Ranieri wants to swap Fulham captain Tom Cairney for Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey

[Friendsoffulham]

Claudio Ranieri wants to swap Fulham captain Tom Cairney for Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey

Cairney has fallen out of favour with the Craven Cottage boss who has instructed club chiefs to sign a deep-lying midfielder schemer instead.

Toon boss Rafa Benitez is an admirer of Cairney and the club have made offers for him in the past.

Fulham hope they can be tempted to part with England midfielder Shelvey when the January transfer window opens.

If that deal does not come to fruition, Fulham could also swap Cairney, 28, for West Ham's Pedro Obiang instead.

Ranieri has changed Fulham's formation to a defensive-minded 5-4-1 and Cairney – who scored the club's play-off final winner against Aston Villa last May – is no longer a first choice.

Shelvey, who has suffered a couple of recent injuries, is not an automatic starter at Newcastle, with Ki Sung-Yeung preferred by Benitez, and the Essex boy could be keen to move south.

Yet Benitez might be reluctant to let the 26-year-old Shelvey go early in January with Ki on Asian Cup duty with South Korea.

Cairney tends to play in a more advanced role and Benitez has earmarked him as a potential No 10 for Newcastle.

West Ham might also be willing to recruit Cairney, having failed in a bid for the Scotland international last January.

Obiang, a Spanish-born Guinea international, is not a regular starter for West Ham and so a Cairney swap deal could suit the Hammers also.

Ranieri wants to sign players with Premier League experience but have already reached their limit of two domestic loan players, making Cairney's January sale even more likely.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/8070984/newcastle-fulham-cairney-shelvey-swap/amp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&__twitter_impression=true

[The Rational Fan]

Cairney, McDonald, Johansen and Anguissa have all been disappointing this season

[TC's Sporran]

Cairney McDonald and Johansen were fantastic last season but it they had been played this season they would not have been good enough against all but 6 or 7 prem teams.

Just a sad fact that the premier league is nearly always a step too far for the players that get their teams promoted.

[Baszab]

Great deal - let's do it Tuesday morning

[Slaphead in Qatar]

Shelvey has been injured for 6 weeks so not sure if this is a good idea - we need players to hit the ground running in Jan

[Mince n Tatties]

I thought I'd posted this early yesterday... lol
"You heard it here first".

[HillingdonFFC]

I thought I'd posted this early yesterday... lol
"You heard it here first".

I knew about Ranieri wanting Shelvey weeks ago but only found out about Cairney yesterday after you posted

[DevonFFC]

Shelvey has been injured for 6 weeks so not sure if this is a good idea - we need players to hit the ground running in Jan

Not like Tom has the best injury record for us either. I'll be sad to see him go as I was with Slav but ultimately whatever is best for Fulham is priority

[@jolslover]

What does everyone think of this?
I think Cairney is probably the better player, But Shelvey may be a better fit for our system under Ranieri.

[Holders]

Shelvey has been injured for 6 weeks so not sure if this is a good idea - we need players to hit the ground running in Jan

Not like Tom has the best injury record for us either. I'll be sad to see him go as I was with Slav but ultimately whatever is best for Fulham is priority

I quite agree.

[Woolly Mammoth]

What does everyone think of this?
I think Cairney is probably the better player, But Shelvey may be a better fit for our system under Ranieri.

You make a very good point.

[Statto]

It would be sad to see last season's captain and most important player gone so quickly, with Sessegnon already looking like the only person from that group who has any future at this level.

Amazing to see a manager sacked and his whole team dismantled within 6 months of such a massive achievement.   

However being cold about it, Cairney is looking more and more like one of those players Jokanovic made look much better than he is. I think we have a real chance to get one over on another club, potentially a relegation rival in Newcastle, by selling them a player who I don't see adding much at all to their team. Like when we sold Malone, Aluko and Fredericks. But that window of opportunity is closing because Cairney looks like he is being found out at the moment. 

[Whitesideup]

When he has played centrally, I think Cearney has done well. The point that the midfield 3 of McDonald, Johansen and Cearney is no longer good enough may or may not be true, (it has not been seen much at all this season) but of the three the one who looks most like a genuine premiership footballer to me is Cearney. 

Swap a player for another who isn't as good? Does not sound like a good deal to me.

It also implies that our offensive midfield player ie Seri, is better than Cearney. I am not a Seri basher like many, (and some of his passing is sublime - eg ball over the top for Sessegnon in 2nd half against Wolves) but is he really an upgrade on Cearney?

[@jolslover]

When he has played centrally, I think Cearney has done well. The point that the midfield 3 of McDonald, Johansen and Cearney is no longer good enough may or may not be true, (it has not been seen much at all this season) but of the three the one who looks most like a genuine premiership footballer to me is Cearney. 

Swap a player for another who isn't as good? Does not sound like a good deal to me.

