Saturday Fulham Stuff (23/03/19)...

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Hammers ramp up interest in Fulham hitman

West Ham are ramping up their interest in Fulham striker Alexksander Mitrovic as the south west Londoners appear to be dead and buried as a Premier League club.

Many Hammers fans have been calling for the club to move for the former Newcastle player in the summer and he is very much on the Hammers radar.

Fulham – with 17 points from 31 games – are destined for the Championship and it's unlikely Mitrovic will be ready to return to the second tier.

He has scored 10 times for the Cottagers this season and grabbed another six in Nations League internationals .

A Hammers source made it clear to ClaretandHugh that he is a player who interests the club with the likes of Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez clearly on their way out this season.

He told us in a telephone call: "We will wait for the outcome of the season but there's no question about his goal scoring abilities at this level."

However, Fulham will want top dollar – if they are prepared to sell at all – for a player who cost them £22 million and who is contracted to them until 2023.



https://www.claretandhugh.info/hammers-ramp-up-interest-in-fulham-hitman/

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Premier League club target former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner for vacant manager role

They are happy to wait until the summer


David Wagner wants to wait until the summer for his next job

Premier League club Fulham have lined up former Huddersfield Town head coach David Wagner as their next permanent manager.

That is according to a report by iNews , which claims the West London club are happy to wait until the summer to land their man.

The Cottagers appointed former club captain Scott Parker as caretaker until the end of the season, following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri in February.

Parker has been unable to kick start a great escape though and now the board are starting to prepare for life in the Championship next season.

Wagner made it clear when he left Huddersfield that he needed a break from football management and he is not expected to take another job until the summer.


Fulham owner, Shahid Khan

That would make him perfect for Fulham, who are happy to stick with Parker until then.

Fulham's spending power could be another draw. In preparation for their first season back in the Premier League they spent north of £100m on players and another £100m is being splashed on the redevelopment of one of the stands at Craven Cottage.

David Wagner is believed to be aiming for a return to top flight management though and with Fulham looking almost as certain as Town to be playing in the Championship next season, the German could be put off the job.



https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-club-target-former-16011478

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The home straight: Questions for the PL's bottom five



Huddersfield Town

Do they have any hope?
Jan Siewert has toed the party line, insisting that while an escape remains a mathematical possibility, Town will retain hope. But the reality is they could be relegated as early as the end of their next game. If Huddersfield fail to win at Crystal Palace a week on Saturday while Burnley and Southampton beat both Wolves and Brighton respectively, then it will be curtains for Town before April has arrived.

With no sign of a fight, Town really are just waiting for the inevitable.

Can they at least score a few goals?
Town have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League, created the fewest big chances, and have taken the fewest percentage of their big chances. No player has scored more than three goals. Their output this season does suggest they should beat Derby's Premier League record low of 20 goals in 2007-08 but they still need three more in seven games so it might be tight.

Karlan Grant arrived from Charlton in January and with three goals in six games he has scored more than Steve Mounie and Laurent Depoitre combined. The focus for the rest of the season is upon next season, and bedding the 21-year-old into this Town side to prepare for a promotion push.

Who stays, who goes?
Siewert has got his feet under the table at the John Smith's Stadium now and decisions will be forming in his mind as to who he wishes to keep around for next season. Town have choices to make on eight players: six, including Jonas Lossl and Erik Durm are out of contract, while Jason Puncheon and Isaac Mbenza are approaching the end of their loan spells.

Fulham

What are the chances of survival?
Fulham's position is three points less perilous than Huddersfield's, but Claudio Ranieri said a month ago that it would take "a miracle" to stay up. They have lost all four games since and remain 13 points off safety, with Manchester City due at Craven Cottage next.

They're f*cked.

Who will manage Fulham next season?
Scott Parker has lost the three games he has had in charge but there have been some signs of progression, especially in narrow home defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool and during the second half at Leicester. The former midfielder reckons there has been a "ten-fold improvement" in his players, simply by changing the focus solely from avoiding relegation to training hard every day. This management lark is easy.

