still plenty of room to improve their squad.

The club spent over £60m, as they strengthened their squad in all aspects. The Portuguese Nuno was able to attract many stars from his homeland- João Moutinho and Rui Patricio being prime examples.

While Moutinho and Patricio represent a slightly more experienced contingent, which is vital, the club also secured the signature of some very young talents. The 22-year-old Adama Traoré and the 21-year-old Diogo Jota both have great futures that many people will hope is at Molineux.

However, while the majority of signings have been fantastic additions to the club, there are some that haven't taken off yet. Leander Dendoncker is yet to feature in the Premier League, despite being a very promising, and versatile, player when joining from Anderlecht.

However, a couple of slightly suspect signings cannot dampen what was a brilliant window for the club.

TT Grade A+

Fulham
On deadline day this summer, Fulham took their summer spending to £100m, a first for a newly promoted side. This was quite a statement from The Cottagers.

Those deals included record signing Jean Michael Seri, amongst some other very big names. Their record signing has taken to the league like a duck to water, and has impressed so far. Alongside fellow new signing André-Frank Anguissa, The Cottagers look to have a very formidable midfield.

The signing of relatively young stars Aleksandar Mitrović, Alfie Mawson and Joe Bryan also signified their intentions on building for the future rather than simply the present.

Indeed, for the present, they secured some excellent loan deals, André Schürrle from Borussia Dortmund being the main one. The World Cup winner has already made a decent start to a two-season spell at Craven Cottage.

Of course, there are also some bizarre signings that are yet to take off. Sergio Rico was expected to feature heavily for the team, but is still yet to feature. However, like Wolves, he does not tarnish what was another very successful window for Fulham.

TT Grade A

TT Verdict:

There are three main reasons why Wolves win this transfer battle:

Firstly, they spent far less money. Of course that will be a significant factor as to which team has been more successful.

Secondly, their investment in a few more young players, which enables them to have a slightly brighter future than the London club.

Finally, the league position of each team could be an indication of the success of their transfers. While Fulham have made a fairly shaky start to their Premier League season, Wolves have got off to a flyer, which ultimately gives them this battle.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/features/transfer-battles/transfer-battle-wolves-vs-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Star In Contention For First England Call Up After Danny Rose Drops Out

England have suffered a double injury blow a day before their crunch Nations League clash away to rivals Croatia.

Tottenham left-back Danny Rose and Southampton Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy have both been forced to pull out of Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad.

Both players have suffered minor injuries and will therefore not be risked at the empty Stadion HNK Rijeka on Friday, meaning they've each been withdrawn and gone back to their respective clubs to receive further treatment.

England still have three other goalkeepers to choose from but Rose's exit, which came after Luke Shaw was forced to leave, means that Leicester's Ben Chilwell is currently the only left-back in the squad.

This could well leave the door open to Fulham's teenage sensation Ryan Sessegnon, should Southgate decide that he needs a late back-up in this particular area.

The 18-year-old enjoyed a stunning 2017/18 season with the Cottagers, playing a key role in their promotion up to the Premier League, having started 45 of the club's 46 games.

The Championship player of the year was then the subject of immense debate in the summer but he remained at Fulham, after penning a five-year deal.

The current season will no doubt be a learning curve for Sessegnon who can be employed at either left back or left wing, and while he's yet to set the top-flight alight this term, a first ever call-up to England's senior team would do his confidence the world of good.

It's unknown whether Southgate will make any last-gasp decisions ahead of the rapidly approaching Croatia fixture, but Sessegnon could find himself in the squad ahead of Monday's trip to Spain.



https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/fulham-star-in-contention-for-first-england-call-up-after-danny-rose-drops-out

[WhiteJC]

 
A facing £72MILLION Wembley repair bill if they do not sell national stadium to Shahid Khan

The FA Council will meet on Wednesday with the governing body seeking to increase support for the planned £600m sale

The FA face an eye-watering £72million Wembley repair bill - if they do not sell the national stadium to Fulham owner Shahid Khan.

The FA Council, which has 127 members, will meet on Wednesday with the governing body seeking to increase support for the planned £600million sale.