It also implies that our offensive midfield player ie Seri, is better than Cearney. I am not a Seri basher like many, (and some of his passing is sublime - eg ball over the top for Sessegnon in 2nd half against Wolves) but is he really an upgrade on Cearney?

IMO in a 2 man midfield Seri is better than Cairney and that is what we have played the last couple of games. 
That leaves the option to play Cairney on the wing where IMO he is not effective.

[RaySmith]

Gentleman Jim certainly thought we missed Cairney to keep possession, last Saturday.
When he came on, the play passed him by a lot, with Wolves  constatntly attacking - he tried, but not being a tough tackling  kind of player, couldn't really get on the ball enough to make things happen, or  take the sting out of Wolves, so we could regroup, plus where he was played.

Doesn't mean he's suddenly become useles or surplus to requirements. But he may not fit into how CR wants to play, who already has Seri in a creatve midfield role, and i trust him to make the right decisions for the club.

But it is saddening if most of the players who got us up so heroically last season,  not to mention the manager, are now sidelined.

[DevonFFC]

What position or description best describes him.

I.e he doesn't score a lot from outside the area like a Gerrardesc

Doesn't get in the box to attack crosses for the knock downs or tap ins like old fat frank

Doesn't tackle and when he does he is up there with Scholes

What he does do is a little bit of the above but nothing that is standing him out as a prem ready player

I don't see how we can fit him into the team at the moment, he either has to be up and down the pitch and act as the shield infront if the back four, like a Huddleston or play as winger whilst not forgetting his defensive work.

I don't see how he fits in to the mould and I'm not making an argument to say Shelvey is what we need but I does ask the question should we cash in on him whilst we have suitors?

[Whitesideup]

What position or description best describes him.

I.e he doesn't score a lot from outside the area like a Gerrardesc

Doesn't get in the box to attack crosses for the knock downs or tap ins like old fat frank

Doesn't tackle and when he does he is up there with Scholes

What he does do is a little bit of the above but nothing that is standing him out as a prem ready player

I don't see how we can fit him into the team at the moment, he either has to be up and down the pitch and act as the shield infront if the back four, like a Huddleston or play as winger whilst not forgetting his defensive work.

I don't see how he fits in to the mould and I'm not making an argument to say Shelvey is what we need but I does ask the question should we cash in on him whilst we have suitors?

Well, that's the issue in that Seri is exactly in Tom's role. Playmaker - does not act as defensive shield, does not score a lot of goals, but an outlet for defenders and good distributor of the ball. Now Seri does the latter bit well, at times brilliantly, but sometimes does not look as if he wants the ball from the defenders, and he should be the one running the game - like Danny Murphy used to. Mind you, maybe  Ranieri wants the ball played forward more quickly, and not played through the midfield as much.

[DevonFFC]

What position or description best describes him.

I.e he doesn't score a lot from outside the area like a Gerrardesc

Doesn't get in the box to attack crosses for the knock downs or tap ins like old fat frank

Doesn't tackle and when he does he is up there with Scholes

What he does do is a little bit of the above but nothing that is standing him out as a prem ready player

I don't see how we can fit him into the team at the moment, he either has to be up and down the pitch and act as the shield infront if the back four, like a Huddleston or play as winger whilst not forgetting his defensive work.

I don't see how he fits in to the mould and I'm not making an argument to say Shelvey is what we need but I does ask the question should we cash in on him whilst we have suitors?

Well, that's the issue in that Seri is exactly in Tom's role. Playmaker - does not act as defensive shield, does not score a lot of goals, but an outlet for defenders and good distributor of the ball. Now Seri does the latter bit well, at times brilliantly, but sometimes does not look as if he wants the ball from the defenders, and he should be the one running the game - like Danny Murphy used to. Mind you, maybe  Ranieri wants the ball played forward more quickly, and not played through the midfield as much.

Tom reminds me very much of the aging Scott Parker we had, calls for the ball a lot even if 5 yds away, likes a pirouette and a backwards pass

[Twig]

Some of the comments on this and other threads concerning TC frankly amaze me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I just cannot begin to understand the flack the guy is getting.  I am not going to pick individual posts or comments but suffice to say that in my view some are just plain wrong. Ill considered, nonsensical rubbish that makes me think people have a herd mentality, they see a bit of a groundswell of opinion an jump on the trend. I really wonder if some on here ever actually get to a match.
Give the guy a break, he has come back from lengthy injury, is playing under a new manager, different tactics and out of position. It's not that he has been, "found out at this level", is throwing a strop, is disinterested, is suddenly too slow, etc. etc.  Class is permanent, once played in position he will come good, hopefully as a Fulham player but if not then sadly elsewhere.

[filham]

Whatever the result of this rumoured move it could prove to be, one way or another, the keys to Fulham's and Newcastle's season.


Cairney has always been so popular at Fulham and movining him on would be a very brave move by Ranieri.