Parker is popular but Fulham are assessing their options. Steve Clarke is thought to be in the frame and David Wagner has been mentioned, so too have the usual suspects like David Moyes and Chris Coleman. If Parker wants the job, then he could do with picking up a few points to supplement the supposed upturn in mood around the training ground.

Can they stop haemorrhaging goals?
The most obvious route to those points is plugging the leakiest defence in the top flight. If Fulham continue to concede at the same rate over the remaining seven games that they have through the first 31, then they will have shipped in 86 goals – only two fewer than Derby in 2007-08, the Premier League's worst-ever defence.

Fulham have tried all manner of personnel in every conceivable defensive shape, but little has worked. On Sunday, it seemed that defending narrow might frustrate Liverpool, until Sergio Rico dropped another bollock and all the Cottagers' good work was undone.

If Parker can tighten up the ropiest rearguard in the league, then that achievement alone might secure him the permanent job. With five of their eight remaining opponents in the bottom half, there are opportunities to demonstrate tangible improvement.

Cardiff City

Where will their points come from?
Cardiff have a game in hand over three of their four immediate relegation rivals but their fixture list is rather less favourable. The period between the transfer window closing and the current international break were viewed as critical to their survival hopes, but results have been so mixed – three wins, three defeats, including two thumpings at home – we are left no clearer over the Bluesbirds' prospects.

Half of Cardiff's eight remaining matches come against title and top-four contenders: Chelsea and Liverpool both come to south Wales, while Neil Warnock must take his side to Manchester twice, with the final day perhaps offering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the chance to relegate his former employers.

Cardiff's destiny will most likely be determined by trips to Burnley, Brighton and Fulham before their final home game of the season against Palace.

Have they got the stomach for a fight?
The home win over West Ham in their last outing could not have been better timed. Before a three-week break and after two desperately poor defeats at home to Watford and Everton, Warnock described the 2-0 triumph over the Hammers as "probably our biggest win of the season".

It came when Cardiff's character was being questioned. Amid the ongoing fall-out from the Emiliano Sala tragedy and rumours of Warnock's players losing faith in their manager, the Bluebirds demonstrated the resilience it was thought they lacked after what the boss had described as their "worst week" of a season which has brought more misery than most.

Can their defence cope without its Sol?
One of the most pleasing aspects of that win over West Ham was a clean sheet achieved in their first match without Sol Bamba. The Cardiff centre-back, their most important defender, look set to miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury sustained at Wolves.

Bamba has missed only one other match this season – the 5-0 thrashing by Man City – after an ever-present campaign in the Championship last term. In his absence, it was a hugely-encouraging shut-out for Sean Morrison and Bruno Manga, with the former having been off-colour since returning from an appendix operation.

As Warnock said, without Bamba and any other alternatives, "the back four picks itself". Presumably they have been a large focus of training during this mid-season break.

Burnley

How will Sean Dyche use the international break?
The Burnley boss said he will "reflect and make sense" of his side's recent slump, though after the home defeat to Leicester, who played almost the whole game a man short, Dyche insisted his team "were not a million miles away".

This terrible run has dragged the Clarets into the mire after it was presumed they would go on to secure safety following eight unbeaten at the start of the year. Dyche needs to identify the "details in both boxes" that he discussed after the Leicester game and implement some remedies, despite eight of his players being away on national duty.

Is another goalkeeping change really the answer?
Dyche has an abundance of goalkeepers at his disposal, and reports suggest he is considering using them all. Not at once, mind. There's probably a rule against that sort of thing.

Tom Heaton earned an England recall on the back of his form since replacing Joe Hart, with Heaton's return to the Burnley XI coinciding with the start of their eight-game unbeaten run. But four defeats and 11 conceded goals later, Heaton faces the prospect of returning from England duty next week to sit on Burnley's bench again.

