Monday Fulham Stuff - 23/03/20...

[WhiteJC]

2 potential knock-on effects at Leeds United if they pursue summer move for Premier League forward

Leeds United are well placed to go on and secure promotion to the Premier League when the EFL season can eventually resume, with the Whites currently sitting top of the table with a seven-point cushion on third placed Fulham.

Marcelo Bielsa's side could be facing the prospect of a potentially vital summer transfer window, with the Whites needing to try and add to their squad in the hope of being able to survive in the Premier League next term, should they manage to secure promotion.

One key area that Leeds will likely be needing to address in the summer is in the form of their attacking options, with the Whites having been heavily reliant on Patrick Bamford throughout the campaign – and Bielsa's side are reportedly interested in making a potential move for Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster – who is currently on loan with their Leeds' Championship rivals Swansea City – in the summer.

Here then, we take a look at TWO potential knock-on effects a move for Brewster could have on Leeds next season...

Jean-Kevin Augustin's loan move not being made permanent
One of the crucial decisions that Leeds could be faced with in the summer if they are promoted to the Premier League, is whether the Whites should opt to make Jean-Kevin Augustin's loan move a permanent one, with the striker having arrived on loan from RB Leipzig in January.

Augustin has so far struggled to make much of an impact at Elland Road since his arrival, with the forward having made just three Championship appearances for the Whites, and that has been partly down to the form of Bamford, but also the injury troubles the 22-year-old has been facing.

Therefore were Leeds to make a move for Brewster, that could potentially be an alternative to a permanent move for Augustin, which could be a risk for the Whites given the lack of impact he has made so far at Elland Road – and Brewster would likely be a cheaper alternative to pursue.

Bamford coming under pressure for his starting role
Leeds will be needing to ensure that they manage to bring in some extra firepower in the summer transfer window, if they are planning for life in the Premier League, with Bamford having at times been guilty of missing some presentable chances in front of goal for the Whites.

Bamford has also struggled to really ever show he has the ability to be a reliable goalscorer in the Premier League, with the forward having failed to really make an impact during spells with the likes of Burnley, Crystal Palace and Norwich City in the top-flight.

Brewster could therefore come in and provide some real competition for his place in the side, with the forward having shown his confidence and ability in front of goal during his loan spell with Swansea, and he has also had the experience of being in and around the Liverpool squad in the Premier League in the past few years.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/2-potential-knock-on-effects-at-leeds-united-if-they-pursue-summer-move-for-premier-league-forward/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham lost £20m during Premier League season

Fulham made a loss of just over £20m during the 2018-19 season.

The Whites endured an unhappy return to the Premier League and were relegated back to the Championship after just one campaign in the top flight.

The club's turnover increased by 259.5% after promotion and the average home attendance at Craven Cottage went up from 19,910 to 24,371.

However, wages went up by 70.5%, contributing in large part to the losses recorded.

Fulham are redeveloping the Riverside Stand at the Cottage and are currently third in the table.

They were in the thick of the battle for promotion when the coronavirus pandemic led to the suspension of matches.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-lost-20m-during-premier-league-season

[WhiteJC]

'Championship van Dijk', 'What a superb addition' – The best Fulham tweets this season about defensive ace

Michael Hector might be coming towards the end of his fourth month at Fulham, but it's fair to say that he has left his mark on the team in that short space of time.

The centre-back, who joined the Cottagers in January on a permanent deal from Chelsea, has been a revelation in the Championship, looking composed at the heart of defence and establishing himself as a Fulham fans' favourite.

Prior to his move to Fulham, Hector had spent time on loan at Reading, Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday among others, with the Owls fans in particular taking to him during the 2018-19 season.

However, during that period, Hector was still on Chelsea's books, but he failed to make a senior appearance for the Blues in his four-and-a-half years at the club.

Making the short switch across West London has proven to be a wise decision, and he was exactly the sort of addition that the Fulham fans have been crying out for.

His composure on the ball at the back, as well as his tackling ability has seen him earn plaudits, and he also was awarded Man of the Match against Charlton in February.

In total, Hector has made 13 appearances for Scott Parker's side since joining, establishing himself as one half of the centre-back pairing with Tim Ream. It is no surprise that the Cottagers have kept six league clean sheets since Hector's arrival.

There have been plenty of tweets from Cottagers fans since Hector's move in January, raving about their defensive maestro.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/championship-van-dijk-what-a-superb-addition-the-best-fulham-tweets-this-season-about-defensive-ace/

[WhiteJC]

Report details extent of Fulham's financial blow during Premier League relegation campaign

Fulham made losses of just over £20 million during the 2018/19 campaign, according to a report from West London Sport.

Last season proved something of a rollercoaster season for the Cottagers, who were promoted in the summer of 2018 after finishing second in the Championship.

According to a report from West London Sport, Fulham's turnover increased by 259.5% following promotion and their average home attendance rose at Craven Cottage by nearly 5,000, from 19,910 to 24,371.

However, their attempts to secure a long-term future in the Premier League provend costly as it is understood that wages also rose by 70.5%.

