Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 21/08/19...

[WhiteJC]

Süper Lig Player Watch: Jean Michaël Seri

Jean Michael Seri

Fulham to Galatasaray, loan

Profile
Born in the southwest of his native Ivory Coast, Jean Michaël Seri signed for his first professional club – the Abidjan-based ASEC Mimosas – as an 18-year-old in early 2010. His talents were spotted early, with a loan move to Porto secured in 2012 although, with no place for him in the first-team squad, the young Seri instead spent half a season with Porto B.

That spell was enough to take him to another Portuguese top-flight club, Pacos de Ferreira. In two years there Seri demonstrated a mixture of technical ability and athleticism, both with and without the ball. His potential as an effective number eight drew the attention of Nice, who had to shell out a surprisingly low €1m to recruit a player yet to turn 24. Used mainly as an advanced central midfielder in his time in the south of France, he could also drop deeper into a more defensive role, although this limited his ability to move up the pitch with the late supporting runs at which he excels.

Despite not always playing in his most natural position, Seri helped Nice rise from previously modest Ligue 1 finishes to fourth and third in his first two seasons. A disappointing third campaign featured them dropping to eighth, with Seri's levels also dropping in the wake of the potential move to Barcelona that never materialised. Fulham similarly did not get the return they may have hoped for from their £25m investment, but his reputation meant that after their relegation he interested Galatasaray, who paid a loan fee of €1.5m euros, with the option to make the move permanent for €18m.

Tactical analysis
Seri is a central midfielder with the capacity to consistently reach both penalty areas throughout the course of a match, his box-to-box style making him a traditional number eight. When he is in possession his first touch can let him down, especially when aggressively pressed; keep an eye out for the backheels and subtle flicks that he often uses to get himself out of trouble.

In the final third Seri poses a true attacking threat (above) – not least with well-timed late runs into the penalty area. He often latches on to loose second balls – useful for keeping an attack alive, but also reducing the threat of counter-attacks. His goalscoring return has never been spectacular – he scored 12 goals in 103 league appearances for Nice – but he can contribute goals and assists throughout the course of a season. His passes through a defence (below) are a wonderful asset when accurate.

Despite his positivity in possession Seri can make errors – most commonly when used as a single pivot in defensive midfield. A better player when looking forward, his positioning and awareness when played deeper were possibly not up to the standards required of that position in the Premier League.

The Ivory Coast international does have pace and the desire to recover into defensive positions, but he is prone to losing his man during crucial transitional moments, which can prove damaging (below). It is not yet clear whether this is due simply to lapses in concentration or a more significant tactical flaw in his game.

Role at new club
Seri will occupy a central midfield role in Turkey. He is far more effective as the right-sided central midfielder, but that doesn't necessarily prevent him from linking up with fellow new signing and one-time Fulham teammate Ryan Babel should, as expected, the Dutchman play wide on the left.

Unlike at Craven Cottage, where he arrived as one of multiple new signings and where then-manager Slavisa Jokanovic was soon sacked, the dynamic Seri will also be entering a more settled environment that should encourage him to rediscover his finest form.

The presence of a further new signing in the on-loan defensive midfielder Steven Nzonzi, from Roma, can also free him up, which could prove particularly crucial given his direct running style and movements aid the play of a lone striker.



https://www.coachesvoice.com/what-does-jean-michael-seri-bring-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham player set to leave on a free transfer, but Cottagers keep 30% of a future sale

After reading the Portuguese media today, any person would be pretty convinced that Rui Fonte's return to Braga is a done deal.

Most of the local newspapers have stories about the 29-year-old, who should soon have his departure from Fulham made official.

According to A Bola and many others, Braga are getting the striker on a free transfer, with the Cottagers keeping 30% of a future sale.

Fonte is expected to sign a three-year contract with the Portuguese side, although there are no details of when he will land in Portugal to do so.

Fulham paid €7m to sign Rui Fonte from Braga two years ago and finished his first season for the club with three goals and five assists in 29 appearances.

That was not enough to keep him at Craven Cottage for longer, as he was loaned to Lille last season where his campaign in France wasn't any better, as he scored only one goal in 20 games.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/fulham-player-set-leave-free-transfer-cottagers-keep-30-future-sale/

[WhiteJC]

Watch Fulham v Millwall on FFCtv

Craven Cottage plays host to its first London derby of the 2019/20 campaign this evening as Fulham face Millwall.

For the first time, Fulham fans all over the world can watch the action unfold live from Craven Cottage on FFCtv, with a pay-per-view pass available to buy now.