Dyche is apparently considering a recall for Nick Pope. Though the Clarets have the second-worst defensive record in the Premier League, little of that can be pinned on Heaton. It seems a change for change's sake and perhaps highlights the struggle for answers over Burnley's dip.

Can Burnley pick up enough points before their wretched run-in?
Whatever Dyche does, he needs to do it quick. Burnley's next three games will probably go a long way to deciding their fate.

The Clarets host Wolves and go to Bournemouth before a six-pointer against Cardiff on April 13. Then, Dyche has a stinker of a run-in to negotiate, with trips to Everton and Chelsea, along with visits from Manchester City and Arsenal.

If Burnley are still in bother after the clash with Cardiff, then it will take a huge effort in the final month for last season's seventh-placed finishers to preserve their Premier League status.

Southampton

Will Saints seize upon their advantage?
If football was played on paper, Southampton would probably be safe already. Their run-in appears to be the simplest of the five down at the bottom, especially in the wake of the encouragement Ralph Hasenhuttl's side will have taken from beating Tottenham and an extremely impressive performance before suffering a late defeat to Manchester United.

With a game in hand over Burnley, Huddersfield and Fulham, Saints only face one top-six side (Liverpool) in their final eight matches, while half of their run-in will take in meetings with sides currently in the bottom half of the table.

A month ago, Hasenhuttl set Saints an overly-cautious target of 40 points for survival. If they restart after the international break in the same form they showed going into it, it is entirely realistic that they can achieve that total. If they maintain their points-per-game haul under Hasenhuttl, Saints will beat it.

Might complacency creep in?
Alternatively, that forgiving run-in could count against Southampton. "We have shown we can take points against the big teams but also lose points against the small teams," Hasenhuttl himself said before the games against United and Spurs. That some pundits see St Mary's as the place Liverpool slip up before the end of the season only strengthens the belief they are better at fighting Goliaths than fellow Davids.

The flip side to Saints' impressive record against the big boys is the complacency it could encourage against the more routine opposition during the run in. Guard against that, and Saints are safe.

Can they finally achieve consistency?
Saints have shown great form in their last two matches, but it would be entirely typical of their season if they were to go to Brighton next week and get rolled over.

Since Hasenhuttl took over from Mark Hughes, they have won six games, lost six and drawn three. Under the Austrian, Saints have never won, drawn or lost more than two games in a row. With Jan Bednarek and James Ward-Prowse among the seven players Southampton have lost to international duty this week, the manager will pray they can retain their focus upon their return.



https://www.football365.com/news/the-home-straight-questions-for-the-pls-bottom-five

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"Panic move" – Attacker says he should have stayed at Liverpool, gives reason for transfer

Fulham attacker Ryan Babel has told the Dutch media he should have stayed at Liverpool, but he had to leave to keep his place in the Netherlands national team.

Babel joined Liverpool in 2007 and spent four seasons at Anfield.

In an interview with Voetbol International, the Dutchman was asked about being written off during his career: "I went to Liverpool at a young age, but I played quite a lot in my first year. The club wanted to keep me, but yes, I was out of the picture with the Dutch national team. With the knowledge of today I know that I then I made a panic move to Hoffenheim.

"Now they are a respected, stable sub-elite club, who are around eleventh, twelfth in the table. Afterwards I should have stayed at Liverpool, I was not so bad at all there."

Babel signed for the Premier League club from Ajax for a transfer fee in the region of £11.5m after impressing during the 2007 Euro U21 tournament. He arrived on Merseyside with great expectations, but failed to make a real impact during his first spell in England.

However, the winger still went on to make 91 Premier League appearances during his time at Liverpool before his move to Germany in 2011.

