Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 03/09/19...

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Foundation Statement

Yesterday we proudly introduced the official 2019/20 FFC Women's squad ahead of our FA Cup preliminary match at Motspur Park.

In response to the singling out and negative online comments directed at one individual, Fulham FC Foundation would like to reiterate that we condemn such behaviour in person and online. We value each member of our squad immensely, both for their character and on-pitch contributions.

To those who continue to support FFCW, and the women's game more broadly, thank you.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/september/02/foundation-statement

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Accrington Stanley sign Connor Simpson, Aji Alese & Jerome Opoku on loan

League One side Accrington Stanley have signed Preston striker Connor Simpson, West Ham centre-back Aji Alese and Fulham defender Jerome Opoku on loan.

Simpson, 19, has made only one substitute appearance for Preston and had a loan spell at Carlisle last term.

He has joined for the season, while England Under-18 defender Alese, 18, and Fulham's Opoku, 20, will stay with Stanley until January.

Accrington boss John Coleman wanted cover in attack because of injuries.

Courtney Baker-Richardson is out for about for two months with a groin injury, while fellow striker Offrande Zanzala has a hamstring problem.

Alese, who is yet to make his senior club debut, will not be able to make his first appearance for Accrington until their game against Sunderland on 14 September, after being called up by England Under-19s.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49553968

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Talking Points: Cardiff

Five in five for Mitro, Harry Arter's replacement, and Sean Morrison's towel - just three of the issues we look at from Friday's game.

1. Mitro's (still) on fire

Aleksandar Mitrović heads into the international break having scored in each of his last five outings for Fulham. It's something he also managed at the start of his career with the Whites; after bagging his maiden goal for the Club against Bristol City in February 2018, he also went on to net in each of our next four outings against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Derby County, Sheffield United, and Preston North End.

2. Top-six start

With the first portion of the season now complete, the Whites find themselves sitting inside the top-six, well placed with 40 matches still to play. Having already faced our two fellow relegated sides away from home, and with a +5 goal difference, there is plenty to be positive about as we count down the days until the visit of West Bromwich Albion after the break.

3. Cav's vision

Ivan Cavaleiro has quickly made a name for himself at Fulham as a scorer of spectacular goals, but he showed his delicate side in Wales on Friday. With one deft pass, the winger took the entire Cardiff defence out of the game, and presented Mitrović with one of the easiest goals he will ever score.

4. Arter's replacement?

Following his sending off at the Cardiff City Stadium, Harry Arter will now serve a one match ban, ruling him out of our meeting with the Baggies on Saturday 14th September. Scott Parker brought in Harrison Reed for Stefan Johansen on Friday, and so those two could start alongside Tom Cairney, while we all know how capable Kevin McDonald is in that role, too. Alternatively, in each of his league appearances Bobby Decordova-Reid has come on for a central midfielder, so Parker also has that option at his disposal.

5. How long does it take to dry a dry ball?

You often see players call for a towel when they prepare to take a throw-in in torrential conditions, but on what was a mild night in Cardiff, Sean Morrison's insistence on wrapping the ball in a towel and giving it a good long wipe down before each thrown delivery was somewhat perplexing.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/september/02/talking-points-cardiff-city

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Jerome becomes third signing of the day

Stanley bring in defender on loan from Fulham until January

Accrington Stanley have today made their third signing of the day with the addition of defender Jerome Opoku until January 2020 on loan from Fulham.

The 20-year-old's preferred position is as a centre-back but he can also operate as a left-back.

Opoku has represented Fulham's Under-18s and Under-23s, with the defender also taking the captain's armband for the Under-23s for the remainder of the 2018/19 season.

After signing Opoku said: "I'm over the moon, it was a last minute deal, but I can't wait to get started and get some games in the league.

"I'm a winner, I hate losing, and I feel like I've got a good work ethic, I can dribble it out from the back and I'm also capable of playing the ball."

Stanley manager John Coleman said: "Jerome provides us with another option in defence and has had a good grounding at Fulham.

"We need a big squad to cover any injuries and suspensions we may pick up and Jerome will offer competition in the backline."

Opoku is the third arrival at the Wham Stadium today following the signings of Connor Simpson and Aji Alese.




https://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/news/2019/september/opoku-signs/

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Loan Deal For Opoku

Jerome Opoku has today joined Accrington Stanley on a four-month loan deal.

The 20-year-old centre-back will remain with the League One outfit until Wednesday 1st January 2020.

We would like to wish Jerome the very best of luck during his time with Stanley.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/september/02/loan-deal-for-jerome-opoku

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Ayité Departs

The Club can confirm that Floyd Ayité has joined Gençlerbirliği on a permanent deal.

Ayité joined Fulham three years ago and went on to score 14 goals in 84 appearances.

The 30-year-old departs the Club after a successful spell which included a promotion and several memorable goals, with Aston Villa at home and Norwich City away sticking out in particular.

Everyone at Fulham would like to thank Floyd for his efforts during his time here, and we wish him the best of luck in Turkey.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/september/02/floyd-ayite-departs

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Ayite leaves Fulham for Turkish club

Floyd Ayité has left Fulham to sign for Turkish club Gençlerbirliği.

The 30-year-old spent three years at Craven Cottage, scoring 14 Fulham goals in 84 appearances.