The report claims that salary increases were a contributing factor to the losses last season, which totaled at just above £20 million.

Fulham struggled from the off in the Premier League and made three managerial changes during the campaign, with both Slavisa Jokanovic and Claudio Ranieri losing their jobs.

Scott Parker was appointed in February but was unable to help Fulham avoid relegation from the English top-flight, which had looked likely for the majority of the season.

Parker kept his job and has got the Cottagers in a strong position to bounce back to the English top-flight.

They sit third in the Championship–with nine games left to play following the conclusion of the fixture delay.

The Verdict

These figures don't make easy reading for fans of the West London club but they're hardly surprising considering what happened in the 2018/19 season.

There are a number of ways to approach promotion to the Premier League and Fulham following the financially testing approach–bringing in 11 new signings during the campaign.

Many of those were not cheap and, according to Transfermarkt, they spent over £100 million on transfer and loan fees alone.

It will be interesting to see whether their approach changes if they're promoted this season.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/report-details-extent-of-fulhams-financial-blow-during-premier-league-relegation-campaign/

[WhiteJC]

3 Fulham players from the Roy Hodgson era that'd walk into today's side

Roy Hodgson managed Fulham from 2007 to 2010.

Without doubt the club's most fruitful spell in modern times was that under Hodgson. He was the surprise replacement for Lawrie Sanchez and was just coming off the back of a year managing the Finnish national side.

Few expected Hodgson and Fulham to be a good match, but they were more than that – he guided them to three successive, mid-table finishes in the Premier League and took them to the final of the 2010 Europa League final, in arguably the greatest night in the club's history.

He did so with a fine team too, and here we take a look at three players from that era who'd walk into today's Fulham side:

Clint Dempsey
The American made 232 appearances for the club between 2006 and 2014, his last season with the club being on-loan from Spurs, scoring 60 goals over the course of his time at the club.

But it was his final full-season with Fulham, the 2011/12 campaign where he scored 17 Premier League goals, that fans really saw a top-class player prevail.

That was the campaign that prompted Spurs to buy him and whilst that move didn't work out, and Dempsey's career went on a sort of decline after that, he remains a legend around Craven Cottage – some of the goals he scored were unreal, chips, volleys, headers and everything in between – Dempsey could really do it all.

Brede Hangeland
A brute if there ever was one in football, Hangeland spent seven seasons at Fulham from 2007 to 2014. The Norwegian stood at 6'5 and became a cult hero at Craven Cottage, for his fearless performances and aerial presence.

He took no prisoners. Hangeland was the last of the 'old school' defenders and his presence in any teams wouldn't go amiss today. He made over 140 appearances for the club and scored a handful of important goals, before finishing his career with Crystal Palace in 2016 after injury had blighted his two seasons at the club.

His presence in the team was similar to that of Michael Hector's today – a real leader with a big physical presence, and someone who the fans can really rally behind.

Zoltan Gera
Fulham reached the 2010 Europa League final with a team of unsung heroes, but none more so than Gera. The Hungarian played 97 times for his country and spent nine season in English football, most of them in the Premier League with West Brom and Fulham.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-fulham-players-from-the-roy-hodgson-era-thatd-walk-into-todays-side/

[WhiteJC]

Brief Premier League foray fails to wipe out Fulham losses

March 23 – Not even a £100 million leap in annual revenue was enough to propel Fulham into profit during its brief visit to the Premier League last season.

Results for the year to end-June 2019 reveal a pre-tax loss of £20.2 million on turnover of £137.7 million, against a loss of £45.2 million on turnover of £38.3 million in the west London club's promotion season.

The main problem was a splurge on players, such as Jean Michaël Seri, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Aleksandar Mitrović, in a doomed attempt to consolidate top-flight status. This sent wage costs and amortisation surging. Total staff costs at the corporate entity Fulham Football Leisure Limited leapt predictably from £54.3million to £92.6 million, while depreciation/amortisation more than doubled to £44.5 million.

The profit and loss account shows a small profit on player sales of £2.5 million, down from £14 million. The cash flow statement indicates that cash actually spent on transfers in 2018-19 jumped to £58.6 million, with £9.6 million recouped from player sales.

All elements of turnover showed an increase with gate receipts up from £7 million to £10.7 million, central awards from £20.6 million to £93.4 million, broadcasting from £1.1 million to £15.6 million and sponsorship/commercial from £8.5 million to £17.7 million.

The club, whose immediate parent is Cougar Holdco London Limited, is controlled by Shahid Khan. Just before the year-end, 49.3 million new shares were issued to Cougar Holdco in consideration for which debt owed to the shareholder was "offset". The accounts note that Cougar Holdco has "demonstrated its commitment to the company through converting £49,295,000 from debt into equity in the year ended 30 June 2019".

The club said that the Riverside Stand continued to be redeveloped. Planned works began following the final game of the 2018-19 season and would last until the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign.



http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2020/03/23/brief-premier-league-foray-fails-wipe-fulham-losses/