After playing for a host of clubs, including a spell in the Middle East, Babel kick-started his career during his time at Besiktas. His performances for the Istanbul club enabled him to break back into the national team and now the player is having his second stint in the Premier League with Fulham.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/panic-move-attacker-says-stayed-liverpool-gives-reason-transfer/

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Thirty Three Degrees South: The Psychology of Fandom

Is following Fulham bad for your health? Does the sight of Tom Cairney on the wing send you into spirals of depression? Tim Clarke explores what following Fulham FC does to us. (Spoiler: There's some good news below!)

At some point this season, every Fulham fan has sat down and thought "This is beginning to get to me...",  and conclude that it is ruining us as humans. Therefore, it probably won't shock you to learn that psychologists have found a link between supporting a losing team, and generally feeling pissed off.

However, there are also some unexpected benefits for downcast fans of downcast teams. Even though for a few hours on a Saturday we may feel like throwing ourselves off Putney Bridge, there are some long term affects which may just keep you from flinging yourself into the Thames. Suspend your disbelief, and come with me for a second.

Resilience
If you can sing 'Scotty's at the Wheel', even ironically, you have what I'm talking about; the ability to persevere against adverse circumstances. Psychologists have found that resilience is what determines 'the happiness and longevity of our relationships, our success at work, and the quality of our health' [1]. We only get this from experiencing setbacks, but deciding to carry on anyway.

It would have been very easy to give up, to go glory hunting elsewhere. You could have meandered 1.5 miles up the road to where Stamford Bridge sits with a Guantanamo Bay-like obnoxiousness right next to Fulham Broadway. But you haven't.

If you're an overseas fan, it's even more tempting. You wake up at stupid hours to watch Fulham lose, and then you go to work and can't even talk about it with anyone. 'John from IT supports Norwich, maybe he will care?'. Newsflash: he doesn't. It would be very easy to slide into a Spurs jersey, and no one would ever call you on it. But you haven't.

By persevering with Fulham, you are growing in your capacity to be resilient – helping you deal with trauma in your personal life, maintain self-esteem, and remain calm in a crisis.

It almost makes you feel sorry for all those stunted City fans...

Reward Systems in the Brain
It does feel good to support a winning team. It allows you to feel good about yourself and who you are for no real reason. Think 26th of May last year. Your personal life could have been going up in flames, but when TC slotted that ball home, somewhere in the back of your mind you thought 'I'm doing alright!'. Backing a winner feels great.

But, there is a flip side. As soon as we expect a win, our brain doesn't get as excited when it comes to fruition. Researchers at Cambridge found the level of dopamine is linked to expectation [2]. If you expect to win, and you do, there isn't much reward. And if you expect to win, and you don't: chaos. We all know fans of big six teams who act like the sky is falling in after a draw away at Brighton.

How does this relate to us? Think back to December last year. We were languishing near the bottom of the Championship when our mighty unbeaten run began. I will never forget leaving The Den after having put three past the other form team of the division, singing ''22, 22 undefeated!" We had no expectation of winning, and each time felt like the first time. We don't show up to games with a God-given sense of superiority. Even thinking of this season, when Mitro scored in the 90th minute against Huddersfield, I was off my head, fatigued and dopamined to the eyeballs.

How good would this win for a big six team feel? Probably not quite the same.

We feel and experience, we don't expect. There is a reward in that. Don't believe me? Manchester City fans who are old enough to remember a time before oil bought the club, wrestle with this tension. If you asked one of these fans whether their recent success makes them more happy than watching them lose to York City in the second division back in 1998, you would expect the answer to be easy. But Karolyn Judge, a season ticket holder for 14 years, told the BBC in 2014 [2] that:

    "It's complicated. But, to be honest, I don't think it does."

Where does this leave us?
Admittedly, this is like calling the glass half full, whilst squinting and facing the other way. There are ways supporting a club like Fulham can affect us negatively, and I'm sure you are well acquainted with them. But there are some upsides, and I sure as hell needed a win. You probably did too.