FA chiefs are set to plead with council members to consider voting through the proposal when a concrete decision is made in two weeks.

Opposition against the sale has grown in recent months and the FA's chief financial officer, Mark Burrows, has revealed the costs behind the running of the stadium.

He said: "We do not need to sell Wembley. It is profitable and I would be happy to keep running it.

"But if we sell, the FA would save £72m in capital expenditure over the next six years, with £18m due this year.

"Wembley was built more than ten years ago.

"We need to upgrade connectivity and security, our hospitality, the toilets, to spend £2m on floodlights, £1m on the pitch, £1.5m on the beer delivery system.

"That's £18m this year alone and we would be immediately off the hook for that. The outlay is the biggest number in the turnover equation.

"So we would be better off by handing over the stadium to them, never mind the £600m."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fa-facing-72million-wembley-repair-13399580

[WhiteJC]

 
'Difficult' for club to part ways with player amid Watford and Fulham interest

On Wednesday, we covered an article from Calciomercato, who claimed that both Watford and Fulham were interested in the services of Milan's Mateo Musacchio.

The Argentinian defender has featured more than first anticipated this season following the injury to Mattia Caldara, and he's been important in his club's recent good run of form.

That's why we had our reservations about both the Hornets' and the Cottagers' chances of signing the 28-year-old, and if Corriere dello Sport are to be believed, we were right.

Picking up the story, which they say comes from England (it doesn't),  they explain that due to the current situation at Milan, it would be 'difficult' for the Serie A club to part ways with him, as they want to keep their squad as unified as possible, especially at the back.

Fulham were said to have tried to sign Musacchio in the summer, but had already failed in their attempt.

If that was the case then (he'd only made 15 league appearances in 2017-18), now that he's actually an important member of their squad, it just isn't going to happen.

As for Watford, they normally have their ways, and the Pozzo connection, but even that seems like a long shot.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/difficult-club-part-ways-player-amid-watford-fulham-interest/

[WhiteJC]

 
Riverside Stand update as Fulham reaffirm dedication to redevelop stand by 2012/22 season

The club are planning on having the new stand ready by the 2021/22 season

Fulham are still planning on starting work to redevelop the Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage in May 2019 and hope to announce a preferred contractor by December.

The club are still currently out to tender for a lead contractor on the work but are in advanced talks with a final shortlist of potential contractors and are still hopeful of sticking to their original timeframe for the work.

That would see the existing Riverside Stand demolished in May of next year, meaning Craven Cottage would operate at a significantly lower capacity until the work is completed.

Fulham hope that work will be completed in time for the start of the 2021/22 season.

Concerns have been raised in recent months over the delay in the redevelopment of the Riverside Stand since planning permission was granted in March coinciding with owner Shahid Khan's plans to buy Wembley Stadium in a £600million deal.

However, Mr Khan has always reiterated his plans to keep Fulham at Craven Cottage, with the Fulham Chairman stating that his proposed purchase of Wembley is separate to his plans for the club.

In a letter to FA Council members last week, Mr Khan reiterated that Craven Cottage will "always be the lifetime home" of Fulham and continued to pledge to redevelop the Riverside Stand in a £100m rennovation, while he has also rebuffed claims from former assistant director of football, Craig Kline, that he will turn the Cottage into flats.


An artist's impression of the Riverside Stand looking from the Johnny Haynes Stand

In a meeting with the Fulham Supporters' Trust, Chief Executive Alastiar Mackintosh also addressed the concerns, stressing that the plans to buy Wembley have no impact and that there is no consideration of Shahid Khan's proposed purchase of Wembley Stadium in the Club's current planning.

During the meeting, Mackintosh also addressed the possibility of relocating from Craven Cottage while work was undertaken on the new stand, stating that in the event of a temporary relocation, a £100m contract would have already been signed and work started on the new stand and reaffirmed his belief that the stand would be built.


An artist's impression of Fulham's new Riverside Stand concourse

Meanwhile, Fulham also unveiled plans to local residents last month over proposed plans to build a new training ground at the former BBC sports ground opposite Motspur Park.