The match, available to watch this evening on desktop and/or laptop, includes enhanced camera coverage and full commentary from Gentleman Jim!

For fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland, a pay-per-view pass for this fixture is priced at £10, while overseas fans can purchase a match pass for £5.

International 19/20 Season Passes also remain available to purchase - an all-inclusive pass featuring video on demand and live match audio & video at all fixtures where possible. Priced at £120, the International 19/20 Pass provides supporters with substantial savings against purchasing games on a match-by-match basis.

Coverage for Fulham v Millwall begins from 19:35pm (BST) and passes are available to buy online now at tv.fulhamfc.com today. For more information, visit our FAQs page here.

Buy Match Pass
EFL legislation states that live streams cannot be shown on the App/mobile browsers/tablets, so please be advised that this fixture is being made available via a desktop/ laptop service only. Further information regarding the release of a new Club App to enable mobile streaming will be made available shortly. All other FFCtv content is compatible across multiple devices.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/august/21/ffctv-fulham-v-millwall

[WhiteJC]

Fulham striker set to leave the club on a free transfer for a move to Portugal

Fulham striker Rui Fonte is set to leave the club on a free transfer and head to Portugal according to A Bola.

Although the move to take Fonte to Braga isn't yet a done deal it appears that stories within the Portuguese media are suggesting that an agreement isn't far off being completed.

The striker leaving Fulham should soon be made official and he is then expected to sign for Braga on a free transfer where the Cottagers will also make 30% of a future sale of the player.

Fonte is expected to sign a three-year-deal with the Portuguese side but it is not yet known when this is likely to take place and an announcement is to be made.

Fulham paid €7m to sign Rui Fonte from Braga two years ago and finished his first season for the club with three goals and five assists in 29 appearances.

However, he has been deemed surplus to requirements at Craven Cottage with the Portuguese man being loaned to French side Lille last season but he failed to make an impact scoring only once in 20 appearances for them.

Olympiacos, Leganes and Bordeaux also made attempts to sign the striker last summer before he eventually made the move to Lille.

Rui's brother Jose Fonte once of Southampton also played for Lille last season which saw the brothers reunited.

However, Rui has never represented Portugal's senior team before, while his 34-year old centre back brother has been capped 35 times at the top level of international football.



https://the72.co.uk/143016/fulham-striker-set-to-leave-the-club-on-a-free-transfer-for-a-move-to-portugal/

[WhiteJC]

 David Prutton's Sky Bet EFL predictions
Every Sky Bet Championship midweek match is live on Sky Sports on Wednesday night...

Who is David Prutton tipping for victory in the Sky Bet EFL on Wednesday night? Find out here...

Charlton vs Nottingham Forest, Wednesday 7.45pm - Live on Sky Sports Action from 7.40pm

There is an awful long way to go but Charlton have had an excellent start to life back in the Championship. The way they battled back twice at Barnsley for a draw on Saturday showed their resolve as well.

Sabri Lamouchi got his first win in charge of Nottingham Forest on Saturday, which will help settle things for him a little. I do, however, think this will be a draw.

Prutton predicts: 1-1 (5/1 with Sky Bet)

Leeds vs Brentford, Wednesday 7.45pm - Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button

It was important for Leeds to get that win on Saturday. You feel that any memories of last season are well and truly banished now and everyone at the club can look forward.

Brentford look like they could struggle for goals this season, having netted just two so far and both coming from Ollie Watkins. Will they live to regret not properly replacing Neal Maupay? Leeds to win.

Prutton predicts: 2-1 (15/2 with Sky Bet)

Preston vs Stoke, Wednesday 7.45pm - Live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm

If Preston are going to make the leap into the top six this season then they will need to start picking up at least a point from games like the one on Saturday, where they led at Swansea and then pulled level at 2-2, but still came away with nothing.

Stoke are improving under Nathan Jones but they need to start winning games soon. One point from the first three games they have had is not good enough. They may well lose at Deepdale as well.

Prutton predicts: 2-1 (17/2 with Sky Bet)

Remaining Championship predictions (Wednesday 7.45pm kick-off unless stated)

All games are live on Sky Sports Football Red Button and the Sky Sports app

Cardiff vs Huddersfield: 2-0 (17/2)

Fulham vs Millwall: 1-1 (13/2)

QPR vs Swansea: 1-0 (13/2)

West Brom vs Reading (Wed 8pm): 1-2 (14/1)



https://www.skysports.com/football/news/34681/11788976/david-pruttons-sky-bet-efl-predictions

[davew]

I think all of his predictions are wrong on tonights matches!