Meanwhile, defender Jerome Opoku, 20, has joined Accrington Stanley on loan from Fulham until January.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/ayite-leaves-fulham-for-turkish-club

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Fulham confirm 30-y/o has sealed European move

Fulham winger Floyd Ayite has left the Cottagers to join up with Turkish top-flight Gençlerbirliği on a permanent deal.

The 30-year-old joined the Cottagers in 2016 and played his part as Slavisa Jokanovic's side won promotion to the top-flight in the 17/18 campaign, scoring some crucial goals for the side.

However, he struggled for regular game time last season, featuring in just 16 games as Fulham were relegated back to the second-tier.

And, Scott Parker's appointment as manager on a permanent basis hasn't changed Ayite's fortunes, with the former player only using the ex-Reims man once this season – as a sub in the opening day defeat to Barnsley.

With Anthony Knockaert, Aboubakar Kamara and Ivan Cavaleiro ahead of him in the pecking order, the Londoners have sanctioned Ayite's sale, with the deal confirmed on their official site this afternoon.

He will join up with his new club immediately and will hope to spark an upturn in form for Gençlerbirliği, who are currently bottom of the Turkish Super Lig having lost their first three games of the season.

The Verdict

This is a somewhat surprising move as Ayite has shown that he can be a good player at this level and some fans may feel he should be ahead of Kamara and on the bench.

But, he will want to be playing each week and that's clearly not going to happen at Craven Cottage when Cavaleiro and Knockaert are around.

So, this is a good move for the winger and he will leave Fulham with happy memories after a good first two years with the club.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-confirm-30-y-o-has-sealed-european-move/

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Frei Joins Luzern

The Club can confirm that young winger Elias Frei has joined FC Luzern on a permanent deal.

We would like to wish Elias, brother of former Fulham winger Kerim, the best of luck on his return to his native Switzerland.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/september/02/elias-frei-joins-luzern

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3 things we clearly learnt about Fulham after their 1-1 draw with Cardiff

Fulham were held to a 1-1 draw on Friday by Neil Warnock's Cardiff City in what turned out to be an enthralling affair in the Welsh capital.

After a scrappy start to the clash, the Cottagers went behind as Aden Flint dispossessed Ivan Cavaleiro before setting up Josh Murphy, who duly converted past Marcus Bettinelli.

Undeterred by this setback, Fulham equalised on the stroke of half-time as Cavaleiro made up for his earlier error by providing an assist for Aleksander Mitrovic.

Despite dominating possession during the early stages of the second-period, the Cottagers struggled to create any clear cut chances and were then dealt a huge blow as Harry Arter was inexplicably sent-off.

After picking up a booking for a challenge on Joe Ralls, the midfielder was given his marching orders two minutes later for diving.

Although Cardiff didn't capitalise on Arter's dismissal, the draw was enough to see Fulham slip further behind Swansea City in the Championship standings following Steve Cooper's side's 1-0 victory over Leeds United.

With the dust having now settled from Friday's game, here are three things that we clearly learnt about the Cottagers after their meeting with Cardiff...

They cannot let ill-discipline impact their season

Although it is fair to say that Fulham were not at their dazzling best at the Cardiff City Stadium, they may have gone onto secure all three points if it wasn't for Arter's moment of madness.

Whilst the 2019/20 campaign it still very much in its infancy, the Cottagers cannot afford to let the suspensions mount up this year if they are serious about launching a sustained push for promotion.

Therefore, it may be worth Parker using Arter's sending off as an example to his players of what not to do when under pressure over the coming months.

Mitrovic is the key to promotion

Mitrovic continued his tremendous form for Fulham on Friday by netting his fifth Championship goal of the season.

Arguably too good for this particular level of football, it is paramount that the Cottagers do everything they can to keep the Serbian fit.

Having provided the catalyst to Fulham's promotion during the 2017/18 campaign, there is not reason why he cannot repeat this feat at Craven Cottage this year.

Cavaleiro is already looking like one of the signings of the summer

On loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cavaleiro has been nothing short of exceptional for Fulham during the opening weeks of the 2019/20 campaign.

After opening his account in spectacular fashion against Huddersfield Town, the winger was then directly involved in three goals in the Cottagers' victory over Millwall before setting up Mitrovic's equaliser during Friday's clash.

If he can maintain this consistency over the course of an entire season, he could single-handedly take Fulham back to the top-flight next May and thus banish the memories of their recent relegation.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-things-we-clearly-learnt-about-fulham-after-their-1-1-draw-with-cardiff/

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Fabri's Mallorca Loan

The Club can confirm that Fabri has joined Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, subject to international clearance, on loan for the remainder of the season.

Mallorca won promotion from the Segunda Division last season, and Fabri joins up with the squad sitting 14th in La Liga after three matches.

Everyone at Fulham would like to wish Fabri the best of luck during his time back in Spain.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/september/02/fabri-mallorca-loan

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Fabri: Real Mallorca sign Fulham goalkeeper on season-long loan deal

Fabri has not featured for Fulham in over a year

Real Mallorca have signed Fulham goalkeeper Fabri on a season-long loan deal.

The 31-year-old Spaniard signed a three-year deal with the Cottagers when he joined for £5m from Turkish side Besiktas in July 2018.

However, he has not featured since played in their opening two Premier League games last season.

Mallorca, promoted back to La Liga in 2018-19, have won one of their three league games this campaign.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49559706