The current proposals would see a new first team training hub built on the site, while the current training ground at Motspur would be used for the Academy and Fulham FC Foundation.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/riverside-stand-update-club-reaffirm-15267572

[WhiteJC]

 
Mateo Musacchio would be a superb signing for Fulham

Fulham invested over £100 million in the summer following their return to the Premier League. Big things were expected of them, but after round eight of Premier League matches, they find themselves sitting 17th in the league.

The Cottagers' poor defence has so far proved to be the undoing of Slavisa Jokanovic's side. They have conceded 21 goals – more than any other team in the league. They did bolster their defence by adding players like Alfie Mawson, Maxime Le Marchand, Calum Chambers, Joey Bryan, Rico and Fosu-Mensah, but it seems they need more quality additions in that department.

According to reports from Calciomercato, Fulham are keen to sign AC Milan defender Matteo Musacchio in the January transfer window. Musacchio joined Milan from Villarreal in 2017 for £16 million but endured a difficult first season in Italy.

However, he has been brilliant this season, and started all of their seven league games, making a strong impact under Gennaro Gattuso. It won't be easy for Fulham to prise him away from San Siro but they can make a tempting offer to force Milan into thinking again.

The Argentine international is a solid defender and he would add depth and quality to Jokanovic's side. If Fulham can sort out their defence, they can be expected to finish much higher than where they are at the moment.



https://sportslens.com/mateo-musacchio-would-be-a-superb-signing-for-fulham/247559/

[WhiteJC]

 
Omogbehin: A Joy To Watch

Colin Omogbehin was full of praise for his team following the Under-18s' 7-0 demolition of Reading on Saturday. In particular, the midfield trio of Sylvester Jasper, Sonny Hilton and Fabio Carvalho, who were involved in all seven goals.

"I thought it was our best performance of the season so far," he told fulhamfc.com. "The boys have been threatening to do that all season. On Saturday, we took advantage of our instinct and it was fantastic.

"I was very impressed with them (Carvalho, Jasper and Hilton), they are talented players. The way it is with pushing players on to the 23s, some boys come back, we haven't always had them playing together – which is fine, but when they are together it's a joy to watch.

"If you look at the games against Swansea and Southampton earlier on, we have been in control but not been able to kill teams off."

The International break comes at an unfortunate time for the Young Whites, who would have wanted to kick on with their momentum.

He added: "When you've played as well as you have done on Saturday you always want to keep that momentum going. But we will keep working hard ready for the Brighton game."

Hilton impressed many with his all-round performance on Saturday, not only with his hat-trick, but his creativity and work rate. The Head Coach has challenged to him to build on his tally.

"Sonny has been influential this year, not only as captain but as a player. His three-goal haul is something he is capable of doing and now he needs to try and contribute that more."

Fulham will now face Brighton at the American Express Elite Performance Ground after the break looking to continue their fine form in front of goal.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/11/u18-reaction

[WhiteJC]

 
Wembley stadium's future to be decided on October 24

THE proposed sale of Wembley to US billionaire Shahid Khan will go to a vote of the Football Association Council on October 24, the governing body has confirmed after a "healthy discussion" of the deal's merits today.

The Fulham owner's offer of £600 million in cash and £300m in retained hospitality income has divided football, with some agreeing with the FA's plan to use the windfall to transform grassroots facilities, while others have likened it to selling the crown jewels.

At a meeting of the 127-strong council, FA bosses walked the game's self-styled parliament through the deal and took questions from the floor.

In a statement posted on its Twitter feed, the FA said: "Today's FA Council meeting included a presentation and healthy discussion on the potential sale of Wembley Stadium.

"The full facts and figures of a £600m investment to improve community football facilities in England were outlined.

"The presentation also included detailed information on the commercial deal that has been discussed, including the protections that will be in place to ensure its status as the national stadium and the home of English football.

"A special meeting has been scheduled on October 24 for the FA Council members to vote on the potential sale. The FA Board will then take these views into consideration."

