Sunday Fulham Stuff (26/05/19)...

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Fulham fans react as Newcastle reportedly target £6m Joe Bryan

Newcastle United failed to sign Joe Bryan in 2018 but they reportedly want him again after Fulham were relegated from the Premier League.

Bright spots were few and far between as Fulham made a dog's dinner of their one and only season back in the Premier League.

Big name signings like Jean Michel Seri, Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa and Maxime Le Marchand made a mockery of their expensive price-tags as The Cottagers finished 19th in the table. But at least Joe Bryan represented good value for money.

A £6 million deadline-day signing from Bristol City last August, the left-back was forced to wait for his Premier League chance after an injury-hit start to life at Craven Cottage. Once he had regained his fitness, however, Bryan immediately established himself in the starting XI and never looked back.

And with the Northern Echo reporting that Newcastle United are looking to take advantage of Fulham's relegation and snap up a player they missed out on a year ago, Bryan's first season at the Cottage could well be his last.

The Magpies have needed a quality left-back since Davide Santon's heyday and Bryan, a swashbuckling wideman renowned for his pinpoint deliveries, would be a major upgrade on Antonio Barreca and Javi Manquillo.

And his exit would certainly leave Fulham fans disappointed.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/05/25/do-tomorrow-fulham-fans-react-as-newcastle-reportedly-target-6m/

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Goal of the Season Result

Ryan Babel has beaten off strong competition to claim Fulham's 2018/19 Goal of the Season award.

Despite the disappointment of relegation, there were still plenty of phenomenal strikes that flew in, with the Whites the only side to have more than one contender up for the Premier League's version of the accolade.

Babel did not actually make that list, but the two on it were his closest challengers for our in-house trophy.

Jean Michaël Seri's thunderbolt early on in the campaign against Burnley claimed 11.9 per cent of the vote, putting him behind André Schürrle who came second for his wonder goal against the same opponents (31.1 per cent).

But it was Babel's dazzler against Cardiff City that came out on top, with 41.7 per cent of the Fulham faithful giving it their backing.

Keep an eye on fulhamfc.com tomorrow for Babel's reaction to winning the award, and his assessment of what was a bittersweet time for him in SW6.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/may/25/goal-of-the-season-winner-ryan-babel

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Chambers Wins Player of the Season

Calum Chambers is the overwhelming winner of Fulham's 2018/19 Player of the Season award.

Almost half of the fans opted for the midfielder as our best performer in the campaign just gone as he claimed 48.4 per cent of the votes – more than three times as many as his nearest challenger.

After a mixed start to his career in South-West London, it was his transformation into central midfield that kickstarted his fortunes in black and white.

Anfield was a baptism of fire in the new position for Chambers, but he came out of an unfortunate 2-0 defeat by Liverpool with plenty of credit, and never looked back.

A protector of the back-four who also looked to join the attack when possible, Chambers quickly became a real favourite of the Fulham faithful and departs the Club as one of our most popular ever loanees.

Indeed, it's extremely rare that an on-loan player walks away from a temporary spell at any club with such an accolade.

Chambers was near the top of the charts in the squad for a variety of statistics across the season; number one for interceptions (2.2 per game), second for tackles (2.1), and third for dribbles (1), successful aerial duels (2.1) and passes (47.9) per match.

"I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone," Calum said upon finding out the news. "I want to wish everyone at Fulham Football Club the very best for next season. It would be great to see you back in the Premier League soon."

Our top scorer Aleksandar Mitrović was runner-up in the voting with 14.1 per cent, putting him marginally ahead of Ryan Babel (13.2) who excelled following his January arrival.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/may/25/calum-chambers-player-of-the-season

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 Sheffield United transfer EXCLUSIVE: Blades want £1.5m Croatian star, Fulham keen too

PREMIER LEAGUE new-boys Sheffield United are interested in Croatian defender Dario Zuparic.

The versatile HNK Rijeka centre-half, 27, was named man of the match in his club's shock cup final victory against Dinamo Zagreb last week.

Fulham came close to landing Zuparic, who can also operate as a holding midfielder, in the January window.

And despite relegation into the second tier, the Londoners remain keen on the former-Croatia Under-21 international.

However, they now face competition from Chris Wilder's Yorkshire outfit following their long-awaited promotion back into the top-flight.

The fact Zuparic is available for a cut-price £1.5m makes him an attractive proposition for Sheffield United, who need to strengthen before the August 8 deadline.
Zuparic has just a year left on his contract, making him a bargain option for the Blades.
United boss Wilder is hopeful of re-signing Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Loan signing Henderson, 22, proved a huge success this term as the Blades finished runners-up in the Championship to end a 12-year exile from the top flight.