Here it is in a nutshell: Because we support Fulham, we feel the rapture of an unexpected win, as dopamine floods our systems. And we are being trained in the most cruellest of ways to become resilient. And resilience breeds success.

    'You know what makes a good loser? Practice.'

    Ernest Hemingway.

Further Reading (If you're still unconvinced):

[1] Reivich, K., & Shatté, A. (2002). The resilience factor: 7 essential skills for overcoming life's inevitable obstacles. New York, NY, US: Broadway Books.

[2] https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/26704856



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2019-03-22-the-psychology-of-fandom/

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Manager instructs club chief to get him Fulham man to replace Everton loanee

Yesterday we covered reports from Turkey that Galatasaray are keen to sign Fulham attacker Ryan Babel when he becomes a free agent in the summer.

The Super Lig side are reportedly in talks to land the Netherlands international and today Fotomac report their club's manager Faith Terim has given the green light for the potential transfer deal.

According to Fotomac, Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim has told the club's president Mustafa Cengiz that he wants to see either Ryan Babel or Armindo Bruma in his team next season.

With Henry Onyekuru likely to return to Everton at the end of the season, Galatasaray are in the market for a winger and Fulham's Ryan Babel is seemingly an option for the Turkish giants. Onyekuru is currently on loan with the Istanbul club from Everton.

With Babel's contract with Fulham set to expire at the end of the season he's been heavily linked with a return to Turkey, with claims Galatasaray's local rivals Fenerbahce are also interested.

The Dutch international has scored two goals and provided two assists in his nine games for Fulham.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/manager-instructs-club-chief-get-fulham-man-replace-everton-loanee/

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Upcoming Fixtures Sold Out

Tickets for Fulham's upcoming home and away fixtures against Manchester City and AFC Bournemouth respectively, have now sold out.

The Whites take on current champions City next week at Craven Cottage, Saturday 30th March (12:30pm) and the only way to guarantee your seat for this fixture now is with a Matchday Hospitality package. Browse available packages online or call 0208 336 7555 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5:30pm).

In addition, all tickets for our away trip to Bournemouth next month have sold out. Over 1,300 Whites fans will back the boys on Saturday 20th April.

Once again we thank you for you unwavering support!

Match tickets are available to purchase for Fulham's final three home games against Everton, Cardiff City and Newcastle United, whilst tickets for Fulham's trip to Vicarage Road against Watford on Tuesday 2nd April are on sale to Season Ticket Holders and Members.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/march/22/upcoming-fixtures-sold-out

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Fulham suffer major transfer blow as star signing Jean-Michael Seri makes plans to leave

Fulham transfer news includes the latest on the future of their summer signing

Jean-Michael Seri plans to leave Fulham at the end of the season, with a return to Ligue 1 emerging as the most likely option for the Ivorian international.

Seri was the marquee signing of Fulham's £100million overhaul when he joined from Nice in the summer for a fee in excess of £20m. However he has been among several of those recruits to have endured a tough time in the Premier League, even if he showed flashes of the talent that led to Xavi dubbing him his heir apparent.

football.london understands that Seri has not officially begun talks to leave the Cottagers, who had hoped to retain him, but it is clear he has no intention of playing in the Championship next season. The midfielder's representatives have already received declarations of interest over a summer transfer, with several clubs in Ligue 1 believed to be keen to bring the Ivory Coast star back to France.

Seri was pursued by Borussia Dortmund last summer before being won over by a significantly more financially generous offer from newly-promoted Fulham.

The Cottagers are likely to have to countenance a transfer fee significantly less than the £22m they paid Nice for him in the summer of 2018.

The 27-year-old started brightly with a goal and assist to his name after his first four Premier League games but was among several of the Fulham squad who felt alienated by Claudio Ranieri, under whom he was in and out of the team.


(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty images)

Fulham had hoped to keep hold of Seri over the coming summer despite the club likely playing in the Championship next season as they look for an immediate bounce-back from what has been a disaster of a season.