The FA's leadership is squarely behind the deal, as are the professional leagues and government, and Khan has also upped his lobbying efforts with a direct appeal to each FA councillor.

In a letter sent last week, the 68-year-old told them he has no intention of moving his Premier League club to Wembley and wants to work with them on maintaining the national stadium's world-class status.

Earlier this week, Fulham's former assistant director of football Craig Kline resurfaced a year after his acrimonious exit from the club to claim Khan wants to base his NFL team the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham at Wembley, so he can build luxury flats at Craven Cottage.

Khan, however, wrote that he has been dealing with rumours about his intentions for Craven Cottage since he bought the club in 2013, but has never deviated from his plan to "invest in the club and the renovation of Craven Cottage so it would always be the lifetime and spiritual home of Fulham."



https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/wembley-stadium%E2%80%99s-future-be-decided-october-24

[WhiteJC]

 
Brentford's Konza scores in England Under-21 win

Brentford defender Ezri Konza scored as England thrashed Andorra 7-0 to clinch qualification for next year's European Under-21 Championship.

Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon also played in the game at Chesterfield and had a header cleared off the line, while Chelsea's Jay Dasilva came on as a second-half substitute.

Jake Clarke-Salter and Tammy Abraham, also of Chelsea, were unused substitutes.

Konza got England's second goal when he pounced on the loose ball and fired home after a shot by Bournemouth's Lewis Cook had been saved.

Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice and there were also goals for Liverpool's former Chelsea forward Dominic Solanke, Everton's Ademola Lookman and Arsenal's Reiss Nelson. The seventh was an own goal.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/chelsea/sessegnon-and-konza-england-u21-update

[WhiteJC]

 
FA investigation into allegations about Fulham will not delay Wembley vote

• Former club employee rails against would-be Wembley owner
• FA to vote on sale to Shahid Khan on 24 October regardless

Allegations of malpractice made against Fulham by their former assistant director of football, Craig Kline, were raised as a potential barrier to the Football Association selling Wembley to the club's owner, Shahid Khan, at an FA council meeting on Thursday.

In the meeting to consider whether to sell the stadium to Khan for £600m, which was described by the FA as "a healthy discussion", the chairman, Greg Clarke, was asked if Kline's allegations could block the deal.

The FA has said it is "reviewing" the allegations, which Kline has said publicly involve "systemic corruption, child endangerment and exploitation, and fraud" which he witnessed during his time at Fulham between 2014-17. Kline, who is understood to have agreed a settlement to leave the club last November, approached the FA last week and on Monday met one of the governing body's senior governance investigators, to whom he made a statement.

After Kline went public with his allegations on Twitter this week, Jim Woodcock, a spokesman for Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team, responded by saying: "This is nothing more than the same ongoing nonsense and bogus claims made by a former employee who left the club in 2017. Nothing here merits a further response."

Clarke, who with the FA's chief executive, Martin Glenn, is supporting the sale of Wembley to Khan so the proceeds can be invested in improving grassroots facilities, is understood to have told the council the two processes are being considered separately. An FA investigation into Fulham, which will be undertaken if the review finds Kline's allegations serious enough, would not delay the council's vote on 24 October about whether to approve the sale.

Kline said: "I believe it would be unacceptable to everybody concerned with the sale of Wembley if a full FA investigation of my allegations is not carried out as part of the vetting process."

The final decision on whether to sell the stadium to Khan, who wants Wembley as a London and European TV timezone base for the NFL, will be taken by the FA board after the council votes. The board has said it wants from the council a "significant majority" which has not been numerically defined, as that will indicate wide support for the deal across football's constituencies. An FA survey of 22,500 people, including grassroots players, officials and coaches and 8,000 members of the public, did find 45% of respondents opposed to the sale of Wembley, while 38% were supportive and 17% neutral.

One council insider described the meeting as broadly supportive of selling the stadium, with many councillors persuaded that the proceeds, which Glenn has said could reach £1bn with matched funding could transform dilapidated facilities nationwide. A group of councillors is understood to have argued the FA does need to keep its own iconic stadium, whose £757m rebuilding it largely financed and has mostly now repaid, at great cost. Clarke and Glenn have pointed out that other countries' football associations do not own their own national stadium.