Henderson kept 21 clean sheets to win the Championship Golden Glove award, and said after the Blades won promotion that he wanted to return to Bramall Lane next season.


Dario Zuparic could be heading to Sheffield United (Pic: GETTY)

"We're working our way through it," Wilder said.

"We've been in discussions with Manchester United and I think they see it as a positive that he gets a year of Premier League football under his belt.

"I know Dean definitely wants to stop and our supporters absolutely adore him.

"We've got a good relationship with Manchester United and if Dean signs we'll be delighted.

"He's been outstanding since he's been at the club. He had a fantastic loan period at Shrewsbury, he's kicked on and has a wonderful future ahead of him."



https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/781374/Sheffield-United-transfer-news-exclusive-Dario-Zuparic-Fulham-gossip-latest?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-star-football+%28Daily+Star+%3A%3A+Football+Feed%29

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Calum Chambers sends message to Fulham supporters as he returns to Arsenal following loan spell

The Arsenal star impressed on loan at Fulham this season

Of the nine Arsenal stars out on loan this season, perhaps none have been quite as successful as Calum Chambers.

After a tricky start he developed into one of Fulham's better performers in a campaign which ended in relegation, excelling in a defensive midfield role at times and made 30 appearances.

Ahead of his return to north London, Chambers was crowned as Fulham's Player of the Season.

A statement via the Cottagers' official website confirmed Chambers as the winner of the prestigious award.

"Calum Chambers is the overwhelming winner of Fulham's 2018/19 Player of the Season award," it reads." "Almost half of the fans opted for the midfielder as our best performer in the campaign just gone as he claimed 48.4 per cent of the votes – more than three times as many as his nearest challenger.

To which Chambers sent a message to the Fulham supporters.

"Hi guys, I've just heard I've been voted Player of the Season, I'd like to thank you all for the support throughout the season," he said in a video message via Twitter.

"I'd like to wish you the very best of luck next year.

"To all the players, staff and the fans, it would be great to see Fulham back in the Premier League soon."

He then took to Instagram and posted another message.

"Wow! Absolute honour to be voted Player of the Season! I say this with the biggest smile on my face, thank you!

"Wish everyone at Fulham the very best for next season. It would be great to see you in the Premier League soon!"

What the future holds for Chambers at his parent club remains to be seen.

Having signed a new four-year deal with Arsenal at the start of the season before making the loan move across London, he is still planning for a long-term future under Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium.

"When the new manager came in he wanted the young players coming through," he told the Daily Telegraph. "The messages when he came in weren't about shutting out that pathway for younger players.

"They wanted to encourage it, which was great.

"I want to get myself in the team there and play there. That is something I have got to be looking at."



https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/calum-chambers-arsenal-news-fulham-16330617

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Game changer

A spectacular new riverside which transforms our iconic home

Craven Cottage has played home to Fulham FC on the banks of the River Thames since 1896.

Following an announcement from Fulham FC Chairman Shahid Khan, the Club is delighted to confirm that development works on the Riverside Stand will begin this summer.

This transformation will create a modern, world-class riverfront destination that will provide so much more than just football, all the while securing Fulham Football Club's long-term home at Craven Cottage.

Reduced capacity during construction means limited availability for next season

In order to develop the new facilities, as well as increase overall capacity at Craven Cottage, the existing Riverside Stand will be demolished. That means that for the two-year build, seats previously reserved in this area will no longer be available.

In addition, as part of ongoing works at Craven Cottage other areas of the ground will also be affected, including the Hammersmith End. Full details around the transition process can be found here.

The increased demand for seats throughout the ground means that availability next season will be limited.

Seats for all existing Season Ticket Holders are available to renew for the 2019/20 campaign now. All seats will remain on hold until 5pm on Friday 21st June.

The 2019/20 Season

All existing Season Ticket Holders have been sent information regarding their seat at Craven Cottage for the 19/20 campaign.

Unless otherwise stated in your pack or email, this includes your allocated seat and price.

If you have been issued a new seat and would like to find out more information please visit our FAQs section via the button below. If you have not received your pack, please contact the Fulham Ticket Office.

Supporters can purchase their Season Ticket in person or by phone from the Fulham Ticket Office (0203 871 0810 - Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm), by postal application with the form provided in your renewal pack, or online anytime at eticketing.co.uk/fulhamfc.