They also still remain hopeful of keeping hold of the likes of Alfie Mawson and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa next season, who arrived in the summer for big transfer fees but haven't been able to have the impact the club had hoped for.

In a recent meeting with the Fulham Supporters' Trust, Director of Football Operations, Tony Khan, said that he held himself accountable for the recruitment this season but felt he should his record should be balanced by the previous two windows that had seen players like Kevin McDonald, Floyd Ayite and Neeskens Kebano signed by his model.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-suffer-major-transfer-blow-16014271

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The statistic that shows why Fulham may regret not signing Oliver Norwood last summer

The midfielder has ripped up the Championship once again with the form that helped the Cottagers to promotion last term

Much has been made of Fulham's recruitment since being promoted to the Premier League - at best, it was a little naive.

Instead of sticking with many of the players who ripped the Championship apart last term, the hierarchy at Craven Cottage opted to make wholesale changes in order to acclimatise to the top flight a little bit quicker.

Unfortunately that period of adjustment has taken longer than many would have expected.

Many Fulham fans have posed the question of how the side would have fared if the likes of Ryan Fredericks, Lucas Piazon, Denis Odoi and Kevin McDonald had been taking to the field each week in the Premier League.

Did they have what it took to succeed? Or was the Championship more their level?


(Image: Alex Morton/Getty Images)

Well for one former star it appears that Fulham may have made a slight oversight regarding his future.

Oliver Norwood was a key figure under Slavisa Jokanovic last term on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, seamlessly plugging the gap left by Tom Cairney as a result of his injury and can be credited with a huge role in getting the club promoted in the first place, with his tackle on Conor Hourihane in the play-off final one that will forever be remembered by Fulham fans.

His vision and incisive passing was key to Fulham's free-flowing style of play - meaning it was a little surprising that his loan switch to west London was never made permanent.

Norwood was keen on making the move permanently, but the club opted for Jean Michael Seri instead.

Instead he signed for Sheffield United and Norwood has once again shown why he's regarded as one of the best passers in the Championship as he aims to make it three promotions in a row from the second tier.

Norwood has completed a staggering 1995 passes so far this term, beating the likes of Brentford's Romaine Sawyers and Swansea City's Matt Grimes to having the most completed passes so far.

He's shown it time and time again in the second tier what he can do with the ball at his feet, and you just wonder whether a move to Fulham could have helped the Cottagers through a tricky season.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-news-oliver-norwood-signing-16014520

[WhiteJC]

 
International Round-Up

Ryan Babel started as the Netherlands got off to a flying start in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign by defeating Belarus 4-0 on Thursday night.

The Fulham forward played just shy of an hour of the match as the Dutch cruised past their opponents thanks to a brace from Memphis Depay and goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk.

Tim Ream captained the USA from left-back as they defeated Ecuador 1-0 in a friendly. The American's got ahead in the 81stminute thanks to a goal from Gyasi Zardes on Thursday night.

Mattias Kait completed 90 minutes for Estonia against Northern Ireland in their first qualifying match for Euro 2020 also on Thursday night.

Unfortunately for Kait, the hosts secured a 2-0 win with second-half goals coming from Niall McGinn and Steven Davis. The Fulham youngster was close to levelling the scores at 1-0 in the 70thminute but his left footed shot from a corner was too high to trouble the Northern Ireland goal.

Aleksandar Mitrović played the last ten minutes of Serbia's 1-1 draw with Germany in Wolfsburg on Wednesday night.

A youthful German side went down on the scoreboard after 12 minutes when Luka Jovic's header opened the scoring but Leon Goretzka clawed one back after the break.

England U21s drew 1-1 with Poland on Thursday night at Ashton Gate with Ryan Sessegnon among the squad as an unused substitute. Dominic Calvert-Lewin put England ahead but Sebastian Szymanski scored with a great free-kick to level the scores before half-time.

Harvey Elliott started and played 75 minutes for England U17s against Switzerland on Thursday afternoon as the Young Lions won 5-2 in the first round of their Euro qualifying campaign.

Terry Ablade was an unused substitute as Finland U18s drew 2-2 with Montenegro on Thursday.

Steven Sessegnon enjoyed a productive start to his opening U19s Euro elite clash, securing a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday. The Young Lions fell behind in the opening ten minutes to a young Czech side but a Bukayo Saka brace, Conor Gallagher and Danny Loader goals hit back with a bang. The result puts the U19s in top-spot.

Elsewhere, Luca Ashby-Hammond continued as number one stopper for England U18s 4-1 win over Japan on Wednesday. The win sets the Young Lions up for a prosperous tournament in the UAE Sports Chain Cup. Neil Dewsnip's side now take on the Czech Republic. Cody Drameh came off the bench to claim his first cap in a proud day for the young full-back. George Wickens was also among the substitutes.

Connor McAvoy continued at the heart of the Scotland U17's defence as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat to a strong Portugal side on Wednesday.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/march/22/international-round-up-march

[WhiteJC]

 
Jean-Michael Seri's reported summer departure will be a huge relief for Fulham

On Friday, football.london reported that Fulham's Jean-Michael Seri was expected to depart the club after the end of the season.

With Fulham's relegation all but assured, Seri decided he wanted a return to Ligue 1 — a relief for both the Whites and the Ivorian midfielder.

When Seri joined Fulham this summer from Nice, he was lauded as a skilled pass master who could take over matches with his intricate control of play and silky touches.

But it is clear that the switch to English football has taken its toll on the midfielder.

Seri failed to make an impact in a challenging atmosphere, often fading to the peripheries of matches, misplacing key passes, and abdicating his defensive responsibilities.

The Ivorian certainly divides opinion among Fulham fans, but even Seri's biggest supporters must concede he hasn't even come close to living up to his potential this campaign.

For a player who was chased by the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona, Seri has only shown small glimpses of his talented best at Craven Cottage.

Now, with the prospect of Championship football on the horizon, Seri has smartly decided to jump ship and return to the comfortable pastures of France.

The departure of the expensive flop will be a welcome relief for both Seri and Fulham, bringing an initially promising relationship to a swift end.



https://tbrfootball.com/jean-michael-seris-reported-summer-departure-will-be-a-huge-relief-for-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

 
Sessegnon should be Tottenham's dream summer signing to end transfer drought

Tottenham are the only Premier League club in history to have not made a signing for two consecutive transfer windows and Ryan Sessegnon looks a perfect fit if they break that hiatus this summer.

(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Tottenham were never really in the title race but now their attention turns to going as far as possible in the Champions League and making sure they dine at Europe's top table once more next season.

Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to usher in a new era in a new stadium with some new blood to freshen up a squad that has felt the effects of fatigue throughout this campaign.

The international break provides a handy juncture at which to turn attention to the forthcoming transfer window but Spurs have not been active at all in the market since January 2018.

Surely that has to change this summer but who would be Tottenham's dream arrival? Given that they need an injection of pace and some more English players to boost their homegrown quota, Ryan Sessegnon looks an ideal fit.

The Daily Mail reported last week that Spurs were readying a £50m bid as Sessegnon stalled on a new Craven Cottage deal with Fulham set for a swift return to the Championship.

£50m does seem steep for Sessegnon, given that he hasn't set the world alight this season and is at a club set for relegation, but he has an incredible future ahead of him.

He genuinely has the ability of a young Gareth Bale – and can play at either left-back or on the left wing, with his searing pace, eye for goal and outstanding maturity.

If Tottenham could get him, it would add an entirely new dimension to their attack as they snap up one of the most talented English players around right now – potentially helping Pochettino gear up for a title challenge next season.



https://tbrfootball.com/sessegnon-should-be-tottenhams-dream-summer-signing-to-end-recent-transfer-drought/