Other councillors are said to have been keen to be clear about the detail, both of the commercial deal itself – the FA is retaining the lucrative Club Wembley income and guaranteed matches under the outline agreement with Khan – and how the proceeds will flow to the grassroots.

Khan wrote to all councillors on 5 October, giving assurances Wembley would remain England's national football stadium and that he does not intend to move Fulham there. He said he is committed to keeping the club at Craven Cottage, where a renovation of the Riverside stand is due to begin in May.

He released a statement which read: "I appreciate the time and consideration of the FA Council today in its review of my Wembley Stadium proposal. As I've expressed in writing to the FA Board and members of the FA Council, an agreement will provide exceptional opportunities to invest in the game while ensuring Wembley Stadium will forever be the national stadium of England, the undisputed home of English football and unquestionably one of the finest venues in the world.

"I am committed to a partnership with the FA that will realise longtime resources for and benefits to the game and an extraordinary experience for all who will play in or visit Wembley for many years to come. In that spirit, I look forward to continuing to work with the FA Board, FA Council, Sport England, the mayor of London's office and DCMS in the weeks ahead."



https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/11/fa-review-craig-kline-fulham-owner-shahid-khan

[WhiteJC]

 
Soccer - Mitrovic double gives Serbia 2-0 win at Montenegro

PODGORICA (Reuters) - An Aleksandar Mitrovic brace gave Serbia a 2-0 away win over neighbours Montenegro on Thursday that put them top of their UEFA Nations League group after a scrappy clash between two former Yugoslav republics.

The result left Serbia on seven points from three games in the third-tier Group 4, two ahead of Romania, who won 2-1 at Lithuania. Montenegro have four points and Lithuania none.

The first meeting between Montenegro and Serbia as independent nations since they separated in 2006 was played amid tight security but in a friendly atmosphere with both sets of fans applauding each other's national anthems.

It was also watched from the VIP box by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, reportedly screening Serbia's 20-year-old centre back Nikola Milenkovic, who is in excellent form for his Serie A club Fiorentina after enjoying a good World Cup.

Serbia dominated the game and should have won by a bigger margin but for some poor finishing by playmaker Dusan Tadic, who squandered two sitters after good work by winger Andrija Zivkovic and the tireless Mitrovic.

Those misses came after in-form Fulham striker Mitrovic sent goalkeeper Danijel Petkovic the wrong way with an 18th-minute spot kick, after Montenegro right back Filip Stojkovic fouled his Red Star Belgrade team mate Milan Rodic.

The Montenegrins upped the pace in the closing stages and their striker Fatos Beciraj forced a good save from Serbia keeper Marko Dmitrovic in the 72nd minute with a rasping low shot from 20 metres.

Montenegro's Serbian coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic was sent off by Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi for dissent before Mitrovic sealed the contest with a close-range finish in the 81st minute.

Substitute Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who had also been linked with a possible future move to United from Lazio, allowed Zivkovic's pass to run with a clever dummy, leaving Mitrovic with the simple task of beating Petkovic from three metres.

Serbia next visit Romania while Montenegro are at home to Lithuania on Sunday.



https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-uefa-nations-mne-srb/soccer-mitrovic-double-gives-serbia-2-0-win-at-montenegro-idUKKCN1ML2WF?rpc=401&;

[WhiteJC]

 
Montenegro 0-2 Serbia

Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored nine goals in 10 games for club and country this season

Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice as Serbia beat neighbours Montenegro in a historic first meeting between the former Yugoslav republics.

The two nations, who competed as one at the 2006 World Cup finals, became independent nations later that year.

Although played under tight security, the Nations League third-tier match had a friendly atmosphere.

Mitrovic fired in an 18th-minute penalty and, after Serbia wasted more chances, stroked in a late second.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was watching the League C Group 4 from the stands, following recent reports claiming he is keen on signing Serbia centre-back Nikola Milenkovic from Italian side Fiorentina.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45831207