Fans wishing to renew online must login to their online ticket account in order to view renewal pricing.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/seasontickets

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New Era for Fulham FC

The time between the end of the season and the start of preseason has always been the worst for football fans. The players are off on holiday, the transfer window hasn't opened and the clubs we support have limited information coming out of them.

And don't get me started about Saturdays. Despite this season being a complete disaster, I never know what to do on a Saturday without regular football. Thankfully this weekend we have the play-offs and some cup finals to keep us entertained, but I'll be happier when the boys are back at Motspur Park preparing for next season.

Finally the club announced the start of the Riverside Stand development project this week. This summer the lead contractor, Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, will start the development, increasing our capacity and bringing a load of exciting features for both fans and local resident to enjoy. It will be strange playing without use of the Riverside Stand for two seasons, but I have no doubt that this development is going to massively improve the Fulham experience for us all. The walk to the Cottage is undoubtedly the most beautiful walk in football and it's going to get even better with that side of the river walk being opened up to us and public. While it will be a strange sight for two years, we can be excited for this new era in our club.

When Shahid Khan took over the club in 2013, there was a little fear in the back on many of our minds that either it would a short stint, or that there would be a move away from the Cottage in the future. We can be satisfied that Khan is here for the improvement of the club both on and off the pitch.

Of the new stand, Khan said, "Craven Cottage is a unique and inspiring venue to not only play football, but to visit. As I noted upon becoming Chairman in 2013, it has always been my intention to follow through with the development of the Riverside Stand, and today's news brings that intention to reality.

"Make no mistake, the Riverside development will be a location like no other, a real game-changer for Fulham Football Club, our neighbourhood, and all of London. Our aim is to create a world-class destination for fans and guests to experience and enjoy, whilst retaining the charm that Craven Cottage exudes within our very own section of the River Thames. In doing so, we will also safeguard the Club's future at Craven Cottage, forever the rightful home for Fulham."

While mistakes have been made, particularly this season, we have an owner who are committed to this club. I Have no doubt that he will put everything into getting the club back into the Premier League in the coming years and will work hard to keep us there and with a shiny new as well.

COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/05/new-era-for-fulham-fc/

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Ollie Norwood reminisces in former glory which will be of interest to Fulham fans

Oliver Norwood has become somewhat of a journeyman in the last few seasons, but Brighton's loss has been Sheffield United's gain.

The midfielder has now won back-to-back promotions, having beaten Aston Villa with Fulham last season, before winning promotion automatically with the Blades this season.

Norwood took to Instagram to reminisce in Fulham's play-off final win over Aston Villa last season, as they returned to the Premier League.



Norwood has been hugely impressive for Sheffield United this season, and without him, you have to feel as though the Blades wouldn't have won promotion automatically.

The Northern Irishman made 43 appearances, and with three goals and eight assists in their promotion-winning league campaign.

He'll be hoping to feature for Chris Wilder's side next season in the Premier League, with Norwood having not previously played in the top-flight.

The 28-year-old was sent out on loan to Fulham after winning promotion with Brighton, but then made the temporary switch to Bramall Lane this season.

But having made such a crucial impact with Sheffield United this season, he's surely going to be worthy of a starting spot for the Blades in the Premier League.

The Verdict:
He deserves a shot in the Premier League.

Norwood has really impressed me this season and he's been key to their promotion-winning campaign.

He can unlock defence with ease at times, and if Sheffield United are to have any chance of continuing their impressive run of form into the top-flight, then Norwood will have to be at the top of his game.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/ollie-norwood-reminisces-in-former-glory-which-will-be-of-interest-to-fulham-fans/

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Fulham signing this proven £20m speed demon could be the way towards PL promotion next season

Fulham opinion: Cottagers line up move for Dwight Gayle – Good choice?

According to a report in Shields Gazette, Fulham are interested in signing Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle, and the Magpies named the price for the former Crystal Palace marksman.

Gayle is understood to be surplus for requirements at St.James' Park, with Rafa Benitez, who is expected to continue as the manager of Newcastle, looking to make attacking additions from elsewhere. (h/t Shields Gazette)

As a result, according to the report (h/t Evening Standard), the Magpies have slapped a £20m price tag on the player, if any club comes in for a move. (h/t Shields Gazette)



Gayle spent the previous season on loan at West Brom, where he continued his fantastic Championship form with 24 goals in a failed promotion bid by the Baggies.

Here's why Fulham, who are now back in the second-tier, should make a move for the 28-year-old:

Cottagers need more goal scoring threat

Dwight Gayle has been one of the best strikers when it comes to the Championship. He has scored 47 goals in 72 appearances in past two seasons, one each with Newcastle United and West Brom.

Hence, the 28-year-old is probably one of the most feared marksmen in that division. Furthermore, he hasn't done well when in the Premier League. Thus, it makes sense that Newcastle are looking to offload him this summer.

ulham, who are back in the Championship after just one year in the top-flight, should look to sign him in this window. The first reason for it being they need more goal scoring threat up front.

Either way, Scott Parker's men require the services of the 28-year-old next season onwards. The price tag of £20m may be slightly high, but a proven record in the Championship is there for everyone to see.

Conclusion

Therefore, if Fulham are to mount a challenge to come straight back into the Premier League, signing Dwight Gayle would be a step in the right direction.



https://soccersouls.com/fulham-signing-this-proven-20m-speed-demon-could-be-the-way-towards-pl-promotion-next-season/

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Babel: Bittersweet Spell

Ryan Babel was delighted to learn that he had won Fulham's 2018/19 Goal of the Season.

The forward's stunning curler in the 1-0 win over Cardiff City came out on top of some fierce competition, and Babel paid tribute to the Whites faithful for their backing.

"I want to thank the fans for voting for my goal," he said. "I appreciate the support and I am grateful to have scored such a goal, especially of course because it was in a home match that led to us winning the game.

"I can imagine that the season must have of course been very frustrating for the supporters, but I hope I could have at least brought them some moments with a little bit of joy."

Babel's contributions to the Fulham cause since his January arrival were impressive.

In his 15 starts he was involved in eight goals (scoring five, assisting three), and subsequently came close to pipping Aleksandar Mitrović to second place in the Player of the Season vote.

In his first interview upon arrival, Babel outlined his intention to prove himself in the Premier League - so, does he feel he did that?

After a long, pensive pause, he answers: "I mean, yeah, I think I have hopefully cleared doubts that people had about me from 10 years ago.

"Since I left Liverpool I noticed that, especially the English people, they didn't really follow my career after. It's funny because when I came back the reaction of the majority in England was like, 'oh, I thought he'd retired!'

"But I guess I was able to erase a little bit of the negativity from the past around my persona. But a big part of my feelings is still that I failed to help the Club stay in the Premier League."

That inability to keep Fulham up is something that clearly rankles with Babel.

"It's my first experience of being relegated with a team," he explained. "Before, you look at teams who get relegated and you see their emotion and stuff, and you can imagine that it sucks after you work so hard to stay up.

"And now you experience it yourself and, yeah, it's tough, it's tough to take. Especially now, after how you saw we played in the last months, you think, 'oh, we were able to reach a certain level to maybe maintain Premier League,' so that's an extra pity."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/may/26/ryan-babel-season-review

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Aleksandar Mitrovic and two other players West Ham should poach from Fulham

Fulham's relegation to the Championship will inevitably bring about several stories linking their players with a move to West Ham.

The Hammers signed Ryan Fredericks from Craven Cottage last summer and seem to always be linked with Fulham players. With Fulham heading to the Championship, a number of players might be linked with West Ham.

After signing Lukasz Fabianski from Swansea City following their relegation, it is clear that this is a viable transfer policy, depending on the player. Here are three Fulham players West Ham should consider signing this summer.

Aleksandar Mitrovic
Various media outlets keep linking West Ham with a move for Aleksandar Mitrovic, including The Telegraph. It is clear that the 24-year-old is one of West Ham's key targets.

Manuel Pellegrini wants a new striker and Mitrovic had a reasonable year at Fulham. The Serbia international scored 11 goals but could not prevent Fulham's relegation.

With better service and more experience under his belt, Mitrovic could be the striker West Ham are looking for.

Marcus Bettinelli
West Ham need a back-up goalkeeper because Adrian is leaving. Fabianski is the undisputed first-choice stopper but Nathan Trott is not quite ready to become his deputy.

Marcus Bettinelli was Fulham's reserve goalkeeper this season and, at the right price, he could be a decent back-up option for Fabianski.

The 26-year-old has been linked in the past (The Daily Mail) and could be a cheap option for the Hammers.

Ryan Sessegnon
Many clubs will be eager to sign Ryan Sessegnon this summer. But perhaps West Ham could enter the race for the talented teenager.

The England U21 international was the name on everyone's lips when he fired Fulham to promotion. But his first season in the Premier League was a bit quieter.

Nonetheless, Sessegnon scored twice and provided six assists for the Cottagers. As either a left-back or as a winger, the 19-year-old has a bright future in the game.



https://www.hammers.news/columnist/aleksandar-mitrovic-and-two-other-players-west-ham-should-poach-